Unbeaten run put to the test in Junction 14/15 M6 derby
Three matches into the new season and we’re still unbeaten. Just.
Jack Derbyshire’s brilliant injury time header got us a share of the spoils on Saturday, but it’s going to take a greatly improved performance tomorrow night for us to take something back from Stafford Rangers.
Rangers were relegated from the Northern Premier League last season and started their season on Saturday with a 1-0 defeat at Stalybridge Celtic.
Having played the entire second half with ten men after James McQuilkin was dismissed at the end of the first half, Rangers ended the game with nine as Joe Robbins received a second yellow card for kicking the ball away. Stalybridge then won the game in added time to complete a miserable day for Rangers.
Both McQuilkin and Robbins will be available tomorrow evening for our hosts, as their suspensions only become active after seven days and it may be the case that we name an unchanged squad as well.
Tom Thorley is also back in the reckoning though after missing out on Saturday, so we have options.
Our left back Ben Woods will be in with a good shout of making an appearance against his old club, while the opposition have our former no.9 Dan Cockerline in their ranks, though the big man is struggling with injury, so may not be involved.
Looking ahead to the game, our gaffer Neil Baker is well aware of the task ahead: “This is a good Stafford Rangers team, no question. Their manager Dave Cooke is a very knowledgeable manager, who has been in the game a long time.
“This game will be a useful barometer for us to see where we are and just as importantly where we need to get to. I expect that it’s going to be a very different game from Mossley and that different qualities will be needed. I’m really looking forward to the game.”
Over the last ten years we’ve only beaten our opponents tomorrow once, but that was the last time we played them,which was in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup in 2022 when goals from James Askey and Jake Lovatt secured a surprise 2-0 win.
More of the same will be very welcome tomorrow evening. Kick-off is at 7.45pm.
Come on ‘Castle!