Former Newark & Sherwood striker Kieran Cummings on summer move to step 4 Basford United
Former Newark & Sherwood striker Kieran Cummings is ready to prove a point following his summer move to Basford.
Cummings was a man in demand after scoring 32 goals and providing 12 assists for the Highwaymen last season.
His efforts for the United Counties League Premier Division North club were always going to attract interest higher up.
The 23-year-old had options two levels up, in Step 3, before deciding on a move to Step 4 Basford.
The Ambers will be playing in the Northern Premier League Midlands Division following relegation last season and are looking to bounce back under manager Willis Francis.
Cummings’ previous experience at Step 4, with Shepshed Dynamo, didn’t go according to plan.
But he rediscovered his form and confidence at Newark & Sherwood, where ex-boss Romaine Graham and his No.2 Tristan Spencer got the best out of him.
And the former Notts County scholar is determined to show what he can do at a higher level following the Basford move.
“I’m looking forward to it,” said Cummings.
“I’ve been in this step before and it didn’t go how I wanted it to go.
“So I’ve used the step up again to prove my point to let everyone know I mean business this season.
“I thank Rom and Tris especially, they already knew what type of player I was and they let me shine and do what I needed to do.
“It’s paid off so I can’t thank them enough.
“There were a lot of teams higher up in the pyramid who approached me.
“If that was me when I was a lot younger, I would have taken that opportunity.
“But me, as I’m starting to get older and get used to how different steps work, I just want to go somewhere I’m guaranteed to be playing.
“The starting bit is up to me.
“Obviously when you go to a new club, you’ve got to impress, but they’ve basically given me the green light to express myself.
“The gaffer knew me before but I didn’t really know him.
“He’s part of the Notts County system so he knows a lot about me and he’s brought in a few Notts County players like Ryan Ebanks.
“I’m just looking forward to it and hoping to score the goals I did last season.
“I spoke to all the clubs who approached me but I want to prove myself again in Step 4 before jumping up to Step 3 and so on.
“Everyone understood the point and they backed me to do well this season.
“The gaffer here has said he wants to go for it.
“The squad is quite young - the average age is around 25-26 - but there’s a lot of talent there.
“The gaffer loves the youth players, he wants to develop players and get them as high as they possibly can.
“It’s like another shop window because Basford are, other than Forest and Notts County, they’re one of the best teams in Nottingham.
“I’m hoping everyone has a good season, I’m hoping I have a good season and just see where it takes me.”
Cummings’ last game for Newark & Sherwood was the Notts Senior Cup final against Hucknall.
He scored twice in a crazy match which the Highwaymen lost 4-3 on penalties following a 6-6 draw.
Boss Graham was sacked days later, with the club finishing 13th in the league, but Cummings was always going to move on anyway.
“Me and Rom always spoke about it from the start of the season,” said Cummings.
“He just said this is for you to get yourself back up to where you need to be and I said to him no matter what happens in the first half of the season, if I’m doing really well, I will stick with the club until the end of the season and get my numbers up and keep my confidence up.
“A big factor for me is confidence, a gaffer who can just back me, and I’ll be able to shine.
“The type of player I am, I know I’m capable of scoring goals but I was really happy with the amount of assists I got last season because it shows I’m not just scoring the goals, I can also set them up and help the team as well.”
Graham joined the Highwaymen on their end-of-season trip to Barcelona, despite losing his job.
Cummings, who also attended, remains in touch with his former boss and wishes him well for the future.
“We speak every now and then,” he said.
“It used to be every day but obviously he’s moved on and I’ve moved on, so it’s probably once a week now just to catch up on things.
“You can’t think of anything bad about him.
“That’s the thing with Romaine, he’s good-hearted and I wish him all the best because that’s what most people would want, just for him to be very successful.”
Cummings started pre-season training with Basford last month.
It was a tough first session for the Ambers but one the players all benefited from.
“All it said in the chat was ‘bring your trainers’,” said Cummings, reflecting on his first session.
“There were no footballs or anything, so it was a tough one.
“I know quite a few of the players, so I’ve settled in well. The team morale feels really good.”
