Matlock Town and Chesterfield to do battle once more on July 4

​It will be Matlock’s first pre-season outing and is part of a stellar home programme of friendly games which sees Derby County visit four days later in an all ticket game which has now sold out.

Mansfield Town, Notts County and Buxton are the other visitors to the Proctor Cars Stadium in pre-season.

Chesterfield’s bold bid to regain their Football League status faltered at the final hurdle as Notts County won a penalty shoot out in the National League play-off final at Wembley earlier this month.

So with Chesterfield likely to be one of the favourites for the National League title in 2023/24, and with Matlock’s average attendance having doubled in the last three years, interest in the match is bound to be high.

Paul Cook’s side came out on top last summer before a capacity crowd in the sweltering heat. Chesterfield won 2-0 and following the game signed Matlock’s speedy winger Jesurun Uchegbulam for an undisclosed fee.

The Gladiators and the Spireites will be contesting the Ernie Moss Trophy for the second time.

Moss, of course, was a legendary Chesterfield striker and their record goal scorer, finding the net 192 times in 539 appearances for his hometown club. He also played and managed Matlock, sadly passing away in July 2021.

Matlock chairman Jay Beaumont says once again the Gladiators are delighted to host their near neighbours.

He said: “We’re once again absolutely delighted to welcome our friends from Chesterfield as part of our pre-season programme.

"There’s always been a close and harmonious relationship between our two clubs and long may that continue.

"We’re also delighted to be once again remembering footballing legend Ernie Moss who was a great favourite with the Gladiators and the Spireites.

"Last season the game was a sell out and people will no doubt have seen the response from fans when we announced the Derby County first team was coming to Matlock.

"Tickets went like hot cakes, we had to make it an all ticket match and then we quickly sold out. We’re expecting the same kind of response for the Chesterfield game.

"Chesterfield came so close to a return to the Football League and we were gutted for them. There’ll be a lot of interest in the game, our attendances here at Matlock got near the thousand mark for the last two games last season. So we urge people to buy their tickets early using the online link that should be on our website very soon.”

Altogether, 2,100 tickets have now been sold for the Derby County fixture, meaning the game is now a sell-out, although the club say they are exploring ways of increasing capacity and will notify supporters in due course.