Matlock Town 5-0 Leigh Genesis
In the end Matlock won this must win game at a canter against a side who could become the division's whipping boys in the months ahead.
A brace from Nathan Benger plus strikes from Jamie Jackson, Aden Flint and Dene Cropper gave the Gladiators a handsome victory, but an uncertain start from the Gladiators might have been costly against a better side.
But the points were Matlock's, a result which takes the Gladiators off the foot of the table and up to fourth bottom with Leigh taking over the 22nd position.
Jackson, Cropper and Paul Riley, all injury doubts before the kick off, were passed fit to play so it was back to the line up which drew impressively and should have won up at Kendal seven days earlier after the plethora of enforced changes made for the Derbyshire Senior Cup victory at Glossop in midweek.
Manager Mark Atkins was seeking his first league win with Matlock, and the Gladiators, looking for their first three point haul in the league at the thirteenth attempt.
The early signs though, were not encouraging from the Matlock viewpoint. Atkins likes his team to get in the opposition's faces from the off, but it was the youthful Leigh outfit who looked the more likely to break the deadlock early on.
In all Leigh forced four corners in the opening fifteen minutes. Goalkeeper Paul Pettinger was nearly marking his debut by conceding a quick goal when he appeared not to cover a Phil Marsh shot but Matlock cleared the danger, albeit a touch unconvincingly. Marsh then turned well to shoot straight at Pettinger and after Nick Lindford had sliced wide, the goalkeeper then got down well to keep out a Steve Settle drive after a speedy break by Alex Cunliffe.
In that opening spell, Matlock firced a corner of their own when Jackson and captain Steve Warne released Cropper whose shot was deflected wide.
What a difference a goal makes though and JAMIE JACKSON's 20th minute opener came as a relief to everyone. Matlock were at last starting to assert themselves on the game and after forcing a corner, Lee Featherstone's shot was charged down and Jackson was ideally placed to stroke a ten yarder past goalkeeper Danny Morton.
Jackson, although not 100% fit, showed his lightening pace to skip around Kris King to cross to the near post where Cropper flicked narrowly wide.
But the lead was doubled in the 28th minute when Morton pulled off a superb save from Featherstone's header but his fellow defenders did not carry on his good work and they allowed FLINT to force the ball home from absolutely point blank range.
Now, barring any unbelievable disaster, the points would be Matlock's and so it proved. The five goal margin could so easily have bee doubled.
Benger might have been celebrating a hat trick. He would have been kicking himself for completely missing a flicked header from Warne's excellent cross on 32 minutes in a fine flowing Matlock move. Flint's header was then cleared off the line and Jackson shot wide. Leigh's defenders fell out with each other prompting referee Ian Dudley to speak to skipper Chris Page and colleague Ben McHugh.
A third Matlock goal was not far away though and it came in the 37th minute when Morton did exceptionally well to beat away a well struck Jackson effort, but then undid this great work as BENGER turned and fired in a gentle shot which Morton allowed to slither beneath him.
But Morton soon redeemed himself with a flying save from a Danny Wood free kick which kept Matlock's interval lead at three-nil.
Atkins sensibly withdrew Jackson to prevent any recurrence of his hamstring injury with Ashley Foyle coming on at full back and Wood being pushed on to the right of midfield.
Benger's speculative long range attempt was comfortably held by Morton after fine work from Wood but within five minutes of the restart, the lead was extended as Benger helped on a Riley cross and CROPPER superbly drove beyond Morton.
That was Cropper's last contribution as Simon Barraclough came on. Leigh looked decent going forward and were not afraid to try their luck but Chris McAughtrie was twice off target.
Defensively though, the Lancastrians were at best naive, and at worst, awful. Liam King might have scored when Matlock broke with three attackers against one defender and Barraclough then set up Benger who was foiled by an excellent stop from Morton.
But on 63 minutes the Barraclough / Benger combination bore fruit as a slide rule through pass from the substitute saw BENGER, calm as you like, slip ma clinical shot past the unprotected Morton to complete the Gladiators nap hand.
Marsh was within a whisker of reducing the deficit with a fiercely driven 25 yarder whistling narrowly past Pettinger's left hand upright, but Benger came close again to a hat trick, heading wide from a probing run and cross by Riley.
Matty Caudwell then came on for Riley in the Gladiators last change as Atkins had wisely got what he wanted from his doubtful trio.
It was now a matter of how many Matlock would score but they were forced to stick at five as they failed to make the lost of many promising openings, two of which saw Morton dive at Benger's feet in a desperate last ditch save and Warne shoot directly at Morton in another three versus one situation in Town's favour.
It was Leigh who probably came closest to a goal late on as Alex Cunliffe's searing free kick struck the outside of a post.
There are a clutch of contenders for the ranking as top Gladiator. Aden Flint was awesome at both ends of the field, Liam King and Danny Wood were busy and energetic while Nathan Benger netted a double and should have had more. But Steve Warne covered every inch of the Causeway Lane turf to just shade the award in his favour.
Now Matlock have that long awaited league victory they must now build upon it but the UniBond League's Fixture Secretary has done them no favours. As things currently stand, it will be Valentine's Day and a home derby with Ilkeston before they can try to do just that.
MATLOCK TOWN: Pettinger, Wood, Featherstone, King, Flint, Laight, Jackson (Foyle 46), Warne, Cropper (Barraclough 52), Benger, Riley (Caudwell 66). Other subs: Thorpe, Richmond.
REFEREE: I A Dudley--Mansfield ATTENDANCE: 302 STAR MAN: Steve Warne.
