Bruno Andrade
At one time, Andrade was linked with Aston Villa and Portsmouth, but he now splits his time between Matlock and Boston.
He felt like a statement signing when he arrived in May 2018 off the back of a huge season with Boreham Wood. 20 National League goals, Team of the Year, and a run to the play-off final gave a real sense we were getting a player ready to step up. It did not take long for that to show. He scored his first EFL goal in a 3-1 win over Notts County and quickly became a key outlet on the left under Danny Cowley, offering pace, direct running and a real threat cutting inside. His link with John Akinde worked well, one stretching the game, the other occupying defenders, and Andrade’s ability to strike cleanly from range gave us something different. There was a wobble in January 2019 when he saw red against Swindon for a moment of petulance, but to his credit, he responded properly, fought his way back in and even picked up a PFA Player of the Month award during the run-in.
That season ended perfectly, with Andrade playing his part across 50 appearances as we secured the League Two title, and he remained an important figure after promotion, carrying that same energy and intent into League One. That was the summer he was linked with big moves, but it never happened, and he left for Salford City in January 2020 as part of Michael Appleton’s reshaping of the squad. His record of 73 appearances and 13 goals perhaps does not scream star man, but it undersells just how important he was in that transition period.
He became something of a footballing nomad after that, spells with Salford, Stevenage, a return to Boreham Wood and then moves through Maidenhead United, Chesham United and Kettering Town, before stints with Maidstone United and Bedford Town. More recently, he popped up in the Baller League, a small-sided competition built for entertainment, where he ended up lifting the trophy, a slightly surreal footnote to a career that, at its peak with us, was far more grounded and effective.
He was in the news earlier this year for fighting on the pitch with an AFC Rushden & Diamonds teammate, which has now seen him join Boston Town and Matlock on dual registration.
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