Gainsborough Preview

Mar 9, 2020 | Club News

Gainsborough Preview

As the season nears to an end games start to come thick and fast, just like Tuesday’s rearranged fixture at home to Gainsborough Trinity. We have no time to reflect on our win over Whitby as another game has to be tackled if we are to retain our step 3 placement. A while back Gainsborough were a side in the mix with us in a relegation battle, but a run of good results has seen then climb away from the bottom of the table. Trinity now lie 12th with 41 points and have an away record of won 5, drawn 4 and lost 6, which includes last Saturdays fine 1-0 win away to play off chasing Lancaster. Wins on the road also include Atherton, Grantham (5-1), Radlciffe and Stalybridge, while they have lost at Ashton, Basford, Matlock, Nantwich, South Shields and Witton. Their away form tends to mirror a typical mid table side. It is therefore up to the Rangers to take the game to Gainsborough in an attempt to keep up our winning run this month.

Gainsborough Trinity Football Club was formed in 1873 as Trinity Recreationists, set up by the vicar of the Holy Trinity Church for young parishioners. Many people forget, but in 1892/93 season Gainsborough were elected to the Football League Second Division and their first game was against Newton Heath, later to become Manchester United. Gainsborough were also founder members of the Northern Premier League.

Historically, this was a regular Northern Premier League fixture in the 70’s. Of the 10 fixtures in that decade we won 7, losing 3 with an aggregate score of 20-7. There were 2 more NPL games in the 80’s winning 1 and drawing 1, but our paths did not meet up again till the noughties where there were 5 Conference North fixtures winning all 5 with an aggregate score of 12-2. Last season we drew 1-1 following Gainsborough Trinity’s first ever relegation in their history. As you can see, we certainly have the upper hand with historical games, but it is the present day that counts, so please get down on Tuesday night to support the team as the great escape could still be on.

Games played on March 10th this century

2001 Welling H 5-2 Southern Premier League
2007 Tamworth H 0-4 Conference
2009 Redditch A 2-2 Conference North
2012 Bradford H 3-1 Northern Premier League
2014 Port Vale H 1-1 Staffs Senior Cup (lost 3-2 on penalties)
2018 Lancaster H 2-2 Northern Premier League

Whitby preview

Mar 4, 2020 | Club News

A few weeks back we journeyed up to the North east coast to take on Whitby. The gale force winds were blowing goal to goal and the rain helped turn a green playing surface into a paddy field. Sadly, we came away with no points but on the way home we had to endure horizontal rain over the North York Moors and strong winds all the way home. This Saturday Whitby make the reverse journey and hope they have none of the travel conditions that we had. The only similarity we want is that the away team goes home empty handed.

Whitby on the road possess a very good away record with 8 wins, 1 draw and 4 defeats, and that will put them in good stead to take on ourselves at the weekend. Their current form also makes impressive reading with 4 wins and 2 draws from their last 6 games. Whitby Town have announced that Paul Blackett has agreed to extend his loan until the end of the current season. Blackett originally joined Whitby from Gateshead in December and he has made nine appearances for the club since joining, scoring seven goals.

With the statistics stacked against us, who knows we could make a surprise killing. We may have gained some confidence from the midweek Staffs Senior Cup win to put us in our third consecutive Staffs Senior Cup final. The straws are still there to be clutched while we can try to bring about the great escape. See you all there on Saturday.

Games played on March 7th this century.

2006 Stalybridge H 1-0 Conference North
2013 Rushall H 4-2 Walsall Senior Cup
2015 Spalding H 0-0 Northern Premier League Division 1
2017 Sutton Coldfield H 0-0 Northern Premier League

Newcastle Preview

Mar 2, 2020 | Club News

Tuesday night and it’s Staffs Senior Cup action, as we travel up the A34 to take on Newcastle Town. This is a semi final fixture and we hope to make to our third consecutive Staffs Senior Cup Final. To get this far this season we have dispatched Stone Old Alleynians and Brocton without conceding a goal, While Newcastle have got past Walsall Wood, Sporting Kalsa and Lichfield City, also without conceding a goal. Is that tempting fate for a 0-0 and the winner going through on penalties?

Newcastle play in step 4 in the Northern Premier South East Division, and are currently 16th in a 20 team division. At home in the league they have won 2 drawn 2 and lost 10, but it is their cup form that has seen them do well this season. While losing in their first games in the FA Cup and FA Trophy to Kidsgrove and Leek, they have built up a run in the Staffs Senior Cup and the Integro League Cup having knocked out Witton and Buxton.

