At 2-0 down with a little over two minutes of the regulatory ninety remaining, an out of sorts Matlock looked dead and buried.
But a late, late show, marred by what looked like a serious injury to Darren Cartwright, later diagnosed to be less serious, stretched the Gladiators unbeaten home league run to ten games.
In a match which started with that end of season feel to it, there was certainly plenty of talking points and controversy. But as boss Mark Atkins pointed out afterwards, had Matlock played anything like they had been performing in recent games, they would have won the match comfortably.
A stale game was first ignited when sloppy Matlock defending led to Steels taking a 28th minute lead. Richard Tracey, who had a loan spell at Causeway Lane twelve years ago, found space on the left to drill a cross shot past Adam Sollitt.
From this point on there was plenty to discuss.
Mark Haran headed narrowly too high after a spell of pressure before there were two red cards issued by Mansfield official Mark Jones when Ross Hannah was pulled back when clear on goal. Culprit Rob Tonks was the first to go on 38 minutes, quickly followed by unused substitute Mark Ward for abusing the officials over the decision. The saving grace for Stocksbridge was that the offence was just outside the penalty box and Danny Wood's tame feree kick was easily cleared by the defensive wall.
Matlock's hopes of a stirring start to the second half were hit within three minutes when Haran tangled with Andy Ring and Mr Jones awarded a spot kick and equalled the player count by dismissing the Gladiators centre half. After a minute's delay RING comfortably beat Sollitt from twelve yards and Matlock had it all to do.
Atkins made a positive mood in bringing on Dene Cropper and Nathan Benger for Lee Featherstone and Nathan Joynes and they certainly peeped up the Gladiators attack.
Within a couple of minutes Benger had planted a header from a corner narrowly over the bar and Hannah blasted inches wide.
Matlock pummelled Stocksbridge for a long spell. Steels goalkeeper Ben Scott pulled off a great save from a Hannah piledriver and from the second of two quick corners taken by Danny Wood, another Benger header dropped a matter of inches wide.
Irritable midfielder Tom Claisse was booked for a bad foul on Wood and was then fortunate to stay on the field when he dragged his studs down the back of Wood in the 64th minute. Strangely the official cautioned Brett Lovell, eight inches taller and a good deal more sturdy than Claisse in a bizarre move. wood would play no further part and Cartwright was on for his first appearance since his car crash three weeks earlier.
In between the fouls on Wood, it looked as if Matlock's luck was right out as Hannah shook the bar with another fierce crack from outside the box.
Scott denied Hannah agin this time from a free kick as it was mostly one way traffic towards the Steels goal. A succession of corners came to nothing.
In a rare Steels break, Alex Callery fired weakly at Sollitt.
Just when it looked as if Stocksbridge had weathered the storm, Steve Warne found room on the right and looked up to feed the unmarked CROPPER who could not miss from six yards. The big centre forward prodded the ball home for what looked like being just a consolation goal. Scott was booked for throwing his cap to the ground.
Two minutes into stoppage time Callery tracked back to fell Cartwright from behind. Callery was correctly booked, but that seemed immaterial as Cartwright was screaming in pain. An ambulance was called and there would be a late finish.
James Lukic, already having had words with Claisse following his two earlier fouls, had to be restrained from taking out his own form of punishment on the midfielder who infuriated the crowd by appearing to find Cartwright's agony as a joke.
Fortunately the ambulance arrived within a couple of minutes and Cartwright was transported to Chesterfield Royal Hospital with a suspected broken ankle.
Matlock looked a galvanised outfit as they stormed forward. Hannah twice went close but LUKIC was the Gladiators saviour. In the 101st minute, Ben Algar, probably Matlock's most consistent performer in a generally below par display, fired a free kick low into the Steels six yard box. Scott could not hold it and Lukic and Cropper were both waiting to pounce. Lukic made the vital contact to crack in the loose ball to complete the recovery, which could have been a better one had Hannah's late shots gone in.
Better news came later on Saturday night as Cartwright was discharged from hospital with no broken bones, just a bad sprain.
Matlock's squad looks paper thin now as Wood could be out for the rest of the campaign as well as Cartwright, and Scott Brough had to sit out the Steels game through injury.
The plus points came from the character Matlock showed to fight their way back into a game which looked very much lost.
MATLOCK TOWN: Adam Sollitt, Adam Yates, Lee Featherstone (Nathan Benger 51), Liam King, Mark Haran, James Lukic, Danny Wood (Darren Cartwright 64), Steve Warne, Nathan Joynes (Dene Cropper 51), Ross Hannah, Ben Algar. Other subs: Jordan Hall, Nick Buxton.
REFEREE: Mark Jones--Mansfield. ATTENDANCE: 312. STAR MAN: Ben Algar
