A lengthening injury list is doing nothing for joint Matlock Town boss Gareth Williams' peace of mind, but at least there was some welcome relief in a tremendous Gladiators performance against unbeaten Guiseley at Causeway Lane on Tuesday night.
After narrowly losing 2-1 in a sterile match at Marine on Saturday, a severely depleted Matlock held the high flying Leeds outfit to a 2-2 draw and might even have won it.
The need for cover in central defence was again highlighted as Matlock took to the field without a recognised central defender. Ryan Laight was suspended, Ashley Foyle's knee trouble is likely to require surgery, while to add to their problems their was the last minute withdrawal of Ryan Davis, who had been deputising for Foyle. The former Sheffield Wednesday and Worksop Town stopper suffered whiplash injuries after being involved in an accident on the way to the game.
As things turned out, full back Lee Featherstone was Matlock's sole out and out defender on show and he even had to fill in at the centre alongside midfielder Liam King, with two more midfielders, Matty Thorpe and Matty Caudwell playing in the full back positions.
"It was a tremendous performance from all the lads and they were really all buzzing in the dressing room afterwards" remarked Williams. "Guiseley are a good side and it would have been a difficult game for us even if we'd been at full strength. It was backs against the wall for us before kick off but we came out fighting and battling and for some reason we tend to play well in these sorts of circumstances. Maybe in a strange sort of way it was because the pressure was off the lads. On chances we probably even deserved all three points but overall the final result was I suppose a fair reflection on the night's play."
Williams agreed that picking a man of the match was nearly impossible following an excellent team performance,
"It's so difficult to choose anybody. Lee Featherstone and Liam King were both very impressive although admittedly we were very disappointed to concede the first equaliser when their lad had a free header, We were shouting from the touchline, "Watch the five" but we never picked him up. But Kingy's played there before and he looked a natural and while he's not the biggest, he reads the game very well. Lee Featherstone's been getting better and better and he too had a really good strong game. Dene Cropper was immense and totally deserved his two goals. We want him to play like that in every game for when he's in that kind of mood, he's a real handful. Their second equaliser was just one of those things as we charged the ball down like we want players to but it just struck the lad on the ankle and that was that. Maybe we could have lost the game after that but the heads didn't go down, we remained strong and finished the better. All in all it was a good all round team performance."
A big bonus for Williams and managerial partner Phil Brown was the performance of young Shaun Pendleton who was thrown into the arena when Nathan Benger was forced off at half time. Pendleton has been starring in the Gladiators reserve side having been at Rotherham, and he can be proud of his first appearance in Matlock colours.
"He looked a very accomplished player and he did very, very well. We're chuffed for him and it's fair to say that his performance will put him in the frame for selection at the weekend."
The Gladiators defensive problems are likely to ease somewhat at Ossett Town on Saturday with Ryan Laight returning. Matlock are still busy trying to recruit a new central defender but that probably won't be in time for Saturday.
Ossett did the league double over the Gladiators last term and their 3-1 defeat at Ingfield last March was considered their worst performance of the season, save perhaps for the 5-1 New Years Day mauling at Buxton.
"We were awful up there last season so we want to redress the balance" Williams continued. "But we know we face a hard game. Despite their current low position, they're not a bad side, they work hard and put in a decent shift".
Whilst wanting to improve on a pretty poor away record that has seen them win just once (at Worksop in September) on their travels since a 2-0 victory at Lincoln United on November 17, Williams issued a word of caution.
"It would be nice to get another good away result and the Guiseley performance will hopefully put us in good stead. But, and we say this a lot I know, we've got a lot of young lads and I worry a bit about Saturday in the respect of what the Guiseley performance has taken out of them. They put in a hell of a lot of effort so we need to be mindful of what it might have taken out of them, so Thursday will see us train for half an hour or so and then go swimming to try and ease one or two aches and pains they might have."
Matlock will hope that Nathan Benger, who turned an ankle just before half time on Tuesday, will have recovered sufficently to feature, but most likely missing along with Foyle are Jamie Jackson, who collected an ankle injury while setting up Matlock's equaliser at Marine and Davis, who was thankfully only shaken to add to the whiplash he suffered in the crash. Striker Ross Hannah serves the last of his three match ban.
In form North Ferriby United are visitors to Causeway Lane on Tuesday. The Hull side have had two excellent victories in the last week, 2-0 at Hednesford on Saturday before thumping Worksop Town 5-0 at home on Tuesday.
"They're flying and will come here very confident" said Williams. "But we know what we're capable of and we need to reproduce the Guiseley performance on a more consistent basis."
Williams blamed a lack of concentration in defence for the Marine defeat.
Not for the first time this season, Matlock gave away cheap goals.
"On the balance of the play we deserved something from the game but as usual we switched off defensively at crucial times. It's not meant to sound like sour grapes to say we were unlucky, but the goals we gave away weree soft and had we converted just a couple of chances, we would have got at least a well earned draw."
Williams also revealed that left back or winger Paul Riley is hopeful of a return to training inside a couple of weeks while another new name on the bench on Tuesday, Michael Norbury (no relation to the former Matlock striker of the same name) has played for a local side in the Dinnington area as well as the Gladiators Reserves.
Matlock's Match Sponsor for the Guiseley game, Stuart Chambers, is urging Matllock fans to back his son in the current Strictly Come Dancing competition. Stuart, from local accountants Chambers, Cope and Partners, is fervently hoping that his son Tom, who is also starring in the current series of Holby City, can progress and go on and win the competition.
"We thoroughly enjoyed the Guiseley game and thought that Matlock played very well. I'm sure that Tom would appreciate all your votes throughout bthe series" said Stuart.
Meanwhile Matlock at last know their opponents in the FA Trophy First Qualifying Round on Saturday week. Chorley and Warrington Town, both from the UniBond First Division North, played out a goalless draw at Victory Park last weekend, but it was Warrington who emerged victorious by a 3-0 margin in Tuesday night's replay at the Cheshire club's Cantilever Park headquarters.
