Gladiators retain the services of assist king Byrne

Good news for Matlock Town fans comes from manager Martin Carruthers’ decision to retain the services of playmaker Alex Byrne.

Byrne (29) joined Matlock towards the end of the 2019/20 campaign shortly before the Covid 19 outbreak which put a temporary end to football with that season and the 2020/21 campaign being curtailed.

The popular number seven has still clocked up over 100 appearances for the Gladiators and has become Matlock’s assist king creating many goals from his accurate deliveries both from set pieces and in open play, weighing in with a number of important goals himself.

Carruthers has recently deployed him in central midfield rather than in his previous role wide on the right and he says Byrne also stepped up to the plate in a new role.

"For me it was a no brainer to retain Alex. He’s been pivotal in our play-off push and has adapted his role to feature in numerous positions, all while being a key player for us throughout our time here. He’s a fantastic lad and we want him to be part of our promotion push next season.”

Ian Richardson