Date / Year of birth: 15th October 1979

Position: Striker

Season of first appearance: 1997/98

Season of last appearance: 2008/09

Also played for: Scunthorpe United (0), Tonbridge Angels, Dartford, Ramsgate, Maidstone United, Hythe Town, Deal Town, Ashford United and Whitstable Town

Striker usually known as Mo Takaloo who progressed through Margate's youth ranks to the first team.

Mo started out in the Under-12's during the 1991/92 season and by the 1995/96 campaign he was a prolific scorer for Margate's Under 16's side. He twice scored four goals in a game for them during that season.

Mo was part of Margate's Under-18's side that won the Kent Youth League Cup in March 1997 and he also played for the reserves during the campaign.

He scored regularly for the reserves during 1997/98 and on 28.2.98 Mo bagged four goals in a 6-2 win at Whitstable. On 23.4.98 he made his first team debut as a substitute in a 3-0 defeat at Yate and he also came off the bench in a 4-0 win over Cinderford at Hartsdown Park on 26.4.98. Mo made his one and only start of the season when he wore the number ten shirt in a 2-1 defeat at Cirencester on 2.5.98 and the Thanet Times said he "showed distinct promise, always willing to run at the defence and brave in the tackle".

In the summer of 1998 Mo was awarded a contract and he scored twice in friendlies ahead of the 1998/99 campaign. He started Margate's first game of the new season - a 2-0 loss on penalties at Forest Green after a 1-1 draw in the Southern League Championship Match - and then made a dramatic impact as a substitute in the first Southern League game against Andover at Hartsdown Park on 22.8.98. Mo was brought on in the second half with Margate losing 1-0 and inspired a quick-fire revival that helped his side to a 4-1 win. Although Tom Planck took many of the plaudits for a rapid hat-trick Mo had a hand in two of those goals and also scored his first goal for the club. The Thanet Times said it was an "absolute gem" as Mo controlled a loose ball a yard outside the penalty area before placing a low shot just inside the far post. Manager Chris Kinnear told the paper "he has shown up well in the friendlies and I thought his pace and sheer determination might do the trick" and added "I could not have asked for more from him". The Times' match report concluded by saying Margate had won the game "with the help of some spontaneous magic from apprentice sorcerer Takaloo".

Despite his memorable start to the season Mo couldn't break into the starting line-up although he did make seven further sub appearances during the next month of the campaign. On 8.9.98 he scored after coming on in a 2-1 home defeat against Ashford in the FA Cup and the Isle of Thanet Gazette said Mo was a "super-sub" who "showed his deadly goal-scoring instincts". On 3.10.98 he made his first start for almost two months in a 3-0 win over Baldock at Hartsdown Park and Mo kept the number ten shirt for Margate's next match too - a 0-0 home draw with Witney on 10.10.98. The Thanet Times said he "caused problems with his pace" but after making two more sub appearances before the end of October Mo suddenly dropped out of the first team picture without any explanation being made public and he didn't play for the reserves either during the closing months of 1998.

At the very end of December the Isle of Thanet Gazette mentioned that Mo was in Australia whilst the Margate matchday programme also mentioned a holiday around that time but Mo didn't make another senior appearance until 13.4.99 when he came on as a substitute in a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Fleet. It was the first time he'd featured in almost six months. He made four further sub appearances in Margate's last five games of the season and the last of them was in a 4-0 win at Brackley on 1.5.99 that sealed promotion to the Southern League Premier Division. In all Mo played 18 times (15 as sub) and scored twice during the campaign.

He spent the first half of the 1999/00 season in the reserves and Mo didn't play in the first team until 29.1.00 when he made a substitute appearance in a 1-0 win at Atherstone. The Thanet Times said he "looked sharp" but it was over two months before Mo featured in the senior side again, coming on as sub in a 1-1 draw with Dorchester at Hartsdown Park on 1.4.00. He finally made his first start of the campaign in Margate's next match at Bath on 8.4.00 and scored in a 1-1 draw. The Thanet Times said Mo "impressed...scaring the home defence with his pace and enthusiasm". He then wore the number nine shirt in a 1-0 home defeat against Worcester on 15.4.00 before reverting to the role of substitute for Margate's last six games of the season. On 1.5.00 Mo made a dramatic impact in a game at Ilkeston, coming off the bench early in the second half with Margate 1-0 down and inspiring the team to a 2-1 win by scoring with what the Isle of Thanet Gazette called a "superb volley" and taking on defenders. The paper said he had "quickly turned the tide" and added "his pace immediately troubled the home defence". Mo ended the campaign having scored twice in nine appearances (seven as sub) and in its end of season review the Thanet Times said he was "still learning but showed potential to frighten defences".

In the summer of 2000 Mo had a trial at Arsenal and Ramsgate then made an offer for his services. Other clubs were also reportedly interested in Mo but he opted to sign a new two-year contract with Margate instead. Chris Kinnear said "Mo is a lad with a lot of potential, he has come through the youth system, he has worked hard and made a lot of progress during the summer. We think Mo has the capability of playing at a higher level and he will be given the opportunity to achieve this if he continues to work hard". He showed up well in the pre-season friendlies and on 5.8.00 Mo scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Hastings at Hartsdown Park after coming on as a first half substitute. He also had two other efforts disallowed.

