Nearby non-league football club Glossop North End are preparing for what is set to be one of their biggest games in years as they prepare to take a team of Manchester United Legends.
Founded back in 1886, the centuries-old side has a rich sporting heritage from early amateur friendlies to playing in the North Cheshire League, the Lancashire, Manchester and Cheshire combination division to the North West Counties League (NWCL) today.
Based at The Asgard Engineering Stadium on Surrey Street in the Derbyshire town, North End – or ‘The Hillmen’, as they’re colloquially known – bring in loyal local crowds without fail every week but are set for an even bigger attendance than usual this summer.
Announced at the end of last month, Glossop will be facing up against a team of Man United Legends players for years gone by in an exciting exhibition match in just a few months’ time.
Glossop take on some familiar Manchester United faces this July.
In collaboration with the Glossop Heritage Trust, the ‘Peakites’ are set to welcome Red Devils of old on Saturday, 12 July for an unforgettable fixture.
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Although the full squad of retired pros is yet to be confirmed, the likes of 1999 Treble-winners Wes Brown and David May, as well as former midfielder and one-time Premier League winner Luke Chadwick.
To make things even more interesting, the club also offered supporters the chance to sign up for the Legends team and play alongside the ex-footballer, with the application fee going directly back into the club on what is already going to be a big day in terms of funding.
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It goes without saying that Glossop natives jumped at the opportunity and the limited places were snapped up in a heartbeat.
As for who the lucky four chosen players will be, we’ll just have to wait and see.
⚪️𝑺𝑶𝑳𝑫 𝑶𝑼𝑻⚪️ We can now officially announce that ALL 4 places on the Man Utd legends side for our game on Sat 12th July are now SOLD OUT ! Thankyou to everyone who has sent enquiries & purchased the places.
Charity and exhibition matches like these are always a big win for grassroots football, regardless of the result after the full-time whistle and with both North End and United fans set to grab tickets, it’s sure to be a sell-out day at Surrey Street.
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With coverage from ITV Granada, it’ll be a memorable day for the area, no doubt about that – special occasions like this remind us of how important the beautiful game is to local communities.
Tickets for Glossop vs Man United Legends will be available from 1 March and it goes without saying they won’t be on sale for long, so if you fancy coming along to the game you best be quick about it.
Manchester United fans’ worst fears ‘confirmed’ as Lisandro Martinez’s season looks to be over
Danny Jones
Manchester United fans might want to look away now as reports are claiming that Lisandro Martinez’s season could be over after being stretchered off this past weekend.
The Argentine World Cup winner was visibly emotional when he was forced off in the defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday and manager Ruben Amorim was quick to admit that it looked to be a “serious situation” in his post-match interviews.
Martinez has already spent a good chunk of his time at Old Trafford on the sidelines following a recurring knee issue and it now appears as though Man United’s worst fears have become a reality once again as the defender is said to have suffered serious damage to his left knee.
According to TyC Sports‘ Gastón Edul, the first-choice centre-back has torn his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and given the severity of the injury, he is expected to miss the rest of the season.
Lisandro Martínez tore his ACL against Crystal Palace, reports @gastonedul.
Pretty much the last three letters any supporter wants to hear about one of their own players: ACL injuries are not just a season-ender but multiple instances can unfortunately sometimes mean whole careers being cut short.
However, the signs didn’t look good from the off as the 27-year-old received lengthy on-field treatment following the collision with Ismaïla Sarr before being carried off in tears, and now it seems he may have known the extent of the injury in the moment himself.
Any damage to the ACL typically means a lengthy period on the physio bench and surgery to repair the ligament, with players given a rehabilitation window of anywhere between nine months to a year or more depending on the exact nature of the tear.
However, there remain few details as to Martinez‘s condition at this stage but there have been no reports of a full rupture (ACL torn in two pieces). One thing that doesn’t need reiterating is how big a loss he is for the squad, especially given how frail they have already been in defence.
With all the focus of the transfer window the significance of Martinez injury has been largely overlooked. He was one of the few that have played relatively well recently and his presence in the dressing room will be missed. It’s a huge blow really
The centre-half had already faced long spells out of the team following his first major injury back in April 2023 when he fractured a metatarsal in his right foot and needed surgery.
United struggled without his presence and leadership in the backline and with the deputy having recently contributed with both a goal and an assist in addition to his usual duties, his absence will no doubt be felt in the starting XI.
The only saving grace for Amorim’s Reds is the arrival not only of two new defenders in left wing-back Patrick Dorgu and 18-year-old fellow CB, Ayden Heaven, but Luke Shaw has also returned to training.
Will they be thrown straight into the mix? We’ll find out when the Red Devils face Leceister City in the FA Cup at home on Friday.
Featured Images — Sky Sports (screenshot via YouTube)
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A wholesome fundraising challenge is coming to Greater Manchester – and it only requires a little light exercise
Thomas Melia
Greater Manchester is being asked to ‘Step Up’ in support of a fundraising event that’s aiming to raise funds for a very important cause.
In a bid to raise money for unemployed women an all-new fundraising challenge has been announced titled ‘Step Up’ and it’s running throughout March 2025.
This challenge has been set up by Smart Works Greater Manchester, an important local organisation and necessary resource that provides interview clothing and coaching for unemployed women.
Women who use this service can receive a 60-minute dressing appointment and accompanying hour-long personalised interview preparation, completely free of charge.
In order for vital services such as these to be made readily available, companies like Smart Works Greater Manchester rely on schemes like these to raise money and for people to get involved.
The ‘Step Up’ fundraising challenge is hoping to reach a goal of £35,000 while also covering 130 miles – the equivalent of walking the perimeter of Greater Manchester‘s ten wonderful boroughs.
In 2024, this organisation helped over 800 women and from this, two-thirds of the candidates went on to secure jobs in various work sectors.
Anyone can join this new initiative and Smart Works are calling on local businesses, community groups and individuals to sign up, recruit and take part. Walk, run, cycle, break it up into as big a team as you like – the choice is yours.
As well as raising money for a good cause, those who can get the most donations will be rewarded with some fantastic prizes too; it’s also a brilliant and easy way to promote regular exercise, physical health and general well-being.
Smart Works put on a wonderful festive crowdfunding event this past year too:
There is no better time for this challenge to take place than now as money raised can instantly help as many people as possible during this current period of economic strain and financial instability.
Smart Works has many centres across the country including London, Birmingham, Newcastle, Reading and even a spot just over the hill in Leeds.
Who knows? Maybe you can rope a co-worker or two into getting involved, all we know is every little bit of effort contributes to making a big difference.
Anyone looking to take part in ‘Step Up’ for Smart Works Greater Manchester can find out more information and sign up HERE.
Danny Jones -
3rd February 2025 
