Buxton 2-3 Matlock Town (aet)
A fantastic fightback from two goals down saw the Gladiators deservedly earn a fourth round UniBond League Challenge Cup meeting with Worksop Town.
But it was a chalk and cheese performance from the Gladiators. Out of touch and not at the races in the first half, Matlock looked like departing the competition with barely a whimper. They were behind inside four minutes and before a quarter of an hour had elapsed, leading scorer Ross Hannah had been stretchered off with what looked to be a serious ankle injury. Buxton did not have to perform particularly well themselves then. Matlock gave the Bucks far too much time and space. Manager Mark Atkins was preparing himself to fire an artillery of home truths at his under performing squad when Buxton doubled their lead through a controversial penalty on the stroke of half time to make the visitors' plight doubly worse.
But whatever Atkins said certainly did the trick. Matlock were back on the pitch for the second half a good four minutes ahead of Buxton who must have thought that their work had been done. John Reed and his team were in for a nasty shock.
Suddenly Matlock were a different side. The Gladiators dominated and the Bucks defence were now at sixes and sevens as the visitors pushed forward with vigour and invention.
Substitute Nathan Benger halved the deficit within five minutes of the resumption and missed a gilt edged chance before Dene Cropper levelled with five minutes to go. And with just five minutes of extra time gone, Aden Flint headed a dramatic winner, one which seemed an age away at half past eight.
With Paul Pettinger and latest signing Asa Ingall both cup tied, the inclusion of Andy Richmond in goal was the only change from the starting line up which had gained a creditable draw at Ilkeston on Boxing Day.
Richmond was soon facing the familiar task of collecting the ball from the back of the net. In a bright Buxton start as they attacked down the slope, Grant Black produced a teasing cross which Mark Reed forced goalwards. Richmond failed to collect cleanly and GAVIN KNIGHT scrambled home the loose ball for an untidy goal and the third on the trot from a goalkeeping error.
When Black crossed again, the impressive Flint found a vital clearing header after Knight's clever flick-on.
Matlock were struggling to make any impact and they were dealt a further crushing blow when Hannah appeared to be caught by a late tackle, and after an awkward landing, was left grasping his ankle. Hannah was stretchered off, but thankfully the diagnosis was not as severe as first feared and hopefully his absence may not be for more than a fortnight.
Benger had a great chance to impress and he didn't waste it. He and Cropper worked their socks off in attack and it was Benger who provided Matlock's first serious threat on 29 minutes, twisting swiftly on to a Steve Warne pass but shooting directly at Scott Hartley.
Three minutes later Jackson sped up the right and fired a whisker wide, but more agony came for Town when referee Carl Dunn stunned the home and visiting contingent alike when he ruled that Ryan Laight had held back Knight to award a penalty. REED slotted in the spot kick off the foot of Richmond's right hand post.
But then the balance of power dramatically changed. With Atkins' stern words ringing in their ears, Matlock at last competed. Now showing a tremendous work ethic, they soon got on top and might have scored when Cropper headed wide by the narrowest of margins from a free kick on the left.
But on 50 minutes came the goal which put them in with a real chance of turning the game around. Riley weaved his way down the left and his cross to the far post was headed intelligently back by Jackson and BENGER was on to it in a flash to fire home from six yards.
Soon afterwards Riley's shot thudded against Hartley after Jackson had once again set up the opportunity. But Matlock really ought to have equalised in the 62nd minute when Benger found himself completely clear of a tiring Buxton defence, but with only Hartley to beat, he pushed his shot disappointingly wide when the preferred option should certainly have been to take the ball around Hartley and slide into a vacant net.
That escape stirred Buxton briefly as Black burst forward from full back to crash in a twenty five yarder which was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Richmond. James Turley then tried his luck from the opposite flank but his shot was always drifting wide.
But Matlock simply refused to die and the goal they had been promising for much of the second period arrived when Riley again cut in from the left and his low cross was met by CROPPER's deft six yard flick for a superbly taken goal. The Gladiators tried to complete their comeback in the regulatory ninety minutes. Cropper lost control of Liam King's cross as he looked set to pull the trigger and Riley's well struck shot was charged down at the expense of a corner.
The ninety minute whistle had possibly come at the wrong time for Matlock for Buxton began the extra thirty minutes purposefully by forcing two successive corners before Richmond bravely grabbed possession off Turley with a perfectly timed challenge.
But Matlock were soon up the other end to silence the Silverlands faithful even more. Buxton failed to effectively clear their lines from a corner and Benger's persistence saw him retrieve possession before his pin point centre into the six yard box saw FLINT rise high and handsomely to head in Matlock's third.
Ashley Foyle made a welcome return as a substitute and might have added to his former club's woes in the 107th minute but his power packed header from Riley's corner was a foot too high.
With Matlock in command and Buxton now looking a spent force, Jackson might have put the icing on the cake at the end of a fine flowing move which saw him drag his shot weakly wide with colleagues up in support.
The result, together with the recovery, should do wonders for Matlock's confidence. At the same time though, it proved the need for ninety minute performances and Atkins will not want to administer the hairdryer treatment too often.
Each side had four players booked by a referee that often looked to have lost the plot. MattyThorpe, Cropper, Benger and Lee Featherstone all saw the yellow card for Matlock while Buxton had debutant central defenders Martyn Booty and Jon Bateson, plus Black and John Ridley in the official's notebook.
2009 is off to a winning start, unlike 2008 which turned out to be an awful year and began with a 5-1 thrashing on the very same ground. Atkins looks as if he is making his presence felt and surely a first league win under his tenure cannot be too far away if his side continue to show a never say die attitude and play to their full capabilities.
BUXTON: Hartley, Black, Maxfield (Brodie 88), Booty, Bateson, Stevens, Ellis (Ridley 55), Towey, Reed, Knight (Wood 46), Turley. Other subs: Reet, Balfe.
MATLOCK TOWN: Richmond, King, Featherstone (Pendleton 78), Thorpe (Foyle 49), Flint, Laight, Jackson, Warne, Cropper, Hannah (Benger 13), Riley.
REFEREE: C Dunn--Newcastle-under -Lyme. ATTENDANCE: 238 STAR MAN: Nathan Benger.