One thing that does let Newcastle down is the support they get, with many gates failing to attract over 100. In fact, their three Integro Cup ties saw crowds of 85, 58 and 74 and the Staffs Senior Cup games crowds of 40 and 48. The biggest crowd of the season was 182 for the visit of Leek, no doubt swelled by the travelling fans. That is something we must aim to do, in that despite our poor league form we should take a following to get them past the 100 mark.

Newcastle Town was initially formed as a Sunday league team in 1964. In 1982 they joined the Mid-Cheshire League division 2 winning the division at the first attempt. The league was then reduced to a single division which they won 1985–86. After finishing as runners-up in the Mid-Cheshire League in 1986–87 they were promoted to Division Two of the North West Counties League. As runners up in 1991–92, they earned promotion to Division One. As Premier Division champions in 2009–10 they earned promotion to Division One South of the Northern Premier League where they currently play.

Their ground at the Lyme Valley Stadium on Buckmaster Avenue doubles as a velodrome, with a cycling track around the pitch. Post code for those that have not been before is ST5 3BX. See you there.

Games played on March 3rd this century

2001 Cambridge City A 1-1 Southern League
2008 Kidderminster a 0-6 Conference

FIXTURE CHANGE

Feb 27, 2020 | Club News

The home league fixture scheduled for Tuesday 11th April v Gainsborough Trinity has now been brought forward to Tuesday 10th March. kick off 7.45pm. If you would like to sponsor this match or matchball please contact the Commercial Team on 01785 602431.

Buxton Preview

Feb 24, 2020 | Club News

Next Saturday we venture into Derbyshire to play Buxton. Always a pleasant trip over the Roaches, but only if the weather is fine. Buxton took home a point from our recent encounter at Marston Road and will be looking to take all three on a surface Stafford Rangers never do well on. Last Saturday Buxton picked up a very creditable draw at table toppers South Shields, so a side who a few months ago looked to be one of our relegation colleagues, now lead Rangers by 10 points. Buxton are currently on a 5-league game unbeaten run although many have been draws. However, in that run they lost 3-1 away to Newcastle Town in the Integro Cup. Okay we may not know the strength of Buxton line up for the cup game, but it was played out in front of only 75 fans. As we soon travel to Newcastle for a Staffs Senior Cup game, could it be that despite our current plight, we may take more fans to that game than the home team.

At home in the league Buxton have won 3, drawn 5 and lost 7. Out of the 3 wins they include a 7-0 over Grantham and a 5-0 over Scarborough. They did however lose 1-2 at home to Atherton, the side directly above us. Therefore, it appears the game could go either way, but while 3 points are up for grabs, then we must take them and put to rest our hoodoo on synthetic pitches.

Situated 1000 feet above sea level, the Silverlands is the highest ground within the Pyramid of soccer. We have played Buxton many times in the old Cheshire League, but they gained entry into the Northern Premier league in season73/74, and we met each season in the seventies till our move up the leagues, whereas Buxton dipped down with two relegations to the Northern Countries east in 1997 and 1998. They returned to the Northern Premier fold with promotion to NPL 1 in 2006

Our paths met up again from season 2011/12 and since then there have been 6 NPL fixtures between Buxton and Stafford Rangers with Rangers winning 1, drawing2 and losing 3, a run we certainly need to turn around.

Travelling fans need to use Sat Nav SK17 6QH, but street parking is the only choice amid residential streets and the police headquarters. Train travellers beware as you must go to Stockport to change for a Buxton train.

Games played on 29TH February this century.
February 29th only comes around every 4 years and as such we have yet to play a game on this date this century. Therefore, I look at games played either side, on February 28th and March 1st.

Feb 28th
2004 Crawley H 0-1 Southern Premier League
2006 Woking H 2-4 F A Trophy round 4 replay
2009 Burscough A 0-2 Conference North
2012 Northwich V H 1-1 Northern Premier League
2015 Sheffield H 0-0 Northern Premier League Division 1

March 1st
2003 Folkstone A 2-1 Southern Premier League
2005 Gainsborough H 2-0 Conference North
2008 Farsley H 0-2 Conference
2011 Redditch A 1-0 Conference North
2014 Stamford A 0-1 Northern premier League