Gladiators Pitching In NPL fixtures revealed
Matlock Town are on home soil to start the new season, but face tricky opponents in Whitby Town who have left the Proctor Cars Stadium with maximum points from their last four visits.
The match on Saturday 13 August is one of the top games in the NPL Premier Division and the Gladiators also face more tough opposition before the opening month is out.
They travel to Radcliffe three days later on Tuesday August 16 before making the long trip to Morpeth Town on the following Saturday.
After a home meeting with Stalybridge Celtic on Tuesday 23 August, the Gladiators travel to Atherton Colleries on Saturday 27 August before a busy August concludes with the visit of Gainsborough Trinity on August Bank Holiday Monday. Matlock will travel to Trinity for their New Year fixture on Monda 2 January.
Local rivals Belper Town travel the ten miles up the A6 on Boxing Day with the return game being fixed for Easter Monday 10 April, with the other Easter game seeing Atherton at Causeway Lane..
Other interesting games see South Shields at Matlock on November 5 with the Gladiators travelling to the north east on 18 February, while there’s a midweek trip to FC United of Manchester on Tuesday 13 September with the Reds due at Matlock on Saturday 4 February. Matlock will visit Warrington on successive Saturdays on 15 and 22 October to face newly promoted Warrington Rylands and Warrington Town respectively.
The Gladiators end the campaign at Marine on Saturday 22 April, their final home game being against Bamber Bridge on Saturday 15 April.
Town chief Paul Phillips says Matlock face a tough opening few games but is happy to be at the Proctor Cars Stadium first off.
“All you can hope for is a home game to start the season off and unlike the last couple of seasons, we’ve got that. We’ve got some tough games starting with Whitby, Radcliffe are spending some cash and we’ve got the trip to Morpeth which isn’t easy. But you have to play each team twice home and away, we’ll do our homework ahead of the season and hopefully it’ll bear fruit.”
FIXTURES
AUGUST
Sat 13 WHITBY TOWN (H)
Tue 16 Radcliffe (A)
Sat 20 Morpeth Town (A)
Tue 23 STALYBRIDGE CELTIC (H)
Sat 27 Atherton Colleries (A)
Mon 29 GAINSBOROUGH TRINITY (H)
SEPTEMBER
Sat 3 FA CUP 1Q
Tue 6 STAFFORD RANGERS (H)
Sat 10 Guiseley (A)
Tue 13 FC United Manchester (A)
Sat 17 F A Cup 2Q
Sat 24 LANCASTER CITY (H)
Tue 27 Ashton United (A)
OCTOBER
Sat 1 MARSKE UNITED (H)
Sat 8 FA CUP 3Q
Tue 11 LIVERSEDGE (H)
Sat 15 Warrington Rylands (A)
Tue 18 NANTWICH TOWN (H)
Sat 22 Warrington Town (A)
Sat 29 F A TROPHY 3Q
NOVEMBER
Sat 5 SOUTH SHIELDS (H)
Sat 12 Hyde United (A)
Sat 19 MARINE (H)
Sat 26 Bamber Bridge (A)
DECEMBER
Sat 3 RADCLIFFE (H)
Sat 10 Whitby Town (A)
Sat 17 Stalybridge Celtic (A)
Mon 26 BELPER TOWN (H)
JANUARY
Mon 2 Gainsborough Trinity (A)
Sat 7 MORPETH TOWN (H)
Sat 14 Stafford Rangers (A)
Sat 21 GUISELEY (H)
Sat 28 Lancaster City (A)
FEBRUARY
Sat 4 FC UNITED MANCHESTER (H)
Sat 11 WARRINGTON TOWN (H)
Sat 18 South Shields (A)
Sat 25 HYDE UNITED (H)
MARCH
Sat 4 ASHTON UNITED (H)
Sat 18 Marske United (A)
Sat 25 WARRINGTON RYLANDS (H)
APRIL
Sat 1 Liversedge (A)
Sat 8 ATHERTON COLLERIES (H)
Mon 10 Belper Town (A)
Sat 15 BAMBER BRIDGE (H)
Sat 22 Marine (A)
Ian Richardson