Rangers captain expects changes

Stafford Rangers captain Craig McAughtrie is expecting changes at the weekend when the team return to action in the Blue Square North.

Rangers have seen a four-match unbeaten run blown away by back-to-back defeats, the latest at Droylsden on Saturday, two of three blips in the seven games of the season so far.

But it's a side shorn of three of their regular starters with defender Jermaine Johnson, along with first-choice strike duo Nick Wellecomme and Ben Mills, still missing through injury.

Manager Chris Brindley is clinging to the hope that at least one or two of the trio will be fit to face Stalybridge Celtic on Saturday, one of two successive home games with a match against Brian Little's Gainsborough Trinity the following week.

The sequence of fixtures ends four games against competition expected to be among the front-runners for promotion this season, with first opponents Alfreton leading the table with a 100 per cent record after seven games.

But McAughtrie is refusing to listen to any hard luck stories and has warned his team-mates they must perform, starting on Saturday.

He said: "We have got to start producing, because it looks like we have been lacking confidence in these last two games.

"Some of the players have treated it like a foregone conclusion that we were going to lose, particularly at Droylsden, who were not anywhere need a good a side as they have had in the past.

"I think there will be some changes on Saturday and, when we get the three lads back, we have a good 20 players to choose from.

"We have got two hard games coming up but we need to be looking at four points, at the very least that should be our target."