Stafford Rangers 2 Matlock Town 0
Evo-Stik Northern Premier League
Saturday 27 January 2018
Rangers secured their first win of 2018 with a comfortable 2-0 score against Matlock, a result that sees the two sides exchange places in the table.
After a bright opening that saw both Josh Craddock and Tyrell Waite shoot wide for Rangers inside the opening two minutes, play deteriorated into a scrappy long ball game with neither side taking control.
That changed on 15 mins when Stafford made the breakthrough. A long free kick from Kieren Westwood was headed down by Kieran Morris and finished off by Karl Hawley with a shot under the body of Matlock keeper Phil Barnes.
Boro loanee Waite, who had scored for Matlock when the two clubs met earlier in the season, came close to scoring against his former side but somehow managed to turn the ball wide of an inviting goal after good work on the left from Osebi Abadaki.
Hawley doubled his account four minutes into the second half.
Abadaki broke on the left and found support in Josh Craddock who lifted the ball into the area. Hawley was under pressure from Matlock defender Dwayne Wiley but managed to send the ball trickling past Barnes.
Abadaki went wide with a couple of efforts from just outside the area but a double substitution for Matlock gave the visitors a boost and Shaun Harrad forced Adam Whitehouse into his first save of the afternoon.
Jan Yeomans then struck a half volley wide and Harrad turned another chance wide at the near post.
But Stafford held firm and Hawley missed a couple of chances to complete his hat trick firstly when shooting straight at Barnes then Kieren Westwood’s forceful cross ballooned up off his head and over.
Sloppy defending from the Boro gave Matlock a chance of a late consolation but Harrad fired across the face of goal then Michael Williams’ touch saw the ball run away from him as he broke into the area and Rangers were able to celebrate a clean as well as the three points.
Rangers: 1 Adam Whitehouse, 2 Sam Griffiths, 3 Kieren Westwood, 4 Kieran Morris, 5 Jordaan Brown, 6 Josh Craddock, 7 Osebi Abadaki, 8 Jack Sherratt, 9 Karl Hawley (15 Mat Bailey 90m), 10 Tyrell Waite (12 Massiah McDonald 81m), 11 Robert Thompson-Brown (17 Levi Reid 74m). Unused Subs: 14 Joe Thomas, 16 Dan Westwood
Matlock: 18 Phil Barnes, 2 Jake Green, 3 Jan Yeomans, 4 Joe Doyle-Charles, 5 Adam Yates, 6 Dwayne Wiley, 7 Jamie Jackson (15 Curtis Morrison 70m), 8 Kieron Wallace (Michael Williams 60m), 9 Harry Limb (14 Shaun Harrad 60m), 10 Harry Vince, 11 Ted Cribley. Unused subs 16 Chris Ondong-Mba, 17 Jordan Pierrepont.
Cautions: Sherratt (Boro), Green (Matlock)
Ref: Sarah Garratt
Att: 468
Report by Chris Elsley
