Great Escape is back on for Rangers
Tuesday 26th April 2011, 8:30AM BST.
The Great Escape is on for Stafford Rangers after Hyde missed the chance to send them down – but chairman Mike Hughes will leave the club at the end of the season.
Matt Elliott’s men now need to win at Stalybridge Celtic in Saturday’s final game of the season and hope Hyde fail to beat Corby away from home, with a point separating the two teams.
However, regardless of the outcome Hughes is stepping down after 26 years at Marston Road – one as chairman – and will also relinquish the role of club secretary when a successor is found.
On the field, Rangers went into his week above the Blue Square North safety line but Hyde’s game in hand came against Droylsden yesterday, where a win would have also secured the strugglers’ safety thanks to their better goal difference of eight.
But the two played out a 1-1 draw, leaving Rangers needing to better Hyde’s result to avoid the drop into the third tier of non-league football.
Elliott’s side won 3-1 at Corby on Saturday – who host Hyde on the last day – and must repeat the trick against Stalybridge to stay in the division.
But the Rangers boss insists he is happy that his team still have a “fighting chance” of survival, after two match days where they could have been relegated had results not gone their way.
He said: “Before Saturday, if you told me we were alive going into the last game of the season I would have been more than happy, I would have taken that there and then.
“We are still alive and kicking and that gives us a massive incentive to perform at the weekend, I am just very pleased that we have got something to play for.
“We couldn’t have asked for any more than a fighting chance going into the last game of the season.”
UK Sport
Latest Blog — A week is a long time in football
This time last week we were staring down the barrel, third from bottom with a worse record than at the same stage last year, writes Saddlers blogger Mark Jones.
Saddlers Blog
Business Awards
Book a Business Awards table
Join our celebrations of the region's best in business on Thursday March 22 - book your table now
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Express & Star and Shropshire Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases
OUR NEW APP
Get the new E&S app
Download the Express & Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
expressandstar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
