Matlock deservedly earned themselves a replay despite having to play the last twenty five minutes with ten men after Kris Bowler was ridiculously sent off.
A second yellow card and a red one was thrust in his face by referee Carl Dunn who ruled that Bowler had dived when challenged by Kyle Haynes. Bowler was just about to pull the trigger and had no reason to go down as he was well placed for his shooting chance.
Even with a man advantage though, Hednesford could not break the Gladiators resilience as another tip top defensive performance foiled the hosts who were unbeaten in league games at their Keys Park fortress for a year.
Mark Atkins horses for courses approach again saw him go with a 4-5-1 formation with Ian Holmes the lone out and out striker. The changes from the win against Stocksbridge saw Gareth Davies and Kris Bowler step into the midfield with Chris Bettney and Nathan Joynes having to be content with seats on the substitutes bench.
Bowler was lectured in the opening minute when he went in hard on Chris Clements but Matlock began well and goalkeeper Dan Crane had to dive smartly to his right to palm away a well struck twenty five yarder from Davies who shot wide from a similar distance shortly afterwards.
Steve Warne made ground down the right and Crane did well to pluck Warne's hanging cross from out of the afternoon sky. Ben Algar then drove forwards but drove too high from fully thirty five yards.
The match then became a war of attrition in midfield. Little had been seen of the Pitmen's attack. Bowler was booked for a high kick on Denny that looked more accidental than intentional and Davies soon followed him, presumably for dissent.
In between the bookings Matlock won a free kick which Davies curled at Crane.
Marvin Robinson was booked on 39 minutes for a late challenge on Jon Kennedy. Bowler's dismissal was all the more galling from a Matlock perspective given that Robinson again went in on Kennedy with studs showing in the second half, and although a free kick was given, there was no further punishment.
It was 41 minutes before Kennedy was seriously tested when Ben Jevons saw his low effort turned aside. This was in a spell of sustained pressure from the hosts but Matlock weathered the storm and might have broken the deadlock on the stroke of half time when Crane tipped Warne's shot around the post and from the corner Adam Yates was penalised for pushing.
Hednesford were straight on the attack as the second half got under way, instantly winning a corner.Oscar Radford nodded away a Cheyenne Dunkley header with Elliott Durrell blasting over the bar.
Two more corners quickly followed but Matlock again stood firm and resolute. Haynes unwittingly got in the way of a Jevons shot before Gary Hay fired the loose ball comfortably too high.
Then came Bowler's dismissal and two minutes later assistant manager Nick Buxton was sent to the stands for offering Mr Dunn some refereeing advice.
Darren Campion was the next Pitman to shoot too high, this being a long range effort as the hosts looked frustrated. But Robinson did come a whole lot closer on 74 minutes when his header dropped on to the top of the net.. Kennedy comfortably held a Mark Danks shot after the substitute cut in from the left before Matlock made two quick substitutions as Bettney and Joynes came on for Warne and Holmes.
Lukic produced a timely block from substitute Nick Wellecombe with the game in its final ten minutes. Then Matlock might have won it as Bettney won a right wing corner which he floated invitingly into the danger area. Joynes had a clear header which he put over the bar.
In a last spell of pressure from the hosts, Hednesford looked to win it at the first attempt but Kennedy held a Danks strike at full stretch and Yates cleared a Clements free kick struck from twenty yards with Jay Denny firing the loose ball way off target.
Matlock fought hard and were by no means negative in their approach. While Hednesford had more of the play after the interval, Matlock looked the more dangerous in the first half. A draw was a fair result.
MATLOCK TOWN: Jon Kennedy, Micky Harcourt, Oscar Radford, Liam King, Adam Yates, James Lukic, Kris Bowler, Steve Warne (Chris Bettney 77), Ian Holmes (Nathan Joynes 81), Gareth Davies, Ben Algar. Other subs: Tyeisse Nightingale, Kris Witcombe, Nick Buxton
REFEREE: C Dunn (Newcastle -under-Lyme) ATTENDANCE: 391 STAR MAN: Gareth Davies
