MATLOCK HEAD OVER TO THE WORLD'S OLDEST FOOTBALL CLUB

Matlock Town travel to Sheffield FC on Saturday afternoon for their penultimate pre-season friendly ahead of the 2021/22 campaign. The Gladiators have had an excellent pre-season schedule so far; Paul Phillips's men have won six of their seven games in preparation for the start of the NPL Premier Division season. They've claimed some scalps along the way, including the likes of Mansfield Town and Boston United who both play at higher levels than Matlock in the English football pyramid. The Opposition Sheffield FC are one of the most famous non-league clubs in the world as they are officially recognised as the oldest football club in history. The club were formed way back in 1857. The team actually play their home games in Dronfield at The Home of Football Stadium but are scheduled to finally move to their new stadium back in the steel city in two to three years time. Their current stadium can hold up to 2,089 people and has a seated capacity of up to 250. Sheffield FC are one tier below the Gladiators and will play in the newly-created NPL Division One East league for the season ahead. Gavin Smith is the club's manager and their chairman is Richard Tims. Sheffield FC's nickname is simply The Club. One to Watch Marc Newsham will be a key player to look out for in Sheffield's team. The striker started his career at Rotherham United before moving onto Boston United where he scored 110 goals in 209 league appearances for the Pilgrims. The 34 year-old moved to Matlock Town in 2016 before heading over to the world's oldest club in 2018. Team News Skipper Liam Hughes is expected to return to action for Saturday's game along with summer signing Alex Wiles. New goalkeeper Paul Cooper is also expected to return to action. Reece Kendall is on holiday and so won't be available for this game. A new trialist is also expected to feature at some point in this match for the Gladiators. Previous Meeting The Gladiators played Sheffield FC in a pre-season friendly ahead of last season's ill-fated campaign. On September 1 last year, Matlock played out a goalless draw at the Proctor Cars Stadium against the world's oldest football team in front of a crowd of 269.