Elliott gets his man as forward Brown signs on the dotted line

Matlock Town boss Craig Elliott has strengthened his attacking options bringing in Kidsgrove Athletic striker Kieran Brown to the Proctor Cars Stadium for an undisclosed fee.

The 23 year old has been watched by Matlock staff in recent games and the Gladiators made their move for Brown who has scored over forty goals at Step 4 level for the likes of Chasetown, Newcastle Town and Kidsgrove, as well as being Hanley Town’s top scorer in the Covid affected 2020/21 season.

Brown is clearly well thought of at NPL Western Division Kidsgrove who did not want to stand in the way of his ambition to play at a higher level.

“We all at Kidsgrove Athletic would like to wish Kieran all the best on his move up the pyramid,” said manager Scott Dundas.

“He has come along way over the last two seasons and is a raw talent scoring over 40 goals at step 4 level and we’re sure he’ll add to that tally at Matlock. Kieran always expressed a desire to play at a high level as he could and we’re delighted to have helped him on that journey. There’s no better feeling as a manager to find a player playing at a few levels below, developing them and helping move them to a higher league.”

Elliott says that Brown ticks all the boxes in the type of player he wants at Matlock.

“He’s a young centre forward we were alerted to who has scored regularly in the lower leagues. His work rate is top notch and he’s got the desire to play in a higher league so he’s just the type of player we want to bring into the club.”

Brown’s signing is subject to NPL and FA approval to enable him to be included in the Gladiators squad for tomorrow’s trip to Bamber Bridge.

Ian Richardson