Mawene heads for Rangers exit

Stafford Rangers midfielder Sami Mawene will this week join the Marston Road exodus.

The 23-year-old Frenchman is expected to join either Bury or Cheltenham.

Rangers co-caretaker boss Neil Grayson said Saturday's 2-1 defeat by Stevenage would be Mawene's last appearance for the Blue Square Premier club after he hobbled off with a hamstring injury.

But Grayson and colleague Kevin Street have bolstered their squad with three new signings, all of whom made their debuts against Stevenage.

Northern Ireland youth international Matt Hazley, has joined the club until the end of the season after being released by Stoke. The midfielder was on loan with Rangers earlier in the season.

Crewe boss Dario Gradi has loaned 20-year-old left-back Ryan Lynch for a month in the face of Fred Murray's switch to Stevenage, and Damian Jarrett, who was on trial with Rangers during the summer, has also been taken on board.

Grayson said the signings had eased the pressure on him and Street to field a full side following a series of injuries, suspensions – and departures.

"There won't be any more signings just yet – we've got players to come back.

"Del Olaoye was on (against Stevenage), Marco Adaggio has been cleared by his physio and Nathan Smith is not far off a return."

Defender Jimi Sangare though, faces a further fitness battle after his comeback from an injured ankle lasted only 19 minutes.

Grayson was once again disappointed to get no reward from another good performance at the weekend, especially as all the other teams in the relegation dogfight also lost.

"We took the game to them in the second half, but once again we slipped up from set-pieces and that is something we must work on.

"The lads have been tremendous and at the end Stevenage were hanging on, you couldn't tell which was the full-time and which was the part-time team."