A seaside double header at Whitby starts off a vital final couple of months as his Matlock side hunt glory in two cup competitions and fight to preserve their Premier Division status.
They face two trips to the Turnbull Ground in three days beginning with a "six pointer" clash in the league on Saturday before heading to the Yorkshire coast again on Tuesday evening as they aim to reach the last four of the UniBond League Challenge Cup.
With their place in the Derbyshire Senior Cup final against league rivals Buxton assured following Tuesday night's semi finals which saw Matlock edge unconvincingly past Shirebrook thanks to Ross Hannah's last gasp goal and Buxton beat Mickleover Sports at the Silverlands by the same margin, Matlock boss Mark Atkins says that the Senior Cup Final has to be put aside for now as the Gladiators need to pick up some league victories and try and progress further in the League Cup.
With crucial away games at Boston United and Witton Albion following the Whitby visits Atkins stressed the relevance of the league matches.
"We've got to leave the final now and put it on the back burner. The league games are important for us now and we've got three on the trot aay from home and they're vital and we'll go into them hoping for wins. We need to take one ame at a time though and we need to be focussed on coming home from Whitby with all three points. Whitby score quite a few goals but also they concede quite a few so we'll be going there in a positive frame of mind with a view to getting the three points."Our way is to go and have a go and try ad get the three points."
Matlock will be seeking their first league double of the season after their 2-0 home win agaist the Seasiders back in August. Hannah scored both of Matlock's goals that day and Atkins clearly feels he is crucial in Matlock's survival attempts and bid for cup glory.
He played for the last third of Matlock's 1-1 home draw with Ilkeston on Saturday and then was named in the starting line up against Shirebrook.
Ross needed a full game and the Shirebrook game was the ideal opportunity to give him just that. We left out Nathan Benger who really needed a rest after playing really well and then the two of them combine for the winner when Ross came up trumps again so I'm delighted for Ross and hope that he can have an injury free run now. He's got pace and knows where the back of the net is, two extremely important assets which we hope will put us in good stead in the weeks ahead."
The Gladiators have not recovered the fluent form shown just before the bad weather arrived but the Ilkeston draw and the Shirebrook victory has extended their undefeated run in league and cup to ten matches. Atkins though knows his side can and must play better than they have in the last week.
"The cohesion's not been there as the bad weather meant we had to miss some training and I suppose we've had an injury or two but that's not really an excuse for the lack of desire and the lack of effort which was generally the case against Shirebrook."
"Shirebrook played very well and all credit to them but we did the opposite to what I'd impressed upon the players in the dessing room before the game. We let them play and didn't press on them and that for me is not just disappointing, it's not good enough."
He was slightly more satisfied with the showing against Ilkeston last weekend when after taking an early lead through former Robin Lee Featherstone, the Gladiators were pegged back by a fortuitious Ilkeston equaliser from Lee Thompson's cross which hit the back post and went inreight minutes from half time . Then Matlock had to withstand heavy second half Ilkeston pressure to earn their point.
"I was pleased with the endeavour and workrate on Saturday but disappointed with our play as we couldn't keep the ball in the second half. Ilkeston though are a good side so we have to give ourselves credit for hanging on in there."
Only five of the games in the unbeaten run were in the league and four of them have ended all square with the sole victory coming against Leigh Genesis. With Matlock in third bottom place, three points behind Whitby having played a game more, the Gladiators could do with the victory on Saturday which would see them overtake the Yorkshire side. And with Boston hosting Witton, and Buxton at home to Frickley, other teams in the relegation scrap are certain to drop points, and with Worksop having a tough asignment at Ilkeston, Prescot hosting in form Bradford Park Avenue with the Cables still to win in the league on a Saturday, and Leigh Genesis also facing a hard match at Guiseley, despite an excellent and unexpected 4-2 win at FC United of Manchester last weekend, there is reason to believe that a Matlock victory will do the Gladiators a world of good in the battle for survival.
Matlock remain hopeful that captain Steve Warne will be fit again after a back injury picked up in training saw him miss the Ilkeston and Shirebrook games. Atkins says it will be "touch and go" for his skipper and Danny Wood, who came off with hamstring trouble in midweek is "doubtful". But the manager expects everyone else to be in the frame for selection, including Ashley Foyle who picked up a calf strain on Saturday before returning as a substitute for Wood on Tuesday, Lee Featherstone who felt ill at half time in midweek, and Hannah, who will be buoyed by his last minute goal.
Meanwhile Atkins paid tribute to club official Dave Reynolds and his band of helpers who worked non stop to get the pitch fit for both games this week. And their efforts also drew praise from Belper referee Mark Sutton who was in the middle on Saturday and Tuesday night.
Atkins said "Dave and the lads have done a tremendous job in getting the pitch ready so we could play both games particularly as at this time last week there were several inches of snow on it. They all deserve a huge pat on the back."
Sutton could not believe how the previously notoriously wet Causeway Lane surface, which has undergone major drainage improvements over the last twelve months, had recovered so well since the Ilkeston game when he carried out his pre match assessment on Tuesday.
"When I left on Saturday night and saw the mess it was in, I didn't give it a prayer for being right on Tuesday but it actually looked in better condition so the groundstaff deserve enormous credit for what is a thankless task" said Sutton.
Stef Frost, who suffered a badly broken leg against Buxton on Good Friday last year, looks to be well on his way back to playing again. The midfielder, who was on loan to Matlock from Notts County, was set to play for Mansfield Town reserves at Nottingham Forest on Tuesday afternoon, with the chance to impress Stags new boss David Holdsworth.
