The Gladiators eased to a fairly routine victory at Victoria Park to increase Burscough's relegation worries.
First half goals from top scorer Ross Hannah and the recalled Dene Cropper put Matlock in the driving seat and although Adam Sollitt was in good form between the posts for Matlock, the visitors always looked comfortable.
Basically, Matlock did what they had to do in a no frills show, and the win, their second in five days, saw them rise to the heady heights of seventh spot, a position which looked highly unlikely six weeks ago.
Manager Mark Atkins left the not fully fit defender Adam Yates on the bench, with Scott Brough moving back from midfield to full back and Danny Wood slotting into midfield wide on the left. Cropper came in for Nathan Joynes.
The game got off to a bizarre start with the Linnets having to play with just ten players when Blackpool referee Alex Young refused to allow Craig Mahon to play wearing a protective cast on his arm.
Eventually Burscough woke up to this fact on 13 minutes when striker Darren Byers was introduced from the bench, meaning that they had used one of their substitutes cheaply.
By then Matlock might have been in front as Wood did well in the build up to release Steve Warne whose 15 yard shot was parried by Richie Whiteside.
The visitors always looked the more dangerous and they went in front on the quarter of an hour mark when Liam King who again put in an industrious shift in the Gladiators engine room, found HANNAH down the left who ran on to fire a low fierce shot which beat Whiteside at his near post.
Sollitt looked solid and he did well to keep out a Darren Brookfield drive shortly afterwards before Mark Haran's frustration got the better of him as he was booked for dissent, the first of seven yellow cards dished out by Mr Young in a game which was not worthy of such a high card count.
Matlock doubled their advantage with a fine effort on 28 minutes. A Lee Featherstone free kick found CROPPER in the box. A trademark centre forward's turn and a terrific low finish past Whiteside's left hand left the relegation threatened Linnets with it all to do.
Sollitt again denied Brookfield at the expense of a corner before Steve Warne's foul on Dominic Morley brought him the one caution that could not be contested.
A timely interception from Brough and then Sollitt dealing with a Gary McEvatt effort kept Matlock well set for victory as half time approached.
Burscough made a decent fist of things after the interval but it was never going to be good enough to cut into their deficit.
James Lukic charged down a drive from home skipper Dave Roberts, but on 49 minutes came a speculative twenty yarder from McEvatt that Sollitt had covered but struck the top of the bar.
Featherstone and Cropper followed Haran and Warne into Mr Young's notebook before the official then added three Burscough names in defenders Ashton Bayliss and Zak Riley, plus Roberts. Talk about wanting to be the centre of attention!
Matlock took the sting out of the game and nearly made it three when Whiteside did particularly well to fingertip a Wood shot on to the bar on 66 minutes.
Joynes, on for Cropper headed well wide and Warne had a shot blocked. In between a corner from the Burscough right struck the outside of Sollitt's near post.
Burscough could not manage even a consolation as Sollitt saved well from Riley with a couple of minutes left.
It had not been a vintage Matlock performance in typically breezy conditions at Burscough, but it was a case of job done, and a welcome three points on the road after two successive away defeats on the two previous weekends.
MATLOCK TOWN: Adam Sollitt, Scott Brough, Lee Featherstone, Liam King, Mark Haran, James Lukic, Nathan Benger (Ben Algar 57), Steve Warne, Dene Cropper (Nathan Joynes 60), Ross Hannah, Danny Wood (Jordan Hall 78).
Other subs: Adam Yates, Nick Buxton.
REFEREE: A Young--Blackpool. ATTENDANCE: 160. STAR MAN: Liam King.
