THE PREVIEW | MTFC Vs Scarborough Athletic - Pitching In NPL - 18.1.22
Table toppers Matlock Town will be looking to make it five league wins in a row on Tuesday evening as they host an in-form Scarborough Athletic in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.
The Gladiators have also added two new players to their squad within the past 24 hours. Former Matlock player Marcus Marshall has returned to Causeway Lane from Basford United to the delight of the Gladiators fan base while the highly-rated Terry Hawkridge has also left the Nottinghamshire outfit to join Paul Phillips's squad.
The Opposition
Scarborough Athletic currently occupy sixth position in the NPL Premier Division and are just one point behind a play-off spot. The North Yorkshire outfit grabbed a last gasp winner to secure all three points in their most recent game last weekend. An injury time goal from Lewis Maloney gave Scarborough a 1-0 win away from home at Stalybridge Celtic. Scarborough are in very good form: they've won their last three games in a row and have also won five of their last seven games. This includes away victories at Bamber Bridge and Warrington Town plus a home victory over Buxton.
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 for Tuesday evening's encounter. 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 is a very popular player at the club.
Gooda has scored twice in Scarborough Athletic's last three games. Bailey was part of the Seadogs team that secured promotion to the NPL Premier Division in the 2017-18 season.
Team News
New signings Marcus Marshall and Terry Hawkridge will be available for selection.
It's expected that both Ross Hannah and Jesurun Uchegbulam will be available to play again after missing last weekend's victory at Witton Albion.
Goalkeepers Shaun Rowley and Paul Cooper are still absent due to injuries.
Previous Meeting
The last time these two sides met was exactly two years ago today.
In the NPL Premier Division, the Seadogs beat the Gladiators 2-1 at The Flamingo Land Stadium in front of a crowd of 1,083.
Josh Barrett and James Walshaw scored for the Seadogs to put them 2-0 up before half time. Nathan Valentine scored on his Gladiators debut in the second half. Marcus Marshall was also sent off during the game.
This would prove to be Steve Kittrick's final league game as Matlock Town's manager.