Matlock Town face Scarborough Athletic on Saturday afternoon in a tough away trip to the North Yorkshire coast. Both teams are in the top four of the Northern Premier League Premier Division and battling for promotion; with the end of the 2021/22 season now in sight, every point gained from now on is absolutely crucial.
The Gladiators come into this game in poor form which has severely dented their title chances. With only one win in their last nine games, the pressure is on to rediscover their form and swagger to keep their promotion hopes alive.
The Opposition
Scarborough Athletic currently lie in fourth position in the Northern Premier League Premier Division and have high hopes for promotion to the National League North. Scarborough have had an excellent second half of the season so far which has propelled them right up the table. In their most recent game, the North Yorkshire outfit beat Redcar Athletic 3-1 away from home to reach the final of the North Riding Senior Cup. In their most recent home game, Scarborough drew 1-1 against Stafford Rangers in the league. Scarborough are unbeaten in their last 15 games in all competitions and haven't lost a match since New Year's Day.
Scarborough Athletic are affectionately known as The Seadogs and they were founded in 2007 following the demise of former Football League outfit Scarborough. They play their home games at The Flamingo Land Stadium within the town and started playing there in 2017 after groundsharing with Bridlington Town for the first ten years of their existence. The stadium can hold up to 2,833 spectators and has a seated capacity of 586.
The Seadogs manager is former Manchester United, Middlesbrough and Fulham player Jonathan Greening. Greening had a very interesting playing career. At the Red Devils, Greening was an unused substitute for Manchester United's famous 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich in the 1998-99 Champions League final. Greening came on as a substitute for Fulham in the 2009-10 Europa League final. Greening was also part of the Middlesbrough squad that won the 2003-04 League Cup under Steve McLaren. Jonathan would go on to make 224 appearances for West Bromwich Albion and was captain of the team that won the Championship league title in the 2007-08 campaign. Greening's hometown is Scarborough and this is his first managerial role. He was appointed as the Seadogs manager in May ahead of this season's campaign.
Scarborough Athletic last lifted a trophy back in the 2018-19 season when they won the North Riding Senior Cup.
Former Gladiators boss Steve Kittrick also used to manage the Seadogs.
One to Watch
Former Matlock Town centre-half Bailey Gooda will be a key player to keep an eye on during the course of Saturday afternoon. Despite a very tough 2019-20 season for Matlock, Gooda impressed many with his excellent tackling abilities. This is Gooda's second spell with the Seadogs and he's a very popular player at the club.
Bailey was part of the Seadogs team that secured promotion to the NPL Premier Division in the 2017-18 season.
Team News
Club captain Liam Hughes serves the last of his two game suspension for this match.
New signings Danny Greenfield, Osebi Abadaki and Adam Blakeley will all be available for selection.
Other new signings, Benito Lowe and Darren McKnight, will not be available for selection until the third of April when New Mills's 2021/22 campaign comes to an end.
Since Matlock's defeat to Mickleover last weekend, Marcus Marshall has left the Gladiators to join AFC Telford United.
Midfielder Alex Wiles is a doubt for the game following the ankle injury that forced his substitution at half-time in last weekend's game.
Previous Meeting
These two sides last played each other only two months ago in the league at The Proctor Cars Stadium.
The game ended as a goalless draw in front of a crowd of 723.
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