Race for places at Rangers is on

Stafford Rangers' players have been warned the race for places on the opening day of the season is on ahead of their next friendly game against Port Vale.

The Football League club visit Marston Road tonight (7:45pm) ahead of the start of their League Two campaign away at Bury on Saturday, so are expected to field a fringe side.

But there will be nothing friendly about Rangers midfielder Ross Davidson's approach to the game, with the 20-year-old keen to show his boyhood club what they are missing after Vale released him in the summer.

The home side will be hoping their goalkeeping situation resolves itself by kick-off, with Tom Harrison struggling with a tooth abscess and Lee Evans still jet-lagged after returning from a summer coaching in the United States.

Management are hoping one or the other will be fit tonight, after striker Nick Wellecomme had to fill in at late notice in Saturday's 3-2 win against West Midlands Premier Division neighbours Stafford Town at the weekend.

Rangers close out pre-season with tonight and Saturday's home game with Evo-Stik League club Nantwich, as assistant boss Steve Wynn warns of the need to impress ahead of the Blue Square North opener at Boston United in 11 days time.

He said: "It's a good chance for our lads to pit their wits against a Football League side tonight, which everybody will enjoy.

"It's a similar scenario to how Stafford Town would have felt on Saturday, when you play the teams from above you tend to raise your game anyway.

"We have got 180 minutes of football between now and the start of the season at Boston, we have had questions answered for us so far but there are still answers that the players can give us in these next two games."