STOCKTON TOWN VS MATLOCK TOWN PREVIEW
COMPETITION: Pitching In Northern Premier League Premier Division – Matchday 15
DATE: Saturday 2nd November, 2024
KICK-OFF: 15:00
ENTRY: £11 Adult, £9 Concessions, £5 11-18-year-olds, £3 under-11’s
Tickets can be purchased via the link- https://stocktontownfc.ktckts.com/event/matlock2425/matlock-town
GROUND: Stockton Town FC, MAP Group UK Stadium, Bishopton Road West, Stockton-on-Tees, TS19 0QD
LIVE UPDATES: @stockton_townfc – Twitter/X
LIVE COMMENTARY: Anchors Radio (mixlr.com)
Stockton Town return to league action with another home game following their successful FA Trophy exploits.
The Anchors secured their seventh straight victory last Saturday with a 2-1 win over Newton Aycliffe in the FA Trophy First Round.
Josh Scott put Stockton ahead inside five minutes, and they had plenty of chances to increase their lead but Newton Aycliffe pegged them back through Dean Thexton.
The tie was navigated however when substitute Michael Fowler rifled in an impressive winner.
The big boost of the day was the return of Kev Hayes who made his bow after being sidelined since suffering an ankle injury in the final Pre-Season outing at Whitby Town.
THE OPPOSITION
Matlock Town are mainstays of the NPL having competed in it since 1969. The Gladiators did have a rough start to their latest campaign, and were bottom of the league with a single before appointing Ryan Cresswell as their new manager.
Since his appointment Cresswell, who will be known to Anchors fans from his time as Sheffield FC boss, has steered them out of the bottom four and recorded four wins in the process. The most impressive of which was a professional 2-0 win in the North East against Hebburn Town.
Tuesday night saw them lose their first league game since mid September when they went 3-2 at home to Macclesfield. It was no shame though as they came two goals down against the league leaders before succumbing to a second half goal from John Rooney.
The most notable name in the Matlock Town squad is former Middlesbrough midfielder Adam Clayton. Now 35, Clayton made 241 appearances at Boro and was an integral part of the team which won promotion to the Premier League in 2016.
Comoros international Fouad Bachioru has also been signed recently but is yet to make his debut. The former Nottingham Forest midfielder, who has 35 caps for Comoros, has signed following a spell in Cyprus where he twice won the Cypriot Cup.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
This is the first-ever meeting between Stockton Town and Matlock Town.
FORM GUIDE
Stockton Town: W W W W W
Last Game: Stockton Town 2-1 Newton Aycliffe
Matlock Town: L D W W L
Last Game: Matlock Town 2-3 Macclesfield FC
PRE-MATCH QUOTES
Looking ahead to the game, Assistant Manager JD Briggs said:
“We know Matlock have massively improved since their start to the season, and have turned things around by picking up points.
“It’s going to be a tough game again but I fancy us to do well. We are excellent at home and have been playing really really well.”
