Popular winger Uchegbulam set to return to Matlock

One of the most popular players to wear the blue shirt in recent years, Uchegbulam returns to the Proctor Cars Stadium after an outstanding first spell with the club, during which he scored nine goals in 38 appearances and established himself as a firm favourite among the Matlock faithful with his electrifying pace, direct attacking play and eye for goal.

His performances for the Gladiators earned him a move to Chesterfield FC for an undisclosed fee after catching the eye with a superb display against the Spireites during a pre-season friendly.

Since then, Jesurun has continued to build an impressive footballing CV, representing clubs including Rochdale, Oldham Athletic, Eastleigh and Chelmsford City.

Meanwhile, assistant manager Ricky Ravenhill said he could see progress from the team following a 2-2 draw against Belper Town.

He said: “We’re starting to see a few patterns. We can be better, we have got lots to work on in certain areas, but you can see the combinations are starting to come together and people are starting to understand each other.”

He added that the club is using the pre-season to get players used to playing with each other – as well as getting game-time in their legs despite the recent heatwave which has made playing conditions uncomfortable.

"We want to try things, we want to look at things, we tried a different shape and we swapped mid-game again, so it is experimental – but it’s good to see the partnerships developing.”