If we rewind back to November 2024, Luke Tabone was earning plaudits from media and fans alike for his performances with the Malta national team. There were regular appearances for Haverfordwest County too, including a European campaign in the Conference League. So what happened next?

Now 28-years-old, Tabone has just completed his first season with Southport in England’s National League North (tier 6, Step 2). It’s fair to say it’s been a mixed bag of a season for the former Nadur Youngsters and Gżira United man. He made a total 24 appearances for the Sandgrounders this season, scoring once in a league game at home to Spennymoor Town in March.

On top of playing for Southport, he also had a loan spell at Bury in the Northern Premier League West (tier 8, Step 4) for December / January. During the spell at Gigg Lane, Tabone notched up five appearances before returning to his parent club.

But it’s fair to say that the move to Southport last summer was a surprising one. Having just completed two successful seasons in Wales’ top-flight Cymru Premier, making over 70 appearances in all competitions, there was a popular opinion that he should be looking to move into league football in England for the 2025/26 campaign. However it was not to be.

That is not to say the National League North is inferior. It’s become a real hybrid of full-time and part-time clubs and the money on offer is good. Attendances are high and facilities are certainly better than many countries have in their top-flight divisions. It’s safe to say pretty much any club in the division would come to Malta and win the MPL fairly comfortably too. But should he have aimed higher?

UK Links

The move to the UK made a lot of sense for Tabone. He spent years in the northwest of England as a teenager, having moved there to attend a college and play for Burnley at age group levels. The move to Wales also made sense due to Tabone’s girlfriend being from the UK.

Also, staying in part-time football in the Cymru Premier worked in tandem with Tabone running his own fashion business. According to an interview that he did with Medium in 2024, he stated “It’s all through my phone and my laptop.” So he has the best of both worlds. That may also explain the subsequent move to Southport.

The International

He won 3 caps for the senior Malta side in 2024, making his debut against Greece in a 0-2 friendly defeat in June. He also then played in the UEFA Nations League D at home to Moldova (1-0) and a 2-0 friendly victory at home to Liechtenstein, the latter being a full 90 minutes.

Although he never truly became a first choice pick for Michele Marcolini or Davide Mazzotta, there was the feeling that he was pushing established starters such as Enrico Pepe, Steve Borg, Zach Muscat and Kurt Shaw for a starting spot. That seems to have gone by the wayside though, since his move to Merseyside.

What Next?

The contract with Southport was for an original one-year period, and that is rumoured to come to an end on 30th June. The club has an option on another year should it wish to exorcise that right. With so little game time, it remains to be seen whether or not that will happen or whether Tabone would see that as a preferred choice.

With Bury’s promotion to the Northern Premier League (tier 7, Step 3), could a return to Gigg Lane be on the cards? Or will he be keen to test himself at a higher level?

Personally, it would be great to see him move into league football. Age dictates that it has to be now or never in an ideal world. But even a move to a National League club might be a viable option for the Gozitan. And if he is indeed ensconced in the northwest of England, there is no shortage of options in that department. It would just be a case of whether or not he would consider full-time football again.

Watch this space!

by Paul Gellard