Matlock Town take on Stafford Rangers at The Proctor Cars Stadium on Tuesday evening in the Northern Premier League Premier Division while the club continue to look for a new manager.
Assistant manager Kayde Coppin and goalkeeping coach Steve Shuttleworth will be in temporary charge following the shock departure of Paul Phillips last week.
The Gladiators will be anxious to get three points on the board upon their return to league action; the Derbyshire outfit suffered a very disappointing 2-0 home defeat to Ilkeston Town in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup last weekend. It marked the second season in a row that Matlock Town were beaten at home by Derbyshire opposition at the very first hurdle in the FA Cup.
The Opposition
Stafford Rangers are the surprise leaders of the NPL Premier Division after every team has played six games. Stafford have won four, drawn one and lost one of their league games in a very encouraging start. In their most recent game though, Stafford were surprisingly beaten at home 2-0 by lower-tier Newcastle Town in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup. This followed their first league defeat of the season when they were beaten 2-1 at home by Belper Town. In the club's most recent away trip, Stafford beat Whitby Town 1-0 in the league thanks to a first-half Ethan Stewart goal.
Stafford Rangers were founded way back in 1876. They play their home games at Marston Road in the town of Stafford located in the West Midlands region of England. The stadium can hold up to 4,000 spectators with a seated capacity of 530.
The club's manager is Matt Hill. During his playing career, Hill made over 200 appearances for Bristol City and also played for the likes of Preston North End, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Barnsley and Blackpool.
The most recent trophy Stafford lifted was the Staffordshire Senior Cup only last season. Stafford have also won the Northern Premier League title twice as well as lifting the FA Trophy on two occasions at the original Wembley Stadium.
Notable former players for the club include the likes of Stan Collymore who scored 11 times in 35 league appearances between 1989 and 1990. Notable former managers of the club include the likes of former England internationals Steve Bull and Tim Flowers.
One to Watch
26 year-old forward Alex Kiwomya will be a key player to look out for on Tuesday evening.
Kiwomya has scored one goal so far this season.
The striker joined Stafford Rangers in pre-season and has previously played for the likes of Doncaster Rovers, Chesterfield and King's Lynn Town.
Team News
Jamie Sharman, Alex Wiles and Callum Chippendale are all doubts for the game with injuries.
Previous Meeting
These two sides last played each other in December last season in the NPL Premier Division at The Proctor Cars Stadium.
Stafford beat Matlock 3-2 in an eventful game. First-half goals from Liam King and Alex Byrne twice gave the Gladiators the lead but a brace from Jake Charles and a goal from Tom Tonks secured all three points for the visitors. Liam Hughes was also shown a red card after the final whistle.
The match was watched by a crowd of 496.
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