AFC Totton
HAVING RECENTLY BROUGHT one former Portsmouth Academy forward to the AFC Totton first team squad in Alfie Stanley, Stags manager Jimmy Ball has added another exciting ex-Pompey player to his ranks with the signing of 22-year-old Leon Maloney.
Born on the Isle of Wight in 2001, Maloney took part in the Pompey in the Community training sessions on the island from the age of eight, and joined the Fratton Park club’s youth ranks when he was 10 years-old. His Portsmouth debut came as a 54th-minute substitute in a 2-0 Checkatrade Trophy win over Southend United in January 2019 (prior to Pompey going on to lift the trophy with a penalty shoot-out victory over Sunderland at Wembley Stadium). Maloney scored his first goal for the club in a 2-1 win against Northampton Town in the same competition the following season.
In-between those Portsmouth first team appearances, the winger – who can also play as an attacking midfielder in the No.10 role – had two loan spells with Bognor Regis Town, either side of the 2019 summer break.
“They were both short spells with Bognor,” he says. “But they were worthwhile because they introduced me to men’s football and gave me an opportunity to build my confidence that I could be at that level and still play my game.
“At Under-18s level, you get time and space on the ball but in the men’s game, they’re just on you straight away, so it made me realise I needed to get a lot quicker and stronger. It worked really well, to be fair, and it helped me when I returned to play for Pompey again later on.”
Reports on one football-themed website linked Maloney with potential moves to Chelsea and West Ham United in July 2019 but it was the interest of FC Volendam in the Netherlands that piqued his curiosity, and after speaking to their manager at the time, the former Dutch international and Internazionale midfielder Wim Jonk, Maloney joined Het Andere Oranje (The Other Orange) for an undisclosed fee in January 2020, when he was still only 19 years-old.
As reported by the Portsmouth News at the time, Maloney’s departure did not go down well among some of the Fratton Park faithful, who had hoped to see him rise through the Portsmouth ranks to the eventual benefit of the first team.
Life at FC Volendam, in a fishing town just north of Amsterdam where the football club was organised on the same basis as the famous Ajax youth academy by several of its former employees, began encouragingly for the Islander. He racked up seven first team appearances in the 2020/21 Eerste Divisie, helping them to a sixth-place finish that qualified them for the Promotion Play-Offs, although they subsequently lost 1-4 to NAC Breda with Maloney being left out of the squad.
By the beginning of the 2021/22 season, he had been moved into the Jong FC Volendam team who compete in the Tweede Divisie at the third tier of Dutch football. His hopes of winning his place back in the first team were dealt a massive blow when he suffered stress fractures to both of his ankles, forcing him out of the game for a year. When he’d recovered, he trained with the first team squad but only got to play more games for the Reserves, until his contract expired at the end of last season.
Whenever Totton sign a new player, we will often encourage them to liken their style of play to a famous player with whom The Stags fans will already be familiar. Leon smiles at the question but then has to think for a minute to come up with the right name. Eventually, he plumps for the ex-Chelsea and Brazil attacking midfielder Oscar, both players sharing an ability to pick a killer pass in the final third while also posing a direct threat to goal from outside the box.
“I would say my best qualities as a player are that I don’t lose possession very often and I’m confident about making decisions on the ball, to try and make good things happen for my team,” he explains.
Maloney was unable to join Jake Scrimshaw in the Isle of Wight squad that won Bronze in the Island Games football tournament over the summer, while he was looking for a new club.
“I first came to AFC Totton a few weeks ago to see the set-up for myself. Jake had told me I should come and check it out, and Jimmy Ball was kind enough to invite me to take part in training just to get myself fit, even if I didn’t end up coming here.
“I really liked what I saw in the way the manager and coaches relate to the players, and the whole set-up of the club around the football team. The more I experienced and found out, the more I felt this was the right move for me. I’m really pleased to get it all sorted and I can’t wait to show people what I can do.”
Leon played in the pre-season game at home to Hamworthy United on 29 July and he was an unused substitute in last weekend’s dramatic late opening day victory at Harrow Borough, taking the No.17 shirt now that The Stags will be wearing squad numbers in the Pitching In Southern League Premier Division South.
“We’re hoping to help Leon restore his bright football career after his time in Holland. He suffered a bad injury at a crucial time in his development,” explained Stags boss, Jimmy Ball.
“It was a setback but it’s not the end of his journey. Leon has an opportunity to come into a well-run club with excellent fitness staff who can help him get back to his previous levels.
“He’s an attacking midfielder who is comfortable on the ball and can provide great deliveries from set-pieces. He has impressed in the short spell he’s been with us, training enthusiastically and playing well against Hamworthy, and I hope to see him making a positive difference for us in competitive matches, soon.”
By Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of Craig Hobbs Photography
