No mixed loyalties for Boro's Hume ahead of Matlock clash

Hume was manager at the Derbyshire club until leaving by mutual consent in May 2016. Since departing Matlock, he took up the chance to join Boro boss Steve Kittrick's coaching staff midway through last season.

Both teams have made positive starts to the new campaign, with Boro winning 1-0 at Hednesford on Saturday, while Matlock claimed a 4-0 success against Lancaster City.

Hume said: "There is nothing about me worrying about other teams I've played for or managed in the past because I've had so many, and it isn't as though I've not come up against matches like this before.

"I enjoyed my time at Matlock and I still speak to their chief executive Keith Brown.

"In my first season there I saved them from relegation and after that we consolidated. In the end we went our own separate ways, but both parties took something out of it.

"Looking at their team I think they only have four or five players left from my time there as manager.

"It will be a tough game, but we know that every game in this league will be exactly the same.

"They have the likes of Shaun Harrad, who scored two on Saturday, and a lot of other lads with pedigree. They are a team that like to play football, so it should make for a good game."

Hume is looking forward to watching a meeting of footballing sides after Saturday's away clash, which saw Hednesford filling the box and going long as they tried to haul themselves back into the game.

He added: "That is the thing about this division, a lot of teams will try and go long and be direct rather than getting the ball down and trying to play.

"If you look at last season in the Evo-Stik North, there were teams like Droylsden, Colwyn Bay and Radcliffe that tried to get it down, but I don't think we'll see too much of that this time.

"We have to combat that because we know that it won't all be pretty, pretty football. But we do have the players to cope with both sides of the game.

"I'm just glad that the season has started now though and we can actually get stuck into these competitive games.

"Pre-season is rubbish, it is just something that you have to get through to get game time in and raise a bit of money for the club.

"There is a lot of false football played and I find it strange when people start worrying about the results.

"I still don't think everyone will be at full tilt yet, but they are getting there and when they do I think we'll really start to push on."