Saturday 30th September 2006

Forest Green Rovers 2 Stafford Rangers 1
Nationwide Conference
At: The New Lawn
Kick-off: 3-00 pm
Attendance: 945

Wednesday 27th September 2006

Stafford Rangers Youth 4 Castle Vale Youth 2
FA Youth Cup sponsored by E.ON First Qualifying Round
At: Marston Road
Attendance: 76

Saturday 23rd September 2006

Stafford Rangers 0 Oxford United 1
Nationwide Conference
At: Marston Road
Kick-off: 3-00 pm
Attendance: 1795

Tuesday 19th September 2006

Northwich Victoria 4 Stafford Rangers 0
Nationwide Conference
At: Victoria Stadium
Kick-off: 7-45 pm
Attendance: 971

Saturday 16th September 2006

Stafford Rangers 1 Rushden & Diamonds 1
Nationwide Conference
At: Marston Road
Kick-off: 3-00 pm
Attendance: 1054

Tuesday 12th September 2006

Stafford Rangers 1 Burton Albion 1
Nationwide Conference
At: Marston Road
Kick-off: 7-45 pm
Attendance: 1554
Weather: -


Neil Grayson scored an 89th minute penalty as Stafford Rangers gained a point from the Staffordshire derby and bounced back from the defeat at Stevenage.

Injuries and the start of Ged Murphy’s three-match ban forced Phil Robinson to change the starting line-up. Brian Quailey and Christian Dacres were given full debuts and Liam Murray returned to the centre of defence. Assistant Manager David Oldfield also made his debut as a second-half substitute.

Dean Williams was the first keeper to be called into action when dived at full length to his right to turn round a low 25-yard shot from Andy Ducros.

The visitors, however, took the lead in the 11th minute. Aaron Webster got on the end of a Ducros corner and powered a header home unchallenged at close range. Webster met Burton’s next corner but this time his header flew across the face of goal and wide of the left-hand post.

Burton had another chance when Murray was deceived by a bouncing ball inside his own area. Jon Shaw hooked a shot towards goal, which took a deflection off a Boro defender.

Quailey became the second player to be booked in the 28th minute for what appeared to be nothing more than a collision with Kevin Poole. However, the veteran keeper sustained a badly cut mouth but was able to continue after five minutes of treatment.

There was further danger for Stafford when Andy Corbett drilled in low cross into the six-yard box from the right. Daryl Clare, in front of goal, got on the end but failed to make clear contact with the ball.

As the interval approached, Burton almost added a second goal from another accurate Ducros corner. Gary Rowett headed towards goal and Williams pulled off a fine block on the line. Craig McAughtrie, named Man of the Match by the sponsors, cleared the loose ball much to the relief of the Stafford defence.

Robinson replaced Dacres with Craig Lovatt at half time and straight from the restart a long-range shot from Downes curled wide.

As the game entered the final quarter, unmarked Clare wasted a glorious chance when in plenty of space inside the area. Picked out by Shaw, the striker headed well wide.

Stafford gradually built up some momentum during the second half and there was panic in the Burton defence in the 75th minute. Robin Gibson’s deep cross was cleared off the toe of Grayson and the corner caused panic. Both McAughtrie and Gibson had shots cleared off the line and Quailey eventually fired the loose ball wide.

With time running out, Quailey went down under a challenge from Rowett inside the area and Grayson hammered home the resulting penalty.

Stafford Rangers (black and white stripes/black/black): Dean Williams; Craig McAughtrie, Wayne Daniel (capt), Liam Murray, Nathan Talbott; Kevin Street, Lee Downes, Christian Dacres, Neil Grayson; Robin Gibson, Brian Quailey. Subs: Craig Lovatt (for Dacres, ht), Dolapo Olaoye (for Talbott, 50), David Oldfield (for Downes, 83), Danny Edwards, Danny Alcock.

