Match Preview

Winterton Rangers (A) – Saturday, 16th December 2023

The Opposition
Originally formed in 1934, the Rangers joined the Scunthorpe & District League a year later.
They played at Watery Lane until their move to West Street in 1950.
They were founder members of the Northern Counties East League in 1982/83 but disbanded two seasons later.
In 1986 they were back at Division Two level, winning the title in 1990 to return to the top division.
They remained in the NCEL until last season when a 2nd place finish was enough to see them in to the inter-step playoffs where they defeated Coggleshall Town 2-1 to win promotion to the NPL.

It was a tough start to the 23/24 season for Winterton.
They began with five successive defeats in all competitions, falling at the first hurdle in the FA Cup and sitting bottom of the table at the end of August.
A home win over Bridlington was followed by an FA Trophy exit to Avro and two further league defeats.
Their next win was once again followed by a run of defeats but they finally picked up their first, and to date only back-to-back wins of the campaign in late October.
Recent form has seen them bag a couple of wins in the last six outings but they have lost the last two, conceding seven goals and this leaves them perilously close to the relegation zone.

Manager Scott Hellewell stepped up from the Assistant position to take the reigns in December 2018.
Scoring goals has been a problem for Winterton this season, with 17 they are the lowest scorers in the division and have yet to bag more than two in any match.
They have also conceded more goals than any other team but their ability to carve out wins when needed (they are yet to draw a game) means they remain above the drop zone.
Top scorer Josh Walker has 3 goals to his name this season.

After a difficult first half of NPL life, they sit 16th.
Their record reads: P 17 W 5 D 0 L 12 F 17 A 43 Pts. 15
At home they have won 3 and lost the other 5.

The Nailers
We could be forgiven for leaving this section blank as December has seen three successive postponements in the league.
The only game played this month, a 2-1 reversal at Mickleover in the Derbyshire Senior Cup came despite a really positive performance.
They remain 5th in the table and their record ahead of this fixture reads: P 16 W 9 D 1 L 6 F 35 A 29 Pts. 28
Away from home five out of eight matches have been won.
Kevin Bastos' leads the way with 14 goals, the now Sheffield FC based Cam Johnson picked up 8 and Phil Watt has 6.

Head to Head
When Belper entertained Winterton on matchday 2, it was a first meeting between the sides since 1994.
The clubs met regularly in the early 80s and early 90s in the NCEL, as well as one League Cup match and a Presidents Cup match which went to a replay in 1991.
Overall the record from a Belper perspective reads:
P 16 W 6 D 6 L 4 F 28 A 21.
The reverse fixture was won 3-1 by Belper on 15th August - Burrows, Johnson and Bastos with the goals for Belper.

Form Guide (League)
Winterton Rangers - (28 Oct) WLLWLL (9 Dec)
Belper Town - (24 Oct) DWWLLL (25 Nov)

Team News
Phil Watt remains suspended due to the postponements.
Danny South is sidelined through injury.

Permutations
The highest Belper can go with victory is 3rd and this would require Consett dropping points.
Both North Ferriby and Carlton could leapfrog the Nailers if they slip up.
Winterton could end Saturday in the relegation zone if Stocksbridge (who play Friday night), Sheffield and Grimsby Borough all win.
Victory could see them move up one place if Brighouse lose.

Match details
Winterton Rangers vs. Belper Town
Northern Premier League Division One - East Division
Saturday, 16th December 2023 – 3:00pm kick off
MKM Stadium
West Street
Winterton
DN15 9QF
Tickets: Adults £8, Concessions £5, U16s £1

Follow the match
Live commentary is available with Joe on Radio Belper Town - https://radiobelpertown.mixlr.com
Full coverage on X (Twitter). Team news, HT & FT scores on Facebook.
Match reports to follow on the website and in the Non-League Paper.

Elsewhere in Division One East

Game of the weekend is 1st against 2nd as Stockton entertain Hebburn, although a belting match is in prospect on Friday night as 4th play 3rd at Pontefract.... all 4 teams above the Nailers playing each other this weekend.

Friday 15th December 2023
7.45pm Liversedge v Stocksbridge Park Steels
7.45pm Pontefract Collieries v Consett AFC

Saturday 16th December 2023
3pm Ashington AFC v Newton Aycliffe
3pm Dunston v Ossett United
3pm Grantham Town v Cleethorpes Town
3pm Grimsby Borough v Bridlington Town
3pm North Ferriby v Brighouse Town
3pm Sheffield v Carlton Town
3pm Stockton Town v Hebburn Town