UP NEXT, following successful passage into the next round of the League Cup, the first team is back to league action as they travel to the Haydon Whitham Stadium to face Deeping Rangers.

Kimberley Miners Welfare go into the match on the back of beating last year’s league cup winners Eynesbury Rovers on an unbeaten run that stretches back to the end of August. In that time, the boys have won eight out of nine matches, with four wins and a draw coming in the league.

Deeping head into the fixture with one win and two losses from their last six matches having faced some tough opposition along the way. However, a win last week and two draws make up their last three results which makes them a dangerous host today as a team on the up in recent weeks.

Last Saturday, the miners welcomed Eynesbury Rovers to a changed “home” venue of Ilkeston Town’s Microlise New Manor Ground in the league cup. The match started quickly and the referee pulled his yellow card out within the first two minutes for a heavy tackle from Tom Hilton. The visiting bench set their tone for the match by asking for the Kimberley player to be sent off. A close half saw the deadlock broken five minutes before the break as Josh Timson, high in confidence, smashed in a rocket from thirty yards. Centre Back Ollie Ball added a second on the stroke of half time, rising like a salmon to nod in a Dan Tuck corner. Eynesbury came out with nothing to lose in the second half and put the pressure on the miners from the kick off. After winning a soft free kick, Lewis Lynn expertly fired in the dead ball into the top corner for 2-1. Five minutes later, Eynesbury thought they’d equalised after a good cross was sent into the box and the ball bundled into the net. This was ruled out for a foul as an Eynesbury player pushed Max Thornbury into a jumping Ed Cooper in goal who was flipped over, landing on his head and being knocked out. Eynesbury then stuck the ball into an open net. Again, the away bench were apoplectic, this time feeling that the goal should have stood irrelevant of a foul or a serious injury to the Kimberley goalkeeper. With the goal chalked off and ten minutes of injury time, Max Thornberry replaced Cooper in goal as Zach Sandhu came on to replace the outfield spot. On 66, Ollie Ball grabbed his second of the game after a mazy run from Josh Timson left him with a straightforward finish from six yards. Eynesbury grabbed an injury time consolation through Victor Osobu.
Final Score Kimberley Miners Welfare 3-2 Eynesbury Rovers

Deeping Rangers’ last match was a trip to Skegness on Saturday. Ryan Cook gave Deeping a half time lead with a strike on twenty one minutes. Lewis Arber doubled the lead just after half time and Conor Marshall grabbed a very late consolation for Skegness with minutes to go.
Final Score - Skegness Town 1-2 Deeping Rangers

LAST TIME AROUND

The corresponding fixture last season came as both sides were battling against relegation after poor starts to the season. Kimberley were at the start of their “win one, lose one” loop of thirteen matches. On this occasion, having just beaten Bourne, it was time for the “lose one”. This match proved that to a tee as the miners were soundly beaten having gone a goal up through Aaron Coyle on 18. Deeping then took over, heading into half time in front through goals from Byron Adiado and Dave Jones. The home side wrapped up the match in the second with another from Adiado and one from substitute Oleksandr Muzychuk for 4-1.

The two sides met at The Stag Ground on the opening weekend of last 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.

The previous 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. 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

The Kimberley boys have seen themselves slip to third in the league as the teams around them have caught up while the miners have played cup matches for the last two matches. With the top six now pulling away from the teams below, it is vital for the miners to carry on their fantastic run and pick up all three points today.

Deeping are in a much better position than they were this time last year and will be keen on continuing their progress in the top half of the division, being part of the chasing pack on the top six.

This makes for a very interesting and exciting match in prospect.

Kick off is at 15:00

See you there