Matlock edged through to a plum home tie with Kidderminster Harriers thanks once again to assistant boss Mark Haran.
It was Haran's late leveller at Wincham Park that earned this delayed replay. This time the giant centre half, sent on as a target man, left it even later. With just two minutes of extra time left, Steve Warne kept his composure on the right to slide in a low cross which HARAN gleefully cracked into the roof of the net. It was that close to a penalty shoot out.
In fairness Matlock should not have allowed Albion a route back into a match which they twice led by two clear goals. But a combination of bad decision making in key areas, misplaced passes, tremendous fighting spirit from the visitors and a couple of excellent Witton goals, even after the visitors had been reduced to ten men following the dismissal of goalkeeper Joe Clegg on 55 minutes,made it a tense yet thrilling affair.
Matlock were without both goalkeeper Adam Sollitt and striker Dene Cropper, both stretchered off at Witton ten days ago. Nick Buxton was between the posts with Nathan Benger in for Cropper. Another change saw Ben Algar replace Darren Cartwright while Simon Sturdy was passed fit. THe bench included two under 19 stars in Josh Wain and Stephen Atkinson.
The opening exchanges were tame in relation to what wasa to follow later. Albion captain Carl Ruffer nodded an early corner gently wide before at the other end, Benger fired past a post after being neatly set up by Warne. Shortly afterwards Clegg managed to fingertip a daisycutter from Benger behind.
HANNAH opened the scoring on 25 minutes when full back Lewis Craig and Clegg both lost concentration. It would be a costly error as the alert Hannah speedily left them trailing on the edge of the box to shoot low and precisely into the far corner. Hannah broke clear again only to be thwarted by a late offside flag.
Referee Sarah Garratt was to have a busy night and she was quick to clamp down on a poor challenge by Ryan Broadhead on Liam King with a yellow card. She got the vast majority of the key decisions right in what was to be a full blooded contest.
Algar drove wide from long range, Gareth Davies was cautioned for a foul on Peter Heler and Witton stalwart Brian Pritchard headed a corner straight at Buxton before Matlock got what looked to be a killer second goal on the stroke of half time.
ALGAR was giving Craig a torrid time and again he left him and Ruffer trailing as he jinked his way into the box before stroking confidently into the same part of the net as Hannah had done earlier.
With a two goal lead, Matlock knew the next strike could be crucial. Albion looked hungry to cut the deficit and they had a Jamie Tandy header ruled out after the former Manchester City schemer had pushed Adam Yates. This came after a scramble in the Town box which was well cleared up by Lee Featherstone.
But when Matlock failed to clear their lines effectively on 53 minutes, BRAD MAYLETT's hugely deflected shot from the edge of the box deceived Buxton and nestled in the corner.
Two minutes later came another twist which really should have secured a Matlock victory. Hannah ran clear of the Albion defence only to be brought down by Clegg. There was no argument about the foul or Clegg's subsequent red card. Albion argued that the offence was inches outside the box but Ms Garratt pointed to the spot.
Pritchard took over the gloves and although he got something on HANNAH's fiercely driven spot kick, he was unable to stop Matlock from restoring their two goal advantage.
Surely now the game was over. But most punters were proved wrong as to their great credit, Witton came storming forward to produce a magnificent fightback, and for a spell looked like winning.
Lee Neville was a touch fortunate to only receive a yellow card for a two footed lunge on King, with Pritchard joining him in Ms Garratt's little black book for dissent.
King drove high and wide but the tide was fast turning and when the impressive Tandy again broke free on the right his pin point cross found STEVE FOSTER who beat Buxton with a magnificently executed 67th minute 16 yard header.
Then Witton broke swiftly after a Matlock corner had been cleared and only a last ditch well timed interception by Yates at the expense of a corner stopped substitute Mike Moseley who looked to be through on goal.
But Witton's perseverance and pressure told with twenty minutes remaining as they levelled with an out of this world 35 yard strike from PETER HELER which flew past Buxton's right shoulder and into the top corner.
Now amazingly the UniBond First Division South promotion chasers looked favourites to complete an astonishing fightback. Matlock steadied the ship with Lee Featherstone in a more forward role since the 69th minute substitution of Algar for Brough, shot weakly at Pritchard when he should probably have burst the net. Benger cut in but Pritchard again was well placed to hold a more venemous effort, before with three minutes of the ninety left, Benger finished off a low centre from Warne only to have his "goal" chalked off for offside.
Cartwright replaced Featherstone straight away but it was extra time on an increasingly heavy surface in blustery rain.
Matlock dominated much of the extra thirty minutes, missing a succession of good chances against a tiring Witton side who had given their all to force a later finish.Hannah had a shot blocked after a free kick on the right was tapped to him before came the final two yellow cards of the night for fouls by Cartwright and Albion's Stuart Rudd.
The difference came when Haran was thrown up front. Almost immediately he nodded down a Cartwright cross for Warne whose goalbound drive was deflected brilliantly wide by Neville. Sturdy blasted too high and Haran touched a deflected Cartwright cross narrowly wide.
Then in the second period, Warne lifted his shot inches too high when superbly placed, Pritchard blocked from King and then Benger and Haran's finish lacked power.
But Matlock's salvation came when Benger and Warne combined sweetly on the right for the latter to squeeze a lovely pass to HARAN who buried the chance with aplomb in front of ecstatic home support at the Town End.
Even then hearts were in Matlock mouths when Maylett's curling free kick brought a vital flying save from Buxton with Matlock clearing the flag kick.
It had been an epic 120 minutes with the losers playing their full part.They would have travelled home reflecting that they had given the Gladiators quite a fight, and a big fright!
Matlock's performance was patchy, sometimes great, sometimes sloppy, but the result was all that mattered at the end of the day.
MATLOCK TOWN: Nick Buxton, Adam Yates, Lee Featherstone (Darren Cartwright 88), Liam King, Simon Sturdy, James Lukic, Gareth Davies (Mark Haran 100), Steve Warne, Nathan Benger, Ross Hannah, Ben Algar (Scott Brough 69). Other subs: Josh Wain, Stephen Atkinson.
REFEREE: Ms S Garratt--Halesowen. ATTENDANCE: 256 STAR MAN: Steve Warne.
