Rangers v Featherstone Colliery Match Preview.

With the dawn of the new season firmly upon us, we welcome Featherstone Colliery to Barr Field tomorrow in what is sure to be a great opener for the 19/20 campaign.

The match has a 2:30 pm Kick-Off time scheduled and looking at the weather forecast it would appear that we are in for treat with thundery showers and a moderate breeze all wrapped up in temperatures of about 24 degrees…delightful!

The Opposition.

We know from last season that Featherstone are a dangerous side that possess quality throughout. Despite us winning 4-1 at their place (see match report here), we saw our post and crossbar rattled several times and the less said about leading 4-1 at Barr Field, only to lose 5-4, probably the better!

As they are not on social media and Google is deciding to be particularly unhelpful today, there is not a lot known about how their pre-season has gone.

Last season they finished in 11th place (out of 16) with a total of 39 points (16 of these gained on the road). They managed to score 67 times, whilst conceding 76.

Featherstone have been in Division One since their promotion in 2013 and finished in various positions, usually mid table, although they did manage a 5th place in 2017/18.

Last season, their leading goalscorer was Kyle Pearson who finished with a total of 15. They also had Jordan Finch who finished on 14.

Head To Head.

The database shows just two meetings between the two sides at present (although several years are missing, so this may not be complete!)

At present it stands at one win each and Rangers slightly ahead on goals scored with eight to Featherstone’s six!

The most memorable match from our point of view would probably be the 4-1 win last season when Roman Neal helped himself to a hat-trick and Josh Barden scored with a superb volley as well!

Roman Neal scores against Featherstone Colliery last season.

Team News For Rangers.

Joe Straker will be missing this match following a nasty knee injury picked up in the 4-1 win over Rothwell on Tuesday. We wish Joe a speedy recovery and hope to see him back in action soon!

With Harvey Ribbons, Josh Bhandal and Jack Holliday all in superb pre-season form, it looks like Manager Dan Marshall may well have a bit of headache when it comes to selection. We know that several players have minor knocks, that will require the management to play things by ear, but we should still have a very competitive squad that represents the club tomorrow.

What About Featherstone Colliery?

Again, not a lot is known about what team they will put out. Knowing Featherstone, it will be a team that will play for the shirt and scrap for every ball meaning that we will have to be at our best to get anything from the game!

The FA website indicates that Joe Colley, Warren Redford, Liam Thelfall and Stuart Waugh are all unavailable for this match through suspensions gained last season.

The Man In Charge.

The referee for this match is Mr Jason Payne. We hope that Mr Payne has a pleasant and trouble-free afternoon at Barr Field.

Following The Game.

The gates will be open at around 1 pm and all fans from both teams are guaranteed a warm welcome. Our clubhouse will be pulling pints and serving a wide range of beverages (both alcoholic and soft) so everyone can enjoy a drink, Pre, at half-time and after the referee has brought things to a close!

We will also have a matchday special drinks offer on, so please see the noticeboard near the bar for more details.

Also, if you have any spare pennies and would like to donate them to a great cause, we will also have our prostate Cancer UK collection boxes around the clubhouse. You can also buy one of their great Men United Pin Badges for a pound (or two!) from these boxes as well.