There was twenty minutes of fun and games in the water at the Geoquip Stadium which revived memories of the old TV show Its A Knockout, but the abandonment was the right decision.

 

Torrential rain in the hours before kick off left the pitch absolutely sodden with pockets of water holding up the ball, making it a lottery for the players.

 

A positive for Matlock though came with the realisation that the hard graft on the drainage system during the summer at least gave the match a chance of going ahead, but, despite sustained forking by the Gladiators groundstaff, their efforts in the end proved to be in vain.

 

Matlock gave a debut to central defender Cameron Fearon, signed on work experience from Chesterfield, and in a much changed line up from that beaten at Whitby seven days earlier,there were recalls for Paul Riley, Dave McNicholas and surprisingly Steve Taylor. James Lukic missed out again with back trouble and Steve Circuit had to work.

 

The Gladiators were immediately on the attack and after a free kick had only been partially cleared, skipper for the day Ryan Laight's overhead attempt only slightly cleared the bar.

 

Kendal then broke at pace for Andy Richmond to draw both laughter and applause from the crowd as he slid fully six yards after nicking the ball away from Gareth Arnison.

 

Matlock won a corner which was cleared as they looked sprightly in attack, but this was cleared with Kendal themselves earning a flag kick from which Riley cleared off the line from Alex Taylor before Richmond saved Jon Forbes' follow up superbly.

 

The Gladiators drew first blood on 10 minutes when Laurence Hall, who admitted afterwards he was enjoying life out in the rain, was fouled by Tony Hallam twenty yards out. RILEY stepped up to strike a bullet like low shot past David Newnes.

 

Not for the first time the ball stopped dead and Kendal had a great chance to level but Richmond again was in top form as he beat away Arnison's low drive.

 

But the equaliser came in the 17th minute and again the weather played its part. McNicholas unluckily clipped Arnison to concede a stonewall spot kick which ARNISON himself converted.

 

Soon afterwards the officials had seen enough. It had been fun while it lasted but the risk of player injury was too great. The players and officials had rightly given it a go, but the abandonment was the only really sensible decision to have arrived at.

 

MATLOCK TOWN: Richmond, Laight, Riley, Ashley, Fearon, McNicholas, Webster, Donnelly-Jackson, Taylor, Hall, Caudwell. Subs: Pidcock, Francis, Kinsler

 

REFEREE: D Lawrence (Barnsley) ATTENDANCE: 165