Burton Albion (yellow/grey/grey): Kevin Poole; Gary Rowett, Darren Tinson, Ryan Austin, Aaron Webster; Andy Corbett, Danny Holmes, Darren Stride (capt), Andy Ducros; Daryl Clare, Jon Shaw. Subs: Chris Hall (for Ducros, 64), Lee Fowler, Shaun Harrad, John Brayford, Steve Scoffham.

Sponsors Man of the Match: Craig McAughtrie.

Referee: P. Varley (West Yorkshire).
Attendance: 1554.

Saturday 9th September 2006

Stevenage Borough 6 Stafford Rangers 0
Nationwide Conference
At: Broadhall Way
Kick-off: 3-00 pm
Attendance: 1708
Weather: -


Ten-man Stafford Rangers suffered their heaviest league defeat since 1994. Midfielder Ged Murphy was sent off for retaliation in the 20th minute after being initially fouled by Barry Fuller.

There was drama before kick-off as the referee decided that the new white shirts taken to Broadhall Way clashed with Stevenage’s shirts. As a result Rangers took the field in an unfamiliar sky blue kit borrowed from the home side.

Stevenage went ahead in the 25th minute. George Boyd, who ended up scoring a hat-trick, got on the end of Jason Goodliffe’s cross and scored with the aid of a deflection. He added a second nine minutes later. Dean Williams did well to thwart former England International Steve Guppy but Boyd forced the ball home.

Stafford found it difficult to get forward and conceded two more goals before in the interval. In the 43rd minute, a cross-cum-shot from Craig Dodson from out on the right wing flew over Williams on its way into the roof of the net. Then in injury time, Williams couldn’t hold a low cross from Adam Miller and Steve Morison scored at close range.

Phil Robinson shuffled his side at the interval with Brian Quailey coming on as a lone striker and a changed formation. The switch certainly looked to have helped give Stafford a confidence boost as Nathan Talbott, fit after missing the previous trip to York, saw a shot blocked by a defender. Neil Grayson also volleyed wide from Talbott’s near-post cross.

But Rangers had no answer when Stevenage, one of the pre-season promotion favourites, added their fifth and sixth goals just after the hour mark in the 61st and 63rd minutes. Boyd completed his hat-trick with a shot into the roof of the net from 15 yards out and Dobson scored his second goal of the game with a close-range shot. It could have been even worse. Williams tipped over another rising shot from Boyd and Morison also hit the post.

Kevin Street got in a late long-range shot near the end but Alan Julian made a comfortable save with Brian Quailey closing in to take advantage of any slip by the home keeper.

Christian Dacres, promoted from the County Senior League ‘A’ team, made his debut as a late substitute.

Stevenage Borough (white and red shirts/red/red): Alan Julian; Jason Goodliffe, Luke Oliver (capt) Dos Santos Gaia, John Nutter; Craig Dobson, Barry Fuller, Adam Miller, Steve Guppy; Steve Morison, George Boyd. Subs: Mark Beard (for Fuller, 73), Chris Sullivan (for Boyd, 77), Dwayne Lee (for Miller, 86), Darryn Stamp, Danny Potter.

Stafford Rangers (sky blue/black/black): Dean Williams; Mark Bailey, Craig McAughtrie, Wayne Daniel (capt), Nathan Talbott; Robin Gibson, Ged Murphy, Lee Downes, Kevin Street; Neil Grayson, Guy Madjo. Subs: Liam Murray (for Bailey, 29), Brian Quailey (for Madjo, ht), Christian Dacres (for Grayson, 84), Dolapo Olaoye, Danny Alcock.

Referee: M. Ball.
Attendance: 1708.

Saturday 2nd September 2006

Florence 2 Goldenhill Wanderers 1
Staffordshire County Senior League Premier Division
At: Lightwood Road
Attendance: 15 (headcount)

Friday 1st September 2006

York City 0 Stafford Rangers 0
Nationwide Conference
At: KitKat Crescent
Kick-off: 7-45 pm
Attendance: 2955