Manager Mark Atkins added to a squad which he says is "low on numbers" with the one month loan signing of Alfreton Town midfielder Jordan Hall on Monday night.
While singing the praises of the squad by saying he thinks there is more to come from them, he admitted that strengthening the midfield area was a big priority.
"I've known about Jordan all season and we've kept our eyes closely on him. We've kept tabs on his progress and noted that he did well down at Belper for a month. But as soon as his time finished with Belper, I spoke to Nicky Law with whom I have a great relationship. In fact both clubs have a great relationship and Nicky was more than happy for him to come and join us for he knows that we'll treat him well and being here will do him a power of good. Five or six other clubs were after him as well. But I'm delighted he's here at Matlock for we're short of bodies in the midfield area and Jordan fits the bill perfectly for us for he can play either wide right, wide left or in the middle."
Hall was all set to be included in the Gladiators squad for Tuesday night's scheduled home derby with Worksop Town, but the weekend snow, coupled with freezing temperatures persuaded inspecting Chesterfield referee Paul Thompson to call the game off just after lunch.
So Hall should make his bow, weather permitting, when one of the division's most improved clubs, Whitby Town, come in search of a first ever win at Causeway Lane on Saturday.
"We definitely wanted the Worksop game on even though we'd got one or two injury doubts. Dave Reynolds and the groundstaff spent four or five hours toiling on Tuesday in a bid to get the game played but it wasn't to be" said Atkins. "So now we look to carry on the good run against a good strong Whitby side who have players that know both this level and the one above very well and are well capable of hurting you on their day. Funnily enough the half time interval up there was probably the turning point of our season as we'd been hammered in the first half and but for Adam Sollitt, could have been more than one goal down. But we were different again in the second half and could have won it instead of the 2-2 draw. Throwing the teacups may be a good idea more often" he joked.
Hurling the pottery is something that Atkins has not had to contemplate since the start of the month when following four consecutive league and cup defeats, the Gladiators are now unbeaten in five outings.
Their most recent game saw them return from title chasing Retford United with an excellent point thanks to a stoppage time leveller from top scorer Ross Hannah.
"We battled really well and managed to play our football on a really poor pitch" said Atkins. "I actually expected Retford to handle the conditions better than we did for they certainly didn't suit us. It was one of the worst pitches I've ever seen but we did the best we possibly could."
Atkins pre match comments focused on Retford's attacking prowess as he labelled them as "the best attacking side in the division" and he admitted that the changes he made were to combat this threat.
"I'd seen Retford play and I knew their strengths playing to two big lads up front and with another biggish lad Colin Marrison on the left. They use diagonal balls and I just felt we needed extra height at the back with Adam Yates in there at right back and Mark Haran alongside James Lukic in the middle. And Scott Brough, moved a bit further forward on the right did ever so well. As for our performance, it was very good and we had two penalty shouts, the first one a definite one, and the second a maybe. I was disappointed that at least one of those wasn't given, if they had we'd have probably won it."
Afterwards he remarked that he wouldn't swap any of his players for any of Retford's, but he did qualify this slightly in midweek.
"Retford have four or five very good players so that comment was possibly said in the wrong context, it wasn't a dig at them" Atkins conceded. "But on the day we had eleven players and the subs who gave everything for the club, they put their bodies on the line, busting a gut to get a result. They were excellent, given our budget, and that is the type of performance we have to give again and again over the season."
Matlock now lie in a more comfortable mid table spot and Atkins wants his side to continue their improved form.
"It's no secret that at the start of the season our aim was to finish as high up the table as we can and to reach the Derbyshire Senior Cup Final with a bonus of a possible cup run. While we only got through one round in the FA Cup, we did reasonably well in the FA Trophy, getting through three rounds before Kidderminster edged us out and they're through to the semi finals. We're going well at present but I still feel that there's more to come from this group of players. If we finish in 12th or 13th I think we should feel disappointed with ourselves. We need to use this run as a stepping stone to getting as far up that league. If the Worksop game had been played and we'd won, we'd have probably been in the top ten. As it is, if we can win the next two games then we'd be in touching distance of the top eight, which would be a great achievement. But we must continue playing in the same way as we've been doing and carrying on with the good habits."
Matlock will have little time for rest after the Whitby game for on Monday night they travel to Ashton United in a game rearranged from January 30 when the ice cold conditions brought about a postponement. During the last week the Robins have been hit with a hammer blow after a judge ruled in favour of former Altrincham player Marcus Hallows following a tackle with Ashton's Derbyshire based defender Danny White in a Conference North fixture at Altrincham in March 2005. White incidentally played in a pre season friendly for Matlock against Chesterfield in 2007 before opting to join Retford United.
Ashton officials fear that the decision could jeapordise their existence due to the financial implications involved and it is without doubt a ruling that could have serious ramifications throughout football, and particularly at non league and grass roots level.
"It's really bad for them for Ashton are a lovely club" said Atkins. "I got to know them really well through my time at nearby Stalybridge Celtic and I know both Danny White and their current manager Danny Johnson quite well and they're smashing people. This season Ashton have done very very well on a tight budget. The present circumstances could make them fight harder so we know we'll face another hard match. In my opinion, the ruling is a dangerous way to go in football and insurance costs could take up nearly everything a club might earn. It's very hard to come to a decision on such things if you weren't at the game. The danger is that things will then spiral out of all proportion."
Matlock have doubts over Adam Yates (groin) Lee Featherstone and Ross Hannah (hamstring) ahead of the Whitby and Ashton games. All three would possibly have sat out the Worksop clash had it gone ahead. Featherstone is also due for suspension following his red card in the Derbyshire Senior Cup semi final win against New Mills.
Meanwhile it has been confirmed that the Derbyshire Senior Cup Final between the Gladiators and Belper Town will be staged at Pride Park on Tuesday April 20 with a 7.45 pm kick off. Further details including admission prices will be made available after the clubs attend a meeting at Pride Park early next month.
"This is excellent news, it's a big lift for the club and it also gives the players the chance to play at a fantastic stadium and hopefully they can bring the trophy back home with them" said Atkins.
Last season's final between the Gladiators and Buxton was eventually played at Saltergate a week after the match was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch just before lunchtime on the day of the final by Derby County. Buxton won the game thanks to a Greg Anderson goal in the second half.
Atkins also paid tribute to Town's away following at Retford last weekend.
"Our support was nothing short of fantastic. When you looked around the ground 70 to 75% of the crowd were the Matlock fans at the end who cheered us on all through the game so on behalf of us all I'd like to say a big thank you to them".
