Two former Spurs team-mates in line to face each other in League Two
Wed 01 November 2023, 17:00|
Tottenham Hotspur
Former Spurs team-mates Matthew Etherington (Legacy Number 655) and Stephen Clemence (634) will pit their wits in the English Football League after the pair secured managerial appointments in League Two.
Matthew, who made 49 appearances during a three-year spell in Lilywhite, has been reinstated as Colchester United's interim head coach after he had to temporarily step down for their game at Accrington Stanley last Saturday (28 October) due to a managerial contract issue with his former club Crawley Town.
The former West Ham United and Stoke City winger made his first foray into football management with Crawley last year but resigned after just 32 days at the helm before joining Colchester as under-21 coach this summer and was put in temporary charge of the first team on Monday 23 October.
Despite the 42-year-old's absence from the U's 1-0 win over Accrington at the weekend, he has now been brought back to preside over first-team duties ahead of their FA Cup first-round trip to League One side Shrewsbury Town on Saturday. The Essex-based side currently sit 20th in the league standings having won five, drawn one and lost nine.
Meanwhile, Stephen takes his first steps into management after being named Gillingham head coach on Wednesday (1 November).
A product of our academy, the midfielder made 91 appearances across six years at White Hart Lane before a move to Birmingham City and latterly Leicester City.
After retiring from his playing days, the 45-year-old, son of late Spurs and England goalkeeper Ray Clemence (532), joined up with his former Blues boss Steve Bruce to take up coaching roles at Sunderland, Hull City, Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion.
Stephen takes charge with the Gills sitting ninth in the fourth tier and his first game at the helm also comes in the FA Cup first round as they travel to non-league Hereford this weekend.
The two teams are scheduled to face each other on New Year's Day (3pm kick-off), with Colchester holding the bragging rights from August when they secured their first points of the season by upsetting the form book to topple early leaders Gillingham at Priestfield.
