Matlock boss Mark Atkins will be looking for a ninety minute performance from his side as they bid to upset the odds in their FA Carlsberg Trophy visit to Cambridge City on Saturday.
In their two games prior to last night's (Wednesday) league clash at Ilkeston against Worksop Town, the Gladiators had given a seventy minute show in beating Loughborough Dynamo in the previous Trophy round and then last weekend, a chalk and cheese show at Whitby saw them return home with a point after a 2-2 draw.
At the Turnbull Ground, Matlock were outplayed for much of the opening half and were fortunate to reach the interval only a goal in arrears. But they emerged for the second half looking a totally different side. A double from Steve Warne put them in front before Whitby got the goal to earn a point their first half performance deserved ten minutes from the end.
"We've impressed on the lads time and time again that we need ninety minute performances from them" stressed Atkins. "If you can do that or at least do that for seventy to eighty minutes, usually you get the three points. We only played for forty five minutes on Saturday and that's not good enough."
Whitby went into the game only three places above Matlock, so the visitors travelled to the North Yorkshire coast in a hopeful mood, but the early signs were bad as the Seasiders totally dominated the early exchanges.
"We never got out of the blocks and were grateful for two great saves from Adam Sollitt in the first five minutes, plus they hit the bar as well. We could have been down and out after just ten minutes. We had talked beforehand about how Whitby play and how we could hurt them but we never put that into practice in the first half. We were poor, our attacking play was pedestrian and to be perfectly honest we were happy to go in at half time only 1-0 down."
Atkins though was both relieved and happy with the response he got from his players in the second half after another discussion at half time.
"We shuffled things about a bit swapping Gareth Davies and Steve Warne's positions. It was a matter of concentrating on our attacking play so we emphasised to them again how we could hurt Whitby" Atkins explained. "And to be fair to the lads, they went out and did just that. We turned things around and went 2-1 up with two good goals from Steve Warne, and we also had three good chances to score another. If we could have got that third then I reckon the match would have been dead and buried at 3-1. But they (Whitby