Matlock Town 1-0 Shirebrook Town
Leading scorer Ross Hannah spared a frustrated audience the inconvenience of an extra half hour and edged Matlock uncomfortably into the final of the Derbyshire Senior Cup with a last gasp winner following a poor home performance.
Visiting Shirebrook, struggling towards the bottom of the Koolsport Northern Counties East League Premier Division, two rungs of the pyramid below Matlock, had given their all, and at times looked the better side.
But there were signs of them starting to tire and Matlock finished strongly to cruelly strike clinically and late, with virtually the last meaningful touch as the game which was well into the second minute of stoppage time.
Boss Mark Atkins kept his promise of fielding a strong side which included central defender Aden Flint, allowed to play by Alfreton following the Reds' exit from the competition, midfielder Asa Ingall and Hannah, who needed a full game in his locker ahead of a crowded fixture list.
In a low key start, the main talking point was Flint colliding with the metal fence at the Cricket End as he tried to head a long free kick back across goal. It looked a nasty knock but the defensive king pin was soon back on his feet, much to the relief of the home contingent.
The deadlock though could easily have been broken on 14 minutes whe Hannah was left with a clear run to goal down the middle, but whether it was ring-rustiness after his injury absence, the bobbly pitch, or both, the chance went begging as former Matlock goalkeeper Joel Armstrong whipped the ball off his toes.
But Matlock looked ill at ease and could not raise their game sufficiently to threaten Armstrong on a regular basis. A looping 20th minute header from Ingall was pushed over the bar by the goalkeeper who would not be called into serious action again until the spell of pressure leading to Matlock's match winner.
In fact it was Paul Pettinger who had more to do, starting in the 33rd minute when a half hit shot from the busy Nathan Watson fell conveniently for Callum Wilkinson who forced the home custodian to grasp his low on target effort. Then a couple of minutes from the interval, the experienced Jordan Johnson, who was dictating a lot of the central midfield play, was not tracked by any Gladiator and his thirty five yard cracker made Pettinger claw the ball to safety over the crossbar.
Having already lost full back Danny Wood to a hamstring strain in the 25th minute, Matlock had to withdraw Lee Featherstone through illness at the half way point which brought on Rob Lund. The former Grantham winger injected more pace and urgency down the left flank but sometimes a reluctance by Matlock to have a crack at goal by over elaboration, or a poor final pass meant that the Shirebrook defence were enjoying a comfortable evening.
Paul Riley caught the visitors sleeping when he swiftly regained possession after his own corner had been knocked away but his instant drive took another deflection for a corner which was sadly and poorly executed. Appeals foer a penalty when a Lund cross might have caught Shirebrook skipper Adam Yates on the arm were quickly waved away before Lund drove yards wide shortly afterwards.
But Shirebrook were gaining in confidence and when the hosts were guilty of allowing Wilkinson too much time and space to feed advancing midfielder Darren Bettison, fortunately the angle was too tight as the shot fell behind. Bettison quickly fired in another shot which Foyle headed out of harm's way when Matlock had again caused their own problems.
Having knocked the holders Belper out convincingly, 4-1 on the UniBond club's ground at the last stage, the underdogs sensed another upset but needed that extra quality to defeat Pettinger whose positioning was faultless to field efforts from Chris Rhodes and Mark Sherlock.
But Benger was now on for Matlock, having replaced the out of sorts Jamie Jackson and he was soon connecting with a far post ball by Lund to fire in a cross drive which was bundled clear inches from the goal.
That was the prelude to Matlock at last exerting some form of authority on the game. With four minutes left, Cropper found himself free down the centre and shot fairly early. Armstrong looked to have got a touch to it and would probably have been proud of the save but referee Sutton gave a goal kick. Then Armstrong did receive the credit he deserved when he beat out Benger's shot only for the striker to centre the rebound for Cropper to acrobatically knock wide with Hannah promisingly positioned just beyond him.
Extra time was beckoning, but as at Glossop in the quarter final, Matlock left the decisive strike kate, and at the best possible time. Plucky Shirebrook had no time at all to recover.
Benger again was at the hub of the move, crossing superbly into the heart of the danger area and this time HANNAH did not need a second invitation to crack home the winner from six yards to break Shirebrook hearts. The sense of relief in the home camp would be felt for miles.
Few Gladiators shone but Liam King's energy and industry in the engine room was pivotal in the win as he broke up play and got Matlock moving forward when he could.
In the end the win is all important, but it was scruffily done. Matlock face a crucial fortnight now in the UniBond League and League Cup and will need to return to the performance standards they set prior to the arrival of the wintry weather.
MATLOCK TOWN: Pettinger, Wood (Foyle 25), Riley, King, Flint, Laight, Jackson (Benger 65), Ingall, Cropper, Hannah, Featherstone (Lund 46). Other subs: Barraclough, Buxton.
REFEREE: M A Sutton -- Belper. ATTENDANCE: 227 STAR MAN: Liam King.
