Shoot-out win kicks off Mutch era

Andy Mutch guided Stafford Rangers to a penalty shoot-out victory over Stoke in the Staffordshire Senior Cup on Tuesday night, hours after the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League club named him as their new manager.

The 49-year-old former Wolves striker, pictured, took the reins as caretaker manager at Marston Road at the start of September following the departure of Greg Clowes. Mutch has only lost one of his six games at the helm as caretaker, last Saturday's FA Cup Second Qualifying defeat at the hands of Conference North Boston United.

Rangers are off the bottom of the table thanks to the run which included victory over FC United of Manchester as Mutch, who's also managed Burscough and Vauxhall Motors and is well known to the Staffordshire club having managed last season's groundshare tenants Northwich Victoria, turned things around.

As a player he made nearly 300 appearances for Wolves and also played for Swindon, Stockport County, Barrow, Southport and Telford United. Stafford Rangers Chairman Rob Woodward said the club was delighted to appoint him after the impact he's made in less than a month at the helm.

Woodward said: "The Board are delighted that Andy has agreed to take over as permanent manager of Stafford Rangers FC for the remainder of the season. The players all seem to have reacted well to the change in management, and it appears that he is getting the best out of the lads."

Woodward, who said the club had been overwhelmed by the number of applicants for the Rangers post, added: "We all know results matter in this league, and Andy and the Board are totally focussed on climbing up the table, and above all offering some attractive football and entertaining games for our fans. We trust that all of the fans and supporters will get behind Andy and the team now."