Three in, one out at Matlock Town as Blackpool, Notts County and Derby County youngsters sign
Matlock Town have made three loan signings to bolster their squad for the crucial NPL Division One East run-in.
The Gladiators were denied the chance to close the gap on league leaders Redcar Athletic at the weekend as the match between the two sides was postponed with Redcar’s pitch flooded by heavy rain in the days prior to the game.
That means they’ll return to action on Saturday with the visit of Emley who, like Matlock, are currently in the play-off places.
And among those available for Matlock will be the trio of new signings made in recent days.
Highly-rated youngster Theo Upton has joined on a one-month loan from Sky Bet League One side Blackpool.
The talented midfielder signed his first professional contract with the Seasiders in February 2025 and has made several senior appearances for Blackpool. Among his standout moments this season was a Man of the Match performance against Nottingham Forest U21s in the EFL Trophy group stage.
Also joining on a one-month loan is forward Yerim Zoko from Notts County.
Zoko, who signed a one year contract with the Magpies in June 2025, has featured for their Under-18s side where he scored a winning goal against Harrogate Town.
Meanwhile, defender Rio Canoville has signed from Derby County, also on a one-month loan, having featured heavily for the Rams’ U18 and U21 sides in recent months.
Manager Adam Clayton said: “With the injuries we’ve had in recent weeks we needed new faces in and these three talented young players will be a huge asset to us for some big games we have coming up.”
Leaving the club will be winger Kiyani Clayton, who has seen first-team starts restricted in recent months having initially featured strongly in the opening months.
He has had his contract cancelled by mutual consent.