MATLOCK DUO ARE BACK IN HARNESS
Gladiators tempt Kirkwood from ‘break’
MATLOCK TOWN joint-boss Glenn Kirkwood couldn’t wait to get back to pre-season training after enjoying a “long break” that lasted just two weeks!
Kirkwood and his long-term right-hand man Craig Hopkins stepped down as managers of Mickleover Sports at the end of last season.
The pair made the difficult decision to allow them to spend more time with their families after eight years of management with Heanor Town and then Sports.
So why were they back in a job two weeks later with Mickleover’s Evo-Stik NPL Premier rivals Matlock Town? The answer is simple.
“We left Mickleover thinking we were going to have a nice summer with our families and we had about two weeks off!” said Kirkwood.
“We’re both local Matlock lads and live five minutes from the ground. Me and Craig both played for the club and managed the reserve team, so when the job became available we were really interested.
“We went down for a quick chat and could not agree quick enough to take over.We did fancy a nice break and the only job that could have tempted us out of that thinking was Matlock.To be fair, my missus couldn’t get me out of the house quick enough!
“The club is very close to our hearts and the hard work really begins now.Pre-season started on Saturday and we’re excited to see how the lads gel together.”
Campaign
Rather than looking forward to a sun lounger and a pina colada, Kirkwood has had a red-hot phone as he and Hopkins get to work on shaping the Matlock squad.
The Derbyshire club finished a disappointing 17th last season and manager Mark Hume left Causeway Lane just a fortnight after the campaign had finished.
Bettering last term is the only target Kirkwood is setting, but with signings like striker Marc Newsham and winger Jamie Yates from National League North Gainsborough Trinity and veteran keeper Phil Barnes from Buxton,the rest of the league will be keeping their eye on the Gladiators.
“We’re very pleased with the signings but we’re still looking,” Kirkwood added. “It’s an ongoing process.
“We knew which lads we wanted to keep and we’ve managed to do that.
“At Mickleover we felt we had a really strong first XI but didn’t have the resources to build a squad.We’ve brought in Marc,Jamie and Phil but we’ve also signed some young lads to make sure we get the right mix.
“Nobody really knows who is going to be challenging in the league. A lot of clubs have made some great signings and will be fancying their chances.
“It’ll be a competitive division.We saw that last year and we’re delighted to be part of it. If you have an off day, you’ll get found out.We don’t want to set ourselves targets. We simply just want to improve on last season.”