Best Pre-Season Trialist To Not Sign

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Best Pre-Season Trialist To Not Sign Just for fun lets take a trip down memory lane..

#1 monte

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Posted 20 June 2025 - 08:56 AM

Thought I'd give us a little distraction from all the speculation with this one.

Honour Gombami
One player that comes to mind from (2005?) Honour Gombami, was a Zimbabwe midfielder failed to get a work permit and then on our appeal it was discovered that the Zimbabwe FA had "enhanced" his actual number of International call ups.

Went on to get 18 caps and played over 100 games in Belgium. https://en.wikipedia.../Honour_Gombami

Stef?
There was another French/Spanish lad Stefano something who ran the show in a friendly in the 2000ish time too but I've never been able to remember his name.

#2 hilly81

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Posted 20 June 2025 - 09:02 AM

monte, on 20 June 2025 - 08:56 AM, said:

We played Staveley when Gombami was on trial. He was lightyears ahead of everyone on the pitch. I was stood near their bench during the second half and their lads who came off, came to get a drink etc were absolutely raving about him. They couldn't get anywhere near him. Remember being gutted when he didn't sign.

#3 Looker-on

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Posted 20 June 2025 - 09:13 AM

monte, on 20 June 2025 - 08:56 AM, said:

Stephane Leoni? Attacking right-back against Rotherham in a 2-0 win in 2001.

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#4 Hibbo98

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Posted 20 June 2025 - 09:13 AM

Can’t remember too many good ones we didn’t sign during my relatively short time watching us.

Ryan Edwards we had on trial in 2015 after he left Reading went on to play plenty in the SPL and for Burton in L1 whilst we were floundering in the NL. Think we chose to sign Dion Donohue over him instead

#5 monte

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Posted 20 June 2025 - 09:16 AM

Looker-on, on 20 June 2025 - 09:13 AM, said:

Stephane Leoni? Attacking right-back against Rotherham in a 2-0 win in 2001.

Ahh that might be it, I know he had a great game, and there was talk he was staying in the town to get a deal done but then fizzled out

#6 RichThomps1

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Posted 20 June 2025 - 09:16 AM

Hibbo98, on 20 June 2025 - 09:13 AM, said:

Didn’t we have Edwards on loan and not a trialist

#7 Looker-on

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Posted 20 June 2025 - 09:20 AM

RichThomps1, on 20 June 2025 - 09:16 AM, said:

Didn't we have Edwards on loan and not a trialist

There were two - one who came on loan from Blackburn in 2013 and played FL for us, and another released by Reading in 2015, who ended up at Partick.

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#8 monte

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Posted 21 June 2025 - 06:17 AM

We had a goalie on trail from Southampton too in the 2010s that looked great, was it Poke?

#9 gordon_brittas

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Posted 21 June 2025 - 06:34 AM

Gombani was excellent. It’s amazing how we remember these players that make 2/3 appearances and forget about average/poor players that played for us on permanent deals.

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#10 SocraticCFC

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Posted 22 June 2025 - 11:15 AM

monte, on 21 June 2025 - 06:17 AM, said:

We had a goalie on trail from Southampton too in the 2010s that looked great, was it Poke?

Two French trialists in late 1990s - one got injured and the other disappeared. Played in a friendly v Rotherham, JD manager Two great players. Thierie ?

I can think of a number of poor pre-season trialists who we chose to sign/not -to-sign !

#11 Scooby Doo

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Posted 22 June 2025 - 03:52 PM

SocraticCFC, on 22 June 2025 - 11:15 AM, said:

I remember a french lad called Ollie Bernadeau who played a few games for us around that time.

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#12 trickytrevsfanclub

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Posted 22 June 2025 - 06:28 PM

Scooby Doo, on 22 June 2025 - 03:52 PM, said:

I remember a french lad called Ollie Bernadeau who played a few games for us around that time.

That was 86 not 90's. I'm not sure if he actually played in the first team but memory a bit fuzzy on that one.

This post has been edited by trickytrevsfanclub: 22 June 2025 - 06:30 PM

#13 moondog

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Posted 22 June 2025 - 08:11 PM

Scooby Doo, on 22 June 2025 - 03:52 PM, said:

I remember a french lad called Ollie Bernadeau who played a few games for us around that time.

I recall he was a signing not a trialist, our first "foreign" one, big headlines in the DT at the time, wasn't he part of some France squad at the time ?

#14 Secretly Canadian

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Posted 22 June 2025 - 08:18 PM

trickytrevsfanclub, on 22 June 2025 - 06:28 PM, said:

That was 86 not 90's. I'm not sure if he actually played in the first team but memory a bit fuzzy on that one.

He played in the 0-0 at Rochdale away on a Tuesday night, I'm sure it was you I went with!

#15 Secretly Canadian

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Posted 22 June 2025 - 08:25 PM

moondog, on 22 June 2025 - 08:11 PM, said:

I recall he was a signing not a trialist, our first "foreign" one, big headlines in the DT at the time, wasn't he part of some France squad at the time ?

I'm 99% sure he was studying at university in Leeds & played in a trials match at Staveley Miners Welfare along with Jamie Hoyland & Lee Coombes!

This post has been edited by Secretly Canadian: 22 June 2025 - 08:50 PM

#16 trickytrevsfanclub

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Posted 23 June 2025 - 02:34 PM

Secretly Canadian, on 22 June 2025 - 08:18 PM, said:

He played in the 0-0 at Rochdale away on a Tuesday night, I'm sure it was you I went with!

I have just updated my Secretly Canadian friend with some facts. His brains addled now😃. That Rochdale game we lost 3-0, Bernadeau came on as sub, info courtesy of Stuart Bassons excellent stats site. Also I didn’t actually know him then so didn’t go to the match with him.
Surprised to see also that he made 5 starts for us before moving back to France.