Strong Spireites Background For New Matlock Town Management Duo
16.09.26, 16:08 Updated 16.09.26, 16:08 1 Minute Read
Matthew Rhodes
Local non-league side Matlock Town have announced that Lewis Duckmanton is the club's new permanent first-team manager with Sam Hird named as the new assistant manager of the Gladiators. Both Duckmanton and Hird have strong connections to the Spireites.
Duckmanton was Chesterfield's first-team performance analyst from 2016 to 2018 while Hird made 231 appearances for the Spireites as a player from 2012 to 2018. Hird was part of the Chesterfield team that won the League Two title back in the 2013/14 season.
Matlock Town play at step four of the non-league pyramid in the NPL Division One East. At the time of writing, the Gladiators currently sit in fourth position after eight league games played.
After his time at Chesterfield, Duckmanton enjoyed successful stints working at Barrow and Bolton Wanderers. After his playing career ended, Hird also gained valuable coaching experience at Bolton Wanderers before taking on a Player Services Executive role at the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA).
Matlock Town are next in action on Saturday 26th September when they host Kettering Town in the third qualifying round of the FA Trophy.
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Matthew Rhodes Matthew Rhodes is a freelance sports journalist, broadcaster, commentator and author. He was born and raised in Chesterfield and worked as North Derbyshire Radio's senior sports editor from 2021 to 2025. In 2026, his first full-length book was published; 'A Fine Line' covers Chesterfield's astonishing FA Cup run during the 1996/97 season.
