Evo-Stik Northern Premier League
Saturday 21 October 2017
A goal in each half sent Rangers to defeat at a blustery Matlock Town.
The home side showed first with a tidy move that ended with Tyrell White shooting wide from around 20 yards out.
Rangers responded almost immediately but Richard Batchelor couldn’t keep the ball down when well placed on the edge of the area.
But, with the wind in their backs, Matlock were looking threatening and a long all from defence gave Shaun Harrod the chance to lob Adam Whitehouse and the stranded Rangers keeper was relieved to see the ball bounce off the top of the cross bar.
But the first goal wasn’t long in coming and, in the 13th minutes, Kieron Wallace put Tyrell White in after intercepting a poor clearance from Sam Griffiths and White was clear to slot past the exposed Whitehouse.
Harrad fired straight at Whitehouse soon after as Matlock sought a second before a chance for Stafford saw both Niall Flint fail to get enough power behind his shot and Kieran Morris unable to divert the ball past Phil Barnes.
Ted Cribley and White both sent efforts off target for Matlock then, as half time loomed, Jack Sherratt badly miskicked, screwing his shot well wide of the home goal.
Whitehouse saved Stafford three times early in the second half keeping out White, Wallace and Harrad but it was the latter who put Matlock 2-0 up on 56 mins, adding the slightest of touches to Michael Williams’ goalbound header following a right wing cross from Cribley.
Williams tried his luck again, this time from near the halfway line with Whitehouse out of his goal, but his shot was well off target.
Stafford’s chances were dealt a further blow when Richard Batchelor was sent off for an elbow on Adam Yates with 15 minutes to go and, from then on, Rangers never really looked like getting back into it as Matlock held on comfortably.
Matlock: 1 Phil Barnes, 2 Micky Harcourt, 3 Jake Green, 4 Kieron Wallace, 5 Adam Yates (12 Nico Degirolamo 81m), 6 Dwayne Wiley, 7 Rhys Sharpe, 8 Michael Williams, 9 Shaun Harrad, 10 Tyrell White, 11 Ted Cribley. Unused subs: 14 Joe Doyle-Charles, 15 Nathan Whitehead, 16 Ethan Knowles.
Rangers: 1 Adam Whitehouse, 2 Sam Griffiths, 3 Kai Davis, 4 Kieran Morris, 5 Mat Bailey, 6 Josh Craddock, 7 Niall Flint (12 Joe Thomas 57m), 8 Jack Sherratt (16 Alex Fletcher 67m), 9 Richard Gregory (14 Louis Briscoe 70m), 10 Izak Reid, 11 Richard Batchelor. Unused subs: 15 Osebi Abadaki, 17 Jack Langston
Cautions: None
Sent off: Batchelor (Rangers)
Referee: Andrew Smith
Att: 439
Chris Elsley
