"Toughest Critic, Biggest Fan": Mark Bartley adds son Rio to Marlow's ranks

Rio Bartley. Credit: Marlow FC

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Of all the signings being made by Marlow this summer, one which has caught the eye is manager Mark Bartley’s son Rio.

Rio Bartley is just 17 years old but has already had a taste of senior men’s football, playing his part for AFC Aldermaston last season.

While he’s also been part of the successful Bradfield College side that’s won back-to-back Boodles Cup in the past two seasons.

He’ll continue to play for his college side next season, but Bartley senior clearly also feels he’s now ready to show what he’s capable of playing at step 4 for Marlow in the Southern League Central Division.

He may struggle to force his way into the starting line-up initially - given the breadth of talent being signed by the club this summer and could also go out for a spell on loan. But Bartley said anyone who saw his second half cameo in Tuesday’s 2-0 friendly win over Thatcham Town will be in no doubt as to the players’ quality.

Reflecting on the move, Mark said: “He gets a tougher ride than most. I think that’s what happens when you’re the manager’s son.

“He played at Bradfield College and has been in ther u18s set up for a couple of years. He’s been part of a couple of successful back-to-back Boodles Cup wins, so he’s been successful there.

“He’s been part of that group. Next year, he’ll be in the top end of the age group.

“He played several games for Aldermaston. He’s come in and done the pre-season work.

“He’s shown the fitness levels and shown his speed and his quality. He’s probably going to have to go on loan to get more matches under his belt, but if you were at the friendly yesterday and saw him come on for the last half an hour, everybody could see he justifies his position in the squad.

“He’s got work to do but I think he’s got a big future. Yes, I’m his dad and I’ll be his biggest fan, but I’ll also be his toughest critic.

“He’s in and around it and we’ll see how it goes.”

It’s a quick turnaround for the Blues, who take on Holyport at Summerleaze Park in their next friendly on Thursday night (7.45pm). Several of the squad who weren’t involved at Thatcham on Tuesday will be involved against step 5 side Port.

Marlow continue to make signings ahead of the 2025/26 Southern League Central Division season.

23-year-old winger Flavio Gyawu-Kyem has signed for the Blues having played for Arlesey Town last season. The 26-year-old midfielder Nikolay Popov also joins the club having played for Hadley last season.

Darnell-Joe Luke is also a Blue after having had an impressive season for Kings Langley at step 4 last year.

Bartley added: "The fixtures come out on Thursday. We’ll find out where we are. There are a lot of local games in this league. We’ll play Beaconsfield, Flackwell, Aylesbury United, Thame, they’re local to Marlow. There are more local games than there are in the other leagues."