New-look Matlock Town all set for season opener
Matlock Town begin life at step four of the non-league pyramid this weekend as Bradford (Park Avenue) make the trip to the Proctor Cars Stadium.
The Gladiators are gunning for an immediate promotion back to the NPL Premier Division having been relegated to Division One East last season, and heavy investment in the squad sees them as the bookies’ favourites to achieve just that.
Their squad includes Premier League, Championship and European experience, as well as several players who have successfully plied their trade higher up in non-league in recent years.
So player/manager Adam Clayton knows the pressure is on but it’s something he is keen to use to Matlock’s advantage.
He said: “I embrace the pressure. I’ve had the majority of my career in that kind of pressure environment and when you stop playing, that pressure to do well is the bit you miss the most.
"It’s a different pressure to win, clearly, compared to last year when it was about just doing enough to stay up, but it’s something I've dealt with for long periods of my career, especially at Middlesbrough.
“But it’s something the players, the fans and the staff should enjoy and try to prove that we are one of the favourites for a reason.”
Bradford (Park Avenue) are another of the well-fancied sides in Division One East this season and faced the Gladiators as recently as two seasons ago before their own relegation.
But Clayton is looking forward to the occasion.
He said: "The first game of the season is always a good thing to be part of – the sun’s usually shining and you’re ready to go and put all the work you’ve done in pre-season into action.
"The players didn’t take their foot off the gas effort-wise once during pre-season and have given me absolutely everything, so as long as that is there, which I’m sure it will be, for the league and cup games then we’ll be OK.
"It’s good to get to the nitty gritty of trying to win three points – there’s no better feeling than going home on a Saturday or Tuesday after a win – so we’ll look to do that as many times as we possibly can this season.”
Following the Bradford game, Matlock then go to Lincoln United next Tuesday night.