Opportunity knocks for Matlock Town this week as they aim to banish any lingering relegation worries.

 

Usually tenth spot with a tally of 37 points from 30 games would mean that they would be comfortably lodged in mid table and perhaps challenging for a top eight spot. And while the second part of this scenario remains a possibility if they can find a consistent set of results, the  comfortable mid table position is not quite as clear cut.

 

The UniBond League Premier Division table is congested from eighth placed Hednesford Town to bottom markers Lincoln United. Just a meagre twelve points separate the two clubs and while it is exciting for the fans, there will be some nervous moments ahead for managers and players alike in the quest to avoid the bottom three and relegation.

 

 Matlock should have enough class and points on board to avoid any nasty alarms but joint boss Phil Brown is well aware of the importance of this weekend's trip to Ossett Town, with the Yorkshire side having endured a worse recent run than the Gladiators, and then Tuesday's home meeting with Kendal Town.

 

"They're two massive games and no doubt both Ossett and Kendal will have the same opinion. Ossett lost a lot of their players when their manager went to Guiseley and it disrupted things for them, so in many ways they've suffered like we have with players leaving and being out. It'll be a tough game up there and we expect an equally hard game against Kendal. But there's a good opportunity for us to get the results we need.   The league table makes strange reading and I've never known a table like it.We have some very good players at the club but its a matter now of getting those wins and picking up as many points as soon as we can so we're not messing about for points in April. We want to have a good end to the season so we can start preparing in earnest for next year. It would be nice to get the points we need and then it'll give us a chance to look at players and different options".

Ossett are without a league win since beating Whitby Town on December 29, a run stretching back ten games in which they have collected only three points. But they can be dangerous opponents on a sloping uneven pitch, and they will be keen to gain a league double over the Gladiators, having won by a single Carl Fothergill goal at the Geoquip Stadium in October.

 

Tuesday sees the first meeting of the season between Matlock and Kendal and the hosts will be hoping for a repeat of last season's results against the Lake District side when both league games ended in 5-1 wins for the Gladiators. The teams did face each other on a sodden Geoquip Stadium surface in December but the match was abandoned after just twenty minutes with the score at 1-1standing water made football impossible.

 

Matlock wasted a great chance to ease their position considerably when they made the short trip to Ilkeston's New Manor Ground last weekend. But after dominating most of the first half they found themselves behind to a 40th minute Adam Muller goal at the break. They responded well in the early stages of the second half as Simon Barraclough equalised from close range before a header from Laurence Hall put them in front just before the hour mark. But instead of pushing on against a Robins side looking low on confidence, they retreated into their shell and allowed the hosts a way back into the game. Ilkeston played with three experienced forwards after bringing on both Martin Carruthers and Gavin Knight alongside Muller and two splendid finishes from Knight, combined with some poor defending from Matlock, saw Ilkeston gain three priceless points to aid their fight against the drop.

 

Brown remarked afterwards that Matlock had "snatched defeat from the jaws of victory", and his view remained unaltered when he reflected on the game in midweek.

 

"It was very disappointing. It could have been all over by half time but they scored against the run of the play when we'd been easily the better side. Their assistant manager said that our two forwards (Laurence Hall and Simon Barraclough) had murdered them in the first half, but we had nothing to show for our efforts. The lads did well to battle back and take a 2-1 lead."

 

He agreed that had Matlock continued to push Ilkeston back, the result may have been different.

 

"Subconsciously the lads probably were thinking about the importance of the result and dropped back a bit" he admitted. "We tried to drive them forward. Ilkeston put three up, with some experience and we paid the price for some defensive errors. We missed James Lukic in there and also Cameron Fearon who was ill. Cameron had done very well at right back and Paul Riley coming off after an hour didn't help our cause, for in the previous two games we'd kept clean sheets and looked good defensively. It seems that this season we can't keep the same side as we're being forced to swap and change all the time with some people playing with injuries. We have to decide whether to leave them out or keep them in."

 

Lukic will be back in the Gladiators line up at Ossett after a one match suspension and Riley should also be fit. There is also encouraging news about winger Matty Caudwell who was carried off with suspected medial ligament and ankle damage in the home win over Eastwood Town a fortnight ago.

 

"There was a chance that he might have played last Saturday but we didn't want to risk losing him for more games if things didn't work out, but we reckon he could be ready for Saturday. But Nathan Benger injured his ankle at Ilkeston and we'll have to see how it heals this week" Brown explained.

 

Last Saturday's games and those in midweek certainly spiced up the battle to avoid the bottom three. Lincoln picked up a second successive win with a 2-0 home verdict against Kendal, while Whitby were 1-0 home victors against Hednesford, before drawing 3-3 at Leek on Tuesday. Frickley picked up two 1-1 draws at home to Stamford and away at Guiseley to continue their recent unbeaten run. Ashton drew at home to Guiseley while North Ferriby United and Prescot Cables provided the biggest shocks. Ferriby won 2-0 at Buxton in midweek and Cables defeated runaway league leaders Witton Albion 1-0 at Valerie Park three days earlier.

 

And there's more interesting fixtures in the next few days. As well as Matlock's trip to Ossett on Saturday, Ilkeston are at Kendal, Ashton entertain North Ferriby, Leek visit Witton, while Lincoln face a difficult game at Marine and Whitby host Fleetwood. Then alongside Matlock v Kendal on Tuesday, Frickley are at home to Worksop, Leek welcome Guiseley to their Harrison Park headquarters and Stamford entertain Eastwood Town.

 

Matlock's aim must be six points from the Ossett and Kendal games which would take them on to 43 points and a significant leap away from the danger zone.

 

Meanwhile the Gladiators say that around 100 children took advantage of the free tickets on offer for the recent home game with Eastwood Town which saw a 445 attendance at the Geoquip Stadium. And Matlock plan to repeat the offer before the season's end and in 2008/2009.

 

"It was great to see youngsters there with their mums and dads and grandparents and one family who haven't been down for quite a while said how much they  enjoyed themselves and will come again" said Gladiators Vice Chairman Tom Wright. "And of course we hope that the lads can continue winning for them on future visits."