With last weekend’s home match postponed due to a frozen pitch, the miners go into the weekend hoping that the weather is a little kinder. After a narrow victory on Boxing Day, the team now go in search of back to back victories for the first time this season. Where better to get this than the home of the side that were dominated by Kimberley on the opening weekend of the season?

Deeping Rangers host Kimberley with revenge in mind. After the heavy opening day defeat, both sides have had a very poor season so far, sitting in the bottom three, with Deeping hovering above the relegation places on goal difference, having played a game more than Shirebrook below them. Five points from their last five league matches has seen Deeping slip to third from bottom.

On Boxing Day, Kimberley welcomed local rivals, Hucknall Town to the Stag Ground. In a match of very few chances, Kimberley were the better of the two teams and dominated the possession. The pressure paid off as, with twenty minutes remaining, Aaron Coyle scored a second headed goal in two matches to give Kimberley only their second league win of the season.

Deeping’s fixture last weekend was also postponed due to the weather. Their last match was on Boxing Day, when they faced local rivals Wisbech Town. Each team scored early in the game, with Rob Conyard opening the scoring for Wisbech on sixteen. Matt Sparrow equalised for Deeping just five minutes later to take the teams in level at half time. An ill tempered match saw each team have a player sent off with Josh Moreman being suspended for this weekend’s fixture.

LAST TIME AROUND

The two sides met at The Stag Ground on the opening weekend of the season. Kimberley dominated the match from start to finish. First half goals from Josh Mundell, Lewis Weaver, Josh Timson and Paul Johnson were answered only once by Sam Mulready for Deeping. Dec Brown scored twice late on for Kimberley for the match to finish 6-1 in a convincing victory.

Last season, the two sides met in December at the Stag. Elliott Foster and Josh Sennett gave Deeping their second 2-0 victory over the miners of the season.

In August of the same season, Deeping took all three points at home via the same scoreline. This time Taylor Duthie and Avelino Vieira did the damage.

The 2022-23 season saw Kimberley smash five past Deeping in their own backyard towards the end of the season. Daniel Davy and James Shaw bagged a brace each, accompanied by a goal from Ryan Whitehurst for 5-0 to the miners.

Earlier in the season, the home match at the Stag was a much closer affair. Will Bird bagged twice for Deeping as did James Shaw for Kimberley. Louis Nicholson made the difference with a goal to make it 3-2 to Kimberley.

A LITTLE ABOUT THE OPPOSITION

Deeping Rangers Football Club was formed in 1958 and originally played at Maxey Road until 1982, but did not move to Outgang Road until 1985; the move was due to a rent dispute with the landowner.
The facilities at Rangers' Maxey Road ground were deemed inadequate for Premier Division football. As a consequence, the club found it difficult to hold on to their best players, and the division-winning side dispersed[citation needed]. In 1979 Rangers were relegated to Division Two but they bounced back at the first attempt. That same year saw Rangers lose the use of the Maxey Road ground; they played at the Deepings Leisure Centre until moving to their own ground in Outgang Road in 1985.

Rangers finished runners-up in the Peterborough League Division One in 1985 and were duly promoted to the Premier Division. In 1995-96 Rangers were runners-up in the Premier Division, and again in 1998–99, under the management of Mel Landin. This earned the club promotion to the United Counties League.
During these seasons, Deeping Rangers developed a reputation for finding and developing excellent young players. Their most notable alumni include Malcolm Christie (who moved to Derby County and then Middlesbrough) and Ben Wright (who later played for Viking Stavanger in the UEFA Cup and was also on the books of football league club Lincoln City).
In their debut season in the United Counties League, Rangers almost pulled off a promotion double, narrowly missing out on the runners-up slot in the final game of the season. That year saw the installation of floodlights at Outgang Road, which made the club eligible to enter more cup competitions. In 2000–01, manager Chris Beckett took Rangers into the Premier Division by way of the Division One runners-up spot, to accompany the club's first success in the Lincolnshire Senior Cup "B".
Rangers made an immediate mark in the Premier Division, finishing tenth after their first campaign. In 2001-02 Rangers made their debut in the FA Vase followed a year later their first ever FA Cup match. The club finished that season fifth in the Premier Division.
The club had a succession of managers in the following seasons, and mixed fortunes on the pitch. However, for the start of the 2006–07 season, Deeping Rangers appointed Tuncay Korkmaz as manager. The club won two matches in the FA Cup and set a League record by playing 28 consecutive undefeated league games. The run was ended by a 1–0 defeat at the hands of Yaxley. As a result, Rangers led the league by twelve points in February 2007, and went on to win the Premier Division championship for the first time. Not surprisingly, Korkmaz was named the League's Manager of the Year. The following season was a time for consolidation, but the club has the stated ambition to win the UCL Premier Division title again and join near neighbours Stamford at a higher level of football.

FINALLY
This is a huge match for both sides as they find themselves in a relegation battle. After picking up points in their last match, the belief will be there for the team to push on for another three points this weekend as they bid to close the large gap to the three teams above them.
Please get along to support the boys