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Writer's pictureMatthew Rhodes

START OF A NEW ERA FOR THE GLADIATORS


Matlock Town face FC United of Manchester away from home on Tuesday evening in the Northern Premier League Premier Division. The Gladiators are looking for their second victory in a row to follow their excellent 3-1 home win over Stafford Rangers in the league. A win on Tuesday night could see the Derbyshire outfit move into the play-off places.


This match also marks Craig Elliott's first ever game in charge of Matlock Town. Elliott was appointed as the new Gladiators manager last weekend.



The Opposition


FC United of Manchester haven't had a good start to the season and are nowhere near where they would expect to be in the table. They currently sit in 16th position in the NPL Premier Division and haven't won a game at home yet this season. In their most recent match, they lost 1-0 away from home to local rivals Hyde United in the league. In their most recent home game, they were defeated 2-1 by Radcliffe in the league.


The club were formed in 2005 as a protest to the Glazers takeover of Manchester United and their subsequent running of the Premier League outfit. Due to the high profile of this protest, their large fan base and their meteoric rise up the football pyramid, FC United of Manchester are undeniably one of the most famous non-league clubs in the country. FC United are also affectionately known as The Reds and The Red Rebels. The Reds play their home games at Broadhurst Park in the Moston area of Manchester. The stadium can hold up to 4,700 spectators. FC United moved to Broadhurst Park in 2015 after previously groundsharing Gigg Lane with former Football League team Bury. Their manager is Neil Reynolds. Reynolds took over the managerial post in October 2018. The club's most recent trophy victory was the FENIX Trophy which they won last season. FC United won the Northern Premier League Premier Division title in the 2014-15 season.









One to Watch

Regan Linney is a striker that will be a key player to look out for on Tuesday evening.

The 25 year-old forward has scored five goals already this season in the NPL Premier Division.

Linney was born in Preston and previously played for Bamber Bridge before joining the Red Rebels in July 2019.


Team News

Kallan Murphy, Callum Chippendale, Jamie Sharman and Leigh Whelan are all doubts ahead of Tuesday night's game with injuries.


Previous Meeting

These two sides last played each other at the end of February last season in the NPL Premier Division.

The game at Broadhurst Park ended in a dramatic 1-1 draw. An early goal from Alistair Waddecarr gave the hosts the lead before Alex Byrne equalised in the nick of time when he converted a penalty in the 90th minute.

The game was watched by an impressive crowd of 1,873.

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