He started the 2000/01 campaign in the number nine shirt as Margate lost 1-0 at home to Moor Green on 19.8.00 but Mo then lost his place to new signing Leon Braithwaite and had to be content with a place on the subs bench. On 9.9.00 he came on to score in a 3-1 defeat against visitors Burton and the Thanet Times said it was a "spectacular solo goal". Mo picked up possession on the left wing, went by three defenders and then drilled low shot home. The paper said it was "no surprise" that Mo had scored as he'd "constantly created space from tight situations". His impressive display led to a run in the starting line-up and the Thanet Times said Mo "looked lively" in a 3-2 win at Havant & Waterlooville on 16.9.00. He scored in a 5-0 home win over Welling on 19.9.00 and the Isle of Thanet Gazette said Mo "gained control with one superb touch, turned and steered a right-footed shot into the top corner". The Thanet Times praised his "trademark trickery" in a 1-1 draw at Bath on 23.9.00 and on 7.10.00 Mo got his third goal of the campaign as Margate beat Weymouth 3-0 at Hartsdown Park. Chris Kinnear praised his efforts in a 1-0 defeat at Fisher on 24.10.00 and said that Mo "could have scored three on another night". On 31.10.00 he got two goals in a 6-0 thrashing of visitors Sittingbourne in the Kent Senior Cup and the Isle of Thanet Gazette said Mo "showed great pace and skill throughout" a 4-0 home win over Tonbridge on 14.11.00. Soon afterwards he was selected to play for a Southern League representative side against an FA X1 on 21.11.00 along with several other Margate players but the match was called off. The Thanet Times said Mo "had another excellent game in attack" in a 3-1 home win over Stafford on 25.11.00 but when he failed to score in a 2-1 win over Clevedon at Hartsdown Park on 2.12.00 it was his fifth match without a goal and after a run of 13 starts Mo found himself back on the bench for a 1-0 defeat at Tamworth on 9.12.00.

After making a handful of sub appearances Mo was recalled to the starting line-up for a 1-0 defeat at Baldock in the Southern League Cup on 23.1.01 and he made two further appearances from the bench in February 2001 before 3rd Division (later League Two) club Scunthorpe took him on trial at the end of the month. Mo then returned to Hartsdown Park and wore the number ten shirt in a 1-0 defeat at Dorchester on 10.3.01 but it was his last outing of the campaign as soon afterwards Scunthorpe signed him on a loan deal to the end of the season. Mo told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "hopefully something will come of it" and Chris Kinnear said "we want the best for our players, so we weren't going to stop him". He'd scored five goals in 26 appearances (ten as sub) before linking up with the Iron and Mo's departure meant he missed Margate's last 14 games which saw the club clinch the Southern League Premier Division title and promotion to the Conference.

Mo made an instant impact at Scunthorpe when he scored in his first start for the Iron's reserves to secure a 1-1 draw against Walsall. He'd made one substitute appearance before that and reserve team manager Russ Wilcox said "he did well, and scored a very good goal in a difficult game. We're definitely interested in Mo, but I'll be talking to our manager first". He played regularly for Scunthorpe's reserves for the remainder of 2000/01 and the Iron were rumoured to have made a bid to make Mo's move permanent which was turned down by Margate although that was never confirmed by the club. Whether the story was true or not Mo was sent back to Margate at the end of the season.

In June 2001 the Isle of Thanet Gazette reported that Scunthorpe had made no attempt to make Mo's deal permanent and on 21.7.01 he scored twice in a 4-2 friendly win at Folkestone. He got two more goals in a 6-3 win at Deal on 1.8.01 as the friendlies continued and on 11.8.01 Mo came on as a sub as Margate beat Worcester on penalties to win the Southern League Championship Match after a 1-1 draw. Later in August he was transfer-listed and the Isle of Thanet Gazette said the decision was "somewhat surprising". Chris Kinnear told the paper "We'll have to see what happens with Mo, because you can never be sure in football."

He made another substitute appearance in a 2-1 home defeat against Leigh in the Conference on 25.8.01 and in September 2001 Mo was loaned to Tonbridge. He scored for the Angels as they beat Margate 5-2 in a friendly on 16.10.01 and got two goals from 11 competitive appearances (one as sub) before returning to Hartsdown Park towards the end of 2001.

On 26.12.01 Mo came off the bench as Margate lost 1-0 to Dover at Hartsdown Park and in January 2002 he went out on loan again, this time to Dartford.

Mo was back at Margate by March 2002 and played regularly for the reserves as well as being an unused sub for the first team on several occasions as the campaign drew to a close. In May 2002 his contract expired and Mo was released. Chris Kinnear told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "Mo needs to go and try somewhere else to do himself a favour. He needs to be playing." He'd only made three substitute appearances during 2001/02.

