Stafford Rangers vs Matlock Town preview

England flag 2026/2027 FA Cup, England
Marston Road
FA Cup
Stafford RangersSTA
2 1
Matlock TownMAT
Full Time
Preliminary Round

CONTEXT

Stafford Rangers hosted Matlock Town in a competitive fixture that concluded with a 2-1 home victory. The match remained level at 0-0 through halftime with both sides showing cautious approaches in the opening period. Stafford Rangers as the stronger team managed to break the deadlock after the interval and added a second goal to establish control. Matlock Town responded with a late consolation but could not force an equalizer. The game featured no red cards and limited possession data was recorded. Stafford Rangers demonstrated notable deviation from pre-match indicators in securing the win. The outcome highlighted their ability to adjust effectively in the second half despite the even start.

TL;DR

  • Structural deviation: Stafford Rangers exhibited a significant structural deviation as the stronger team.
  • Efficiency shift: The efficiency shift remained in line with the stronger side's performance.
  • xG alignment: Expected goals data was unavailable to assess alignment.
  • Market alignment: The result aligned with pre-match market indicators.
  • xG expectations: No xG expectations could be evaluated due to missing data.
  • Event impact: Second half goals delivered the decisive impact for the 2-1 win.
  • Red card distortion: Absence of red cards produced no distortion to the match flow.
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
No referee statistics available.
Stafford Rangers Stafford Rangers
Stafford Rangers
VS
Matlock Town Matlock Town
Matlock Town
3
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
0
3 i
Last 6 Opponents
Tividale Rank: W
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
0 i
0
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
0 - 0 - 0
0

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power score: composite of opponent-weighted form (last 6 & 20 games) and league position over last 3 seasons.
50
50
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
Stafford Rangers
Matlock Town
Power Score
50
50
League Position
-
-
Global Rank
-
-

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

–
vs
Stafford Rangers — Opponent-weighted form score
Matlock Town — Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) Stafford Rangers Matlock Town

Heatmaps Ball coordinates

Attack and defence zones from ball position data. Filters: last 6 matches (overall/home/away), time period, competition.

–
vs

Stafford Rangers

Left / Center / Right —
Opposition half density —
vs season average —

Matlock Town

Left / Center / Right —
Opposition half density —
vs season average —
Possession Efficiency data not available for this match.

Set Pieces Efficiency Attack & Defence

Set-piece reliance and strength using expected metrics and actual outcomes for each team.

Stafford Rangers ⚠ Proxy
vs
⚠ Proxy Matlock Town
Created Set-piece attacking threat
Stafford Rangers Matlock Town
Set-piece xG Share Share of total expected goals generated from set pieces. Higher = more set-piece reliant in attack.
—
—
Goals per Match Average set-piece goals scored per match.
0.00 0.00
vs Expected (xG) Goals scored minus set-piece xG. Positive = overperforming; Negative = underperforming expectations.
— vs —
Conceded Set-piece defensive exposure
Stafford Rangers Matlock Town
Set-piece xGA Share Share of total expected goals conceded from set pieces. Higher = more exposed to set pieces defensively.
—
—
Conceded per Match Average set-piece goals conceded per match.
0.00 0.00
vs Expected (xGA) Goals conceded minus set-piece xGA. Positive = conceding more than expected (bad); Negative = conceding less than expected (good).
— vs —
xG set-piece data unavailable for both teams. Values estimated using proxy metrics (shots, dangerous attacks). Confidence: Medium.
Stafford Rangers
Matlock Town
xG Share = set-piece xG ÷ total xG
vs Expected = goals − set-piece xG

Counter / Transition Attack & Defence

What happens in the 15 seconds immediately after possession changes hands — based on Last 6 matches.

–
Stafford Rangers
vs
Matlock Town
Attack After Winning Possession transition → offence
Stafford Rangers Matlock Town
Goals per Match Average goals scored within 15s of winning the ball per match. ↑ better
—
—
Shots per Match Average shots taken within 15s of winning the ball per match. ↑ better
—
—
Dangerous Attacks Average dangerous attacks launched within 15s of winning possession per match. ↑ better
—
—
Transition Efficiency Index Composite score (0–1) of how efficiently this team attacks within 15s of winning the ball. Higher = more dangerous on transition. Higher = stronger on the counter
Stafford Rangers 0.00
Matlock Town 0.00
Defence After Losing Possession loss → defensive exposure
Stafford Rangers Matlock Town
Goals Conceded Average goals conceded within 15s of losing the ball per match. ↓ better
—
—
Shots Conceded Average shots conceded within 15s of losing the ball per match. ↓ better
—
—
Dangerous Attacks Conceded Average dangerous attacks allowed within 15s of losing possession per match. ↓ better
—
—
Vulnerability Index Composite score (0–1) of how exposed this team is within 15s of losing the ball. Lower = better at preventing transition attacks. Lower = better transition defence
Stafford Rangers 0.00
Matlock Town 0.00
Stafford Rangers
Matlock Town
Window = 15s post-possession change
Index = 0–1 composite score
Pressure Index data not available for this match.

General Information

Date & Time
Competition
2026/2027 FA Cup, England · Preliminary Round
Stadium
Marston Road
Capacity
4150
Pitch Surface
Grass
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair

Statistics

Possession
STA
67%
MAT
33%

Top Statistics

2 Goals 1

Squad

Squad ▼

—
Jack Sandel
Jack Sandel Goalkeeper
—
Andrew Burns
Andrew Burns Defender
—
Jake Moult
Jake Moult Midfielder
—
James Carvell
James Carvell Midfielder
—
Simon Njaria
Simon Njaria Midfielder
—
Jay Ford
Jay Ford Midfielder
—
Lewis Keeling
Lewis Keeling Midfielder
—
Cameron Belford
Cameron Belford

Squad ▼

—
A. Aker
A. Aker Goalkeeper
—
Ioan Evans
Ioan Evans Defender
—
Adam Yates
Adam Yates Defender
—
Jamie Sharman
Jamie Sharman Defender
—
Joe West
Joe West Defender
—
Mason Bridden
Mason Bridden Defender
—
John Johnston
John Johnston Midfielder
—
Connor Dimaio
Connor Dimaio Midfielder
—
Nathan Crofts
Nathan Crofts Midfielder
—
Nathan Whitehead
Nathan Whitehead Midfielder
—
Harry Wood
Harry Wood Midfielder
—
Ewan Catt
Ewan Catt Midfielder
—
Finlay Armond
Finlay Armond Midfielder
—
Ollie Clark
Ollie Clark Midfielder
—
Alexander Duhameau
Alexander Duhameau Midfielder
—
Andy Wright
Andy Wright Midfielder
—
Ben Henderson
Ben Henderson Midfielder
—
Robbie McNicholas
Robbie McNicholas Midfielder

Match Commentary

CONCLUSION

Stafford Rangers secured a narrow 2-1 victory over Matlock Town after a goalless first half. The home side capitalized on second half opportunities to claim the points as the designated stronger team. Matlock Town mounted a response but fell short in their efforts to level the score. The match proceeded without disciplinary interruptions or notable possession imbalances. This result reflected a clear adjustment by Stafford Rangers following the even opening period. Overall the performance underscored their capacity to convert key moments into a winning margin while maintaining defensive stability until the final whistle.