Matlock were punished for squandering two excellent first half chances, and then giving away a sloppy goal converted by ROB PELL eleven minutes into the second half to lose at home to a hard working but limited North Ferriby outfit at Causeway Lane last Saturday.
The barbecue summer had arrived at last with the game being played in bright, warm sunshine. Unfortunately it wasn't a sunshine performance from Matlock, particularly after they had gone behind. But had those two chances, or one of them, had been converted, it would, of course, have been a different story.
Matlock fielded the same starting eleven for the third successive game, which again meant no place for James Lukic, although Lukic reckoned his knee was now much better than it was.There was a change on the bench as Adam Yates replaced Ashley Foyle.
Ferriby won a first minute free kick which was taken quickly for Russell Fry to stride forward and shoot goalwards with Adam Sollitt pushing away the daisycutter and Pell then slicing well off target. Matlock won a free kick of their own in the 3rd minute with Cropper rising to head Danny Wood's floated delivery over the bar.
That first golden opportunity came in the 13th minute, with 13 certainly proving to be unlucky for Cropper. Played through by Scott Brough, the tall striker had only goalkeeper Steve Wilson to beat. The finish was disappointing as he sliced beyond Wilson's right hand post. "I think I got caught in two minds" he admoitted afterwards. "Do I blast it or do I place it? In the end I did neither."
Cropper was on the end of possibly Matlock's best move of the afternoon on 21 minutes. Steve Warne, Liam King and Brough were all involved before Wood's cross was headed well over by Cropper.
When Pell got the better of Mark Haran, Ryan Laight covered superbly. At this point, Matlock were down to ten men as Gareth Davies was having a head wound bandaged after being caught by a stray Ferriby elbow.
Sollitt saved comfortably when Gary Bradshaw found Fry whose shot was meat and drink for the former England non league international, but it had been Matlock's half and they ought to have been in front by one, if not two goals at the break. Just two minutes from half time came that second chance. Liam Chapman failed to cut out Wood's cross leaving Hannah free to turn but he blazed his six yard shot too high and the home crowd groaned in disbelief and regret.
King drove too high from twenty yards in Matlock's first move of note after half time, and that proved to be his last contribution as Jamie Jackson was introduced, presumably Mark Atkins was hoping that Jackson's pace would unlock the Ferriby door. Not for the first time though, Jackson was a big disappointment. He never got involved seriously enough to do what Atkins and the fans wanted. Such talent being wasted is a crying shame.
Ferriby won a 56th minute corner from which they won the game. Laight, struggling badly with a groin injury, didn't get the telling clearance he wanted and PELL looked lmost embarrassed as he guided the ball back past the surprised Sollitt and into the net.
Now Matlock needed to respond quickly and with vigour. Sadly they didn't. They seldom looked like finding a way back and now for the first time in the match, the visitors gained the upper hand. Two minutes after the goal Bradshaw fed the supporting Tom Matthews on the right who found substitute Colin Hunter and the former Harrogate Town and Ilkeston Town winger slid his shot wide.
Wilson was now having an easy time of it in the Ferriby goal, basking in the summer sun. The only time he was called into action was five minutes from time when he moved comfortably to catch a volley from Hannah, which Town's leading marksman from last season never really got hold of.
Fry curled a free kick a foot wide after Brough had been booked for taking out Simon Bird, this adding to the earlier caution for Wood on the stroke of half time and then Ferriby's Chris Bolder for pulling back Jackson late on.
The afternoon, which had turned out to be rather an anticlimax for the home faithful, ended with Sollitt saving well from Hunter, with Ferriby now in control.
Too many Gladiators were average at best in a flat display. Nobody really stood out although Davies in midfield worked hard. But Matlock need pace and width and perhaps the signing of former Chesterfield left sided player Ben Algar might go some way to resolving this problem.
MATLOCK TOWN: Sollitt, Brough, Featherstone (Riley 64), King (Jackson 54), Haran, Laight (Yates 67), Wood, Davies, Cropper, Hannah, Davies. Other subs: Cartwright, Buxton.
REFEREE: R W Martin--Sheffield. ATTENDANCE: 264. STAR MAN: Gareth Davies.