In the summer of 2002 Mo featured in some of Dover's pre-season friendlies and scored the only goal as they beat Dartford 1-0 on 7.8.02 but he ended up moving across Thanet to join Ramsgate for the start of the 2002/03 campaign.

He went on to spend three seasons with the Rams and got 28 goals during 2003/04 then 32 goals during 2004/05 before signing a one-year contract with Maidstone in May 2005.

Mo scored 44 times for the Stones during the 2005/06 season as they won the Kent League and then got four in their first four matches of the 2006/07 campaign before being dropped for an FA Cup tie against Burgess Hill in September 2006. The following day he rejoined Ramsgate and the Rams manager Jimmy Ward said "I was very disappointed he left the club in the first place."

Mo scored five goals for Ramsgate before going back to Maidstone in January 2007.

He told the Stones website "I'm back and I've got a point to prove...a lot of things were said when I left, much of which was taken out of context. I want to reassure everybody at Maidstone United that I'm 100% committed and that any ill-feeling or comments made against the club or its supporters were unfounded. The fans are going to see a different Mo Takaloo. I'm injury-free now and chomping at the bit to get back playing for the Stones." He ended the 2006/07 season having scored 13 goals from 27 Isthmian League appearances (seven as sub) for Maidstone.

Mo got 16 goals for the Stones during 2007/08 before going back to Ramsgate for a third spell in the summer of 2008. He signed a two-year contract but Mo was released by the Rams in October 2008 having scored seven goals in 13 Isthmian League Premier Division outings (one as sub). A few days after leaving Southwood he returned to Margate over six years after he'd left the club.

Caretaker manager Terry Yorath told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "He's in for a month so we can have a look at him." and Mo made his first Margate appearance since 26.12.01 in a 2-0 defeat against Maidstone at Hartsdown Park in the Isthmian League Premier Division on 28.10.08. He was a regular in the number nine shirt for the next few weeks and in its report on a 2-1 win at Boreham Wood on 11.11.08 the Isle of Thanet Gazette said "if Mo Takaloo puts in the same effort he showed on Tuesday, it can't be long before the former Rams striker hits the back of the net". Terry Yorath told the paper "Mo worked ever so hard the other night but he's not having the best of luck at the moment. I think scorers, when they start scoring, hit a patch where they get six or seven...Mo's shown me enough to show his heart's in it."

Mo quickly proved his manager right by scoring in his next outing as Margate lost 3-2 at home to Harrow on 15.11.08 - it was his first goal for the club for over eight years. Mo stabbed home a loose ball from close range to give Margate the lead and the Thanet Times said "it was a typical Takaloo strike and one he'd probably get a few more of if Blues could get a big target man to work alongside him". Mo made it back-to-back goals when he struck in a 2-1 win at Hendon on 22.11.08 but in the closing minutes he was sent off after picking up a second booking. The Thanet Times said he'd "raised his game after a poor first half and could easily have had more goals before a second yellow card for time-wasting at the death".

After starting the next two games Mo served a two-match ban before marking his return to the side with a goal in a 3-0 win over Harlow at Hartsdown Park on 20.12.08. The Isle of Thanet Gazette said it was a "smashing finish" and Mo also started as Margate lost 2-0 at Ramsgate on 27.12.08. He was then dropped to the bench for a home game against Dover on 3.1.09 but came on as the visitors won 2-0 and Mo also featured as a sub in Margate's next two matches. The second of those games was a 3-0 defeat at AFC Hornchurch on 17.1.09 and a few days later Mo was released having scored three times in 13 appearances (three as sub).

After leaving Hartsdown Park Mo joined Kent League club Hythe and he spent the remainder of the 2008/09 campaign there, scoring six goals.

In the summer of 2009 he signed for Deal and Mo scored 15 goals during the 2009/10 season. He then got five goals during the early part of 2010/11 before leaving Deal towards the end of 2010 and dropping into local Sunday football in the Thanet area.

Mo continued to play in the Thanet Sunday Football League until December 2011 when he signed for Ashford of the newly-formed Kent Invicta League. He scored ten goals from only nine outings before the end of the 2011/12 campaign and on 12.5.12 Mo took part in a testimonial match for Bill Edwards at Margate.

He stayed with Ashford for 2012/13 and set a club record early in the season by scoring in six consecutive matches. Mo eventually scored 22 goals from 25 appearances (three as sub) during the season and his tally included four goals in a 5-2 home win over Seven Acre & Sidcup on 27.10.12.

At the start of June 2013 Kent League club Canterbury declared that they had signed Mo and appointed him as their captain but within a few days Whitstable of the Isthmian League Division 1 South announced that Mo had actually joined them. By then he was 33.

Mo was released by Whitstable early in September 2013 after being substituted at half-time in his last outing for the club - a 2-0 home defeat against Tunbridge Wells in the FA Cup on 3.9.13. In all he'd scored twice from seven outings (one as sub).

At the end of January 2014 Mo started a second spell with Deal of the Southern Counties East Football League.