The Gladiators take on Basford United this Tuesday evening at Greenwich Avenue in the Second Round of the Integro League Cup.
This will be the fourth time that Matlock will have met Basford this season and the Gladiators come into this match desperately looking to avoid a fifth successive defeat in all competitions.
The Opposition
Basford United currently sit in third position in the Northern Premier Division and are six points behind table-topping South Shields. In their most recent match, Basford beat Bamber Bridge 3-0 at home in the league thanks to two goals from Nathan Watson and one from Ashley Worsfold. In the Integro League Cup First Round, Basford beat Carlton Town 3-0 at home in a Nottinghamshire derby all the way back in September. Basford had been experiencing a wobble in form around the turn of the year but now come into Tuesday night’s cup match with two wins on the bounce.
Basford’s manager is former Nottingham Forest, Barnsley and England U21 defender Steve Chettle. Chettle made 415 league appearances for Forest and is a cult hero at the club. He ended his playing career in Derbyshire for Ilkeston Town and joined the club again in 2017 for his first ever senior managerial role.
Basford is a suburb of Nottingham and the club plays its home games at Greenwich Avenue. The stadium holds a capacity of 1,600. The club was formed back in 1900 and finished last season just outside the play-offs in seventh position. Their most recent trophy victory was last year when the club won the Nottinghamshire Senior Cup.
One to Watch
25 year old central defender Stefan Galinski will be a key player to watch out for on Tuesday. Galinski has been an ever-present at the heart of Basford’s defence this season and made headlines online earlier this season when he somehow managed to score with a header from inside his own half in a match against FC United of Manchester. The goal is well worth checking out online if you haven’t already seen it!
Galinski was previously Grantham Town’s captain and has also had spells at Hednesford Town, Stalybridge Celtic and Alfreton Town. He also has international experience with Poland’s U18 side.
Team News
Dwayne Wiley is highly likely to miss the game while he still recovers from his hamstring injury he sustained on Boxing Day and remains on the injured list with long-term absentees Craig King, Nathan Whitehead and Ben Edgson.
Dan Bramall may well also be unavailable for selection while he recovers from tonsillitis. However, Sam Scrivens will be available once again after missing the FA Trophy match at Eastleigh due to being cup-tied.
Steve Kittrick did hint in his post-match interview last weekend that he may bring in the likes of Ben Morris and James Tague into the starting eleven to introduce some fresh legs in what is shaping up to be an enormously busy January for the club. Chib Chilaka and Piteu Crouz will also be aiming for a recall to the starting eleven.
Previous Meetings
As mentioned before, this is the fourth time that Matlock and Basford will have met this season. In their most recent encounter, Basford beat the Gladiators 1-0 in the league at the Proctor Cars Stadium thanks to a goal from Matthew Thornhill.
On September 7th, Matlock beat Basford United 2-1 at home in the FA Cup First Qualifying Round. The two sides also met in the second league game of the season and Matlock won the match 1-0 at Greenwich Avenue thanks to an absolutely outstanding free kick from Piteu Crouz.
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