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New Matlock Town manager
Gladiators appoint Nicky Law as new manager
Posted on 03 May 2024
We are delighted to announce that Nicky Law has been appointed as the new manager of Matlock Town.
The 62-year-old was most recently head of recruitment at Premier League club Burnley.
Previously, in a playing career scanning 16 years from 1981 when he was with Arsenal for two years, the uncompromising defender made 530 first team appearances in the Football League with approximately two thirds of these games being for Barnsley, Rotherham United and Chesterfield.
His management career began with the Spireites, taking over from John Duncan in the spring of 2000, and although he arrived too late to prevent Chesterfield from dropping out of what was then Division Two, he masterminded a successful return during the following season in spite of Chesterfield being handed a nine-point deduction due to alleged financial irregularities.
Law then managed Bradford City and Grimsby Town before joining Buxton in 2004, winning the Northern Counties East League title in 2005/06 and then the NPL First Division title in 2006/07, before in May 2007 he was appointed as Alfreton Town manager. Under Law’s guidance, the Reds won the Conference North in 2010/11 to reach the top tier of non-league football.Law says that Matlock’s close link with the local community impressed him when he met the club’s officials.
“I’m delighted to be manager of a well-established club in Matlock; I find the community aspect and the close link with the fans very refreshing and it really impressed me,” said Law, who added that the short-term goal was to improve on Matlock’s disappointing 15th placed finish.
He said: ”I firstly need to speak with the lads already here but we need to improve on last year and try to build as squad that will compete at a better level.
“In the medium to long-term we need to develop a squad that is younger and is sustainable for the club but that can be up there challenging for honours. People talk about styles of play but the main objective has to be to win games of football, the more you win the better off you are.
“I’ll be looking for the players to always give 100 per cent. Honesty is a big thing for me, people come and spend their hard-earned cash and expect to see 100 per cent effort from the players as a bare minimum.
“For now I’ll be looking at what we’ve got, who stays and who goes. Part of management is making tough decisions.”.Law will announce his supporting team within the next few weeks.
Acting chairman Martin Harrison, who led the recruitment process, says Law’s hunger to build a team that would challenge in the NPL Premier Division and above were huge factors in deciding he was the man to take over the managerial reins.
He said: “We’re pleased and excited to name Nicky as our new manager. His motivation to succeed in management again, added to his experience and understanding of what it’ll take to rebuild the team, were all key factors in our decision in selecting Nicky.”
Last edited by Matchman (03/5/2024 2:43 PM)
- WhiteBallProject
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Re: New Matlock Town manager
Another ex Robin taking up the reins at a local club! That’s us, Alfreton, Basford, Mickleover, Matlock and Eastwood Community. Are there others?
- plymrob
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Re: New Matlock Town manager
Well done Nicky Law. Not heard his name for a while... solid for Ilson.
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Re: New Matlock Town manager
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Posted on 07 May 2024
‘Busy’ was the operative word from new Matlock Town boss Nicky Law as he reflected on his first week in charge of the Gladiators.Law took charge last Friday following the conclusion of a season that saw Matlock finish 15th in the NPL Premier Division standings. And he admitted he has had plenty of talking to do and decisions to make already.“The big thing thus far has been speaking to the players, deciding who’s leaving and who we want to keep, but also speaking to potential new players,” said Law.
“What I want to do is to get some new lads in as soon as I can. It’s always a tough time at this part of the year, it’s what I call the most expensive period but it is what it is and we have to get the numbers in we need.”
Law added that he was satisfied with the way things are progressing on the new signings front.He said: “It’s a positive that I’ve had a good response from players about joining, the aim is to get three or four in as soon as possible and then see what happens after that.”Law also revealed that after talking to existing players and with some still to be spoken to, he has laid his cards on the table relating to player retention.He added: “Three players have been offered terms, two or three more have been asked to return in pre-season, no final decision has been made regarding the remainder.”
So it seems that the Matlock squad is likely to undergo a major rehaul after a below par campaign in 2023/24 which saw them slip alarmingly from possible play-off contenders in the autumn to have minor relegation worries by the spring, the Gladiators eventually rallying by winning three of their final five matches.
Next season the league is likely to be as competitive as it has ever been, especially as Macclesfield were beaten at home by Marine in the NPL Premier Division play off final on Bank Holiday Monday.
With an increased representation from the traditionally strong north-east following the relegation of Blyth Spartans and the promotions earned by Hebburn Town and Stockton Town to add to the already installed Morpeth Town and Whitby Town, it again looks a case of anybody being capable of beating anybody on a given day.
Worksop Town and Warrington Rylands will be expected to maintain their promotion challenge after being beaten in the play-off semi-finals, and Hyde United and Ashton United will again be strong contenders.
Mickleover, who were beaten in the Southern League Central play-off semi-finals, could be transferred back to the NPL after a break of two seasons
Law said: “It’ll be a tough league next season but we know it’s always tough and competitive. Clubs will increase their spending power, but it’s up to us to be more competitive and do the best we can after the tough season the club has just had. "The hard work has started now, and for the next two weeks I expect things to be very hectic.”Meanwhile, there are only just over 500 tickets left for the home friendly with Chesterfield on Saturday, 6 July (3pm).Matlock’s Ticketing Officer Graham Mumby is delighted with sales so far.He said: “To sell over three quarters of the allocated tickets in just about a week is fantastic, it just shows how popular this game is . A big thank you to all who have purchased a ticket, don’t hesitate now as we expect the remaining tickets to be snapped up very soon.”
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