Former Erith Town player, Sidney Warden, has tasted success in the United States of America.

He played for the Dockers in the 2017-18 season before leaving to go to college in the U.S.

Playing for Duluth in the National Premier Soccer League he notched 16 goals in 12 games plus six assists which earned him the 2021 NPSL Golden Boot.

In a press release he said “I’m delighted to receive the Golden Boot, It was definitely a target I set myself for the season before we started. I owe a lot of this to my teammates and coaches at Duluth FC who have helped me all season long. Now is the time for us to push on and go as far as possible in the competition.”

Warden ended the season as Duluth’s leading goal scorer, breaking the regular season and full season scoring records previously held by Kyle Farrar.  

“Sidney has been a pleasure to work with this season,” Duluth FC head coach Sean Morgan said. “I started speaking with Sid about the possibility of playing for Duluth back in October 2020 after speaking with his coach at Mercyhurst, Ryan Osborne, and watching some of his highlight reels from games played back in London for Erith.  He highlighted to me that one of his goals was to be the top scorer in the league and nationally.  

“He has achieved both through his hard work in the build-up and during the season, his drive and commitment to make himself better and his competitiveness to be hungry for goals and set high standards for himself and his teammates. He has supreme confidence in himself to produce every time he steps onto the field, not to be mistaken for arrogance. Around the squad he doesn’t settle for losing and will be quick to tell his teammates that it isn’t good enough! I believe he has a bright future ahead of him, he truly enjoys playing the game and it has been fantastic to work with him and watch him play this summer.”

Warden played his first two years of college soccer at Francis Marion University before transferring to Mercyhurst University. He registered 12 goals and four assists in 36 appearances (17 starts) for Francis Marion.  

Mercyhurst went 6-0 in spring 2021 exhibition matches with Warden scoring five goals in four games. The highlight of the spring was Warden’s brace against nationally-ranked Gannon University. Warden has two seasons of college eligibility remaining.  

“When we recruited Sidney what immediately caught our eye was his movement, his finishing and upon talking to him, his desire to improve,” Mercyhurst University head men’s soccer coach Ryan Osborne said. “Once he arrived at Mercyhurst this has continued to shine along with his commitment to his craft. 

“In the past year Sidney has been with us, perhaps his biggest development in my eyes has been his understanding of the bigger picture and understanding that his unselfish work for the team is necessary and ultimately helps him get in the positions to score goals. His finishing with both feet and his head are second to none and we are excited for what the next two seasons hold for Sidney and our program as a whole.”

The London, England native also spent time in his development with Margate Football Club.

Photo Credit: Ed Mailliard and Holden Law