Matlock Town joint boss Gareth Williams has apologised to fans for the Gladiators' horror show at Buxton and revealed that players who don't give 100 per cent for the club "will be out of the door". The 5-1 derby defeat at Silverlands on New Year’s Day completed a Christmas fixture period which saw Matlock take just two points from a possible nine, and extended their winless run to seven games in league and cup.

Williams was brutal in his assessment.

“We were embarrassed by the performance and attitude from some of the players. Not all of them, there were still two or three who gave 100 per cent,”

“These games over the Christmas period sometimes give out funny results, but I’m going to say this: from the management and the players I would like to say a massive sorry to the fans who bothered travelling on Tuesday.

“We understand that was not acceptable for the club.”

“I could not get a wink of sleep thinking about that game,” he said.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever had to worry about a performance like that in four years.”

A clearly angry Williams had some ominous words for some of the playing staff.

“We always get the same performance from four or five players and we know we are going to get that.

“But for the rest of them, and they know who they are, they will be out of the door.

”For the standards we have set at this club over the last four years that is not acceptable.”

Williams revealed he and fellow joint-boss Phil Brown kept the players in the changing rooms for a “long chat” about “exactly what is needed at this club” after the game.

He said the Gladiators couldn’t use the loss of key players from last year’s squad as any excuse any more and added that the club needed to “move on and get results.”

“We always thought this season would be tough, but after the start we had the chances were that we could make the play-offs again, and we still might,” Williams said.

“But some of the players have maybe taken advantage of the relaxed attitude at the club.

“We don’t rule through fear, that’s not how we do it because otherwise some players go into their shell, and it has worked over the last three years.”

Williams added: “We know the ones we want to keep, but over the next few weeks you will be seeing a lot of movement in and out of this club.”

The club still has seven days notice in on “a couple of players”, Williams confirmed.

However, no new faces are expected to be in the squad on Saturday when Matlock host Kendal Town at the Geoquip Stadium as the two sides replay the league encounter that was abandoned on December 8 after torrential rain rendered the pitch unplayable after 20 minutes with the score at 1-1.

Ryan Davis may return, while Steve Taylor is not likely to make his comeback until the trip to Worksop seven days later.

Worryingly, Williams and Brown still do not know when striker Dene Cropper is likely to return from his latest knee injury woes.

Fears that he had damaged his cruciate ligament once again appear to have lifted, but the exact diagnosis remains unclear.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom over the festive period, however.

Williams felt the display at home to Leek on Saturday was more palatable.

“I thought we were getting back to our old self a bit, a bit more what we are about,” he said.
”I thought we were more or less cheated out of three points that day because of the nature of the penalty, which was never a penalty, then a couple of decisions going against us, such as the sending off, when he (Cameron Fearon) should never have got a first yellow card.

“But we came on strong with ten men, so we were pleased with that.”

As Matlock look to reignite those play-off hopes, Williams gave fans his word that they shouldn’t have to endure a repeat of Tuesday’s display.

“Obviously, we’ll be working hard in training and there definitely won’t be a lack of trying in the next game,” he said.