Match Reports

Both sides were shorn of influential players but Marine adapted the better to record a comfortable victory in this top six clash at the Arriva Stadium on Saturday.

As expected, Simon Barraclough, Matty Caudwell and Ryan Davis were all out of the Gladiators line up so Jake Pidcock, who had a fine match against Stamford in midweek was given a rare start. Steve Taylor and Paul Riley had recovered from knocks and Dene Cropper returned on the bench after his three match ban.

Captain James Connolly and more significantly top striker Peter Cumiskey, who had scored against Matlock in each of the three times he had faced them, were out for the Mariners, but the hosts simply put this hammer blow behind them as their replacements put in a top drawer show.

Marine were a little too good for the Gladiators and were three goals ahead by the time Cropper replied late on.

The first chance went Marine's way on 8 minutes when Andy Richmond saved a Karl O'Donnell header on the line.

Town responded with an intelligent overhead effort from Laurence Hall which was fractionally too high and a well struck effort from Gary Webster which forced home custodian Andy Banks into a fine diving save.

Steve Hussey's long ranger was blocked after Matlock were slack in defence and it was similar poor defending that started their troubles soon afterwards.

An O'Donnell effort was deflected wide and from the 27th minute corner, no-one picked up central defender PHIL BRAZIER who ghosted in to power a header beyond Richmond.

Once again James Lukic was a collosus for the Gladiators and at times he appeared to try and take on Marine single handedly. Two minutes after the goal he found himself in a similar position to Brazier only for his header to flash narrowly wide. Then a forward pass from the skipper was a little too strong for Hall but the visitors problems multiplied when Marine doubled their advantage in the 32nd minute.

It was a delightfully constructed goal as Marine worked the ball intricately around the edge of the visitors penalty box, the move coming to a beautiful climax as Kevin Towey's slick back heel released DARREN BROOKFIELD to knock a low finish confidently past Richmond.

Lukic headed a teasing Wayne McDermott cross clear but the Gladiators might have been punished further when Pidcock was easily robbed just inside the Marine half and Freddie Potter's long pass sent Paul Woolcott clear but the Mariner blasted wide with only Richmond ahead of him. It was a sitter.

Towey knocked back a cross from Hussey for the off balance Brookfield to shoot off target before a poor half for Matlock ended when Lukic was booked for chirping at referee Unsworth.

Matlock had it all to do and they needed to be more clinical in and around the hosts penalty box if they were to make hay.

A promising move petered out in the 52nd minute when first Taylor, then Pidcock combined to feed Steve Circuit who had a shooting chance. But Circuit decided to pass out to the right and his delivery was found to be wanting as the ball drifted out for a throw.

Lukic worked hard again as a Webster cross flashed across the penalty box but Marine were looking to put the game to bed as a Brookfield centre was too high for Towey and Woolcott's ball in from the left was deflected out for a corner. A lee Parle drive was too high before Matlock introduced Cropper in place of Pidcock on the hour.

Lukic was again in the thick of the action pulling back a centre from the left and again there was nobody there to convert. Then a terrific header from him produced an equally brilliant save from Banks.

But Richmond then had to save well from O'Donnell before the match was put well out of Matlock's reach with a third goal in the 66th minute.

The Gladiators could only partially clear a corner as ADAM FARLEY was waiting some eighteen yards out to lift a measured shot into the top corner.

It was nearly four as Towey breached the offside trap to shoot against the top of the bar before Curtis Shaw replaced Glenn Kirkwood with Hall slotting into central defence.

Banks blocked from Taylor and Cropper was too high before Hall was caught in possession by O'Donnell who prodded wide of an empty net in what was an astonishing miss.

The one bright spot for the Gladiators came with just one minute remaining with CROPPER's first goal since his long lay off. Good work by Riley saw him feed the big striker who kept his composure to tee up his eighteen yard shot which convincingly beat Banks' dive.

But by then it was too little too late. The need to strengthen was again evident in the Gladiators performance. They battled hard but they are making crucial errors and don't look like keeping clean sheets at present.

MATLOCK TOWN: Richmond, Laight, Riley, Ashley, (Kinsler 80), Kirkwood (Shaw 69), Lukic, Webster, Circuit, Taylor, Hall, Pidcock (Cropper 60)