Rangers boss has the wedding blues

Stafford Rangers manager Greg Clowes was today left with the wedding blues without going anywhere near the aisle after losing two of his players to their nuptials.

With utility man Anthony Maguire missing for Boxing Day's 2-0 defeat to Nantwich, Rangers will now have to do without striker Alan Nagington going into the New Year.

Both are away on their honeymoon and will miss the home derby against Hednesford, plus trips to FC United of Manchester and Marine.

Nagington is hoping to be back for the visit of Stocksbridge Park Steels on January 21 but will definitely miss the next three games.

It's proved an unusual headache for Clowes but the Rangers boss admits it's all part and parcel of life as a non-league manager.

He said: "Some people say players should get married out of season but, at the end of the day, some people can only get certain times off work.

"As a semi-professional footballer, it's tough and, at this level of football, you are going to get these problems.

"It's not as though we are in the Blue Square Premier and the players are full-time.

"If they were professionals, you couldn't do it, because it's your job."

Clowes is not expecting any more of his players to be tying the knot anytime soon, so expects it will be all business again when his love-struck duo return.

The Marston Road chief saw Nagington's stag night disrupt a pre-season friendly at Kidsgrove in July, while he didn't initially know about Maguire's period of absence.

That came out in the finer details of the 27-year-old's switch from local rivals Rushall Olympic in October, but Clowes insists that wouldn't have scuppered the move.

He said: "I don't think there's anybody else on the verge of getting engaged or anything like that.

"Alan had his stag night in pre-season, which I thought was OK, but I didn't know with Anthony straight away.

"It's not something I ask when I am trying to entice a player to come here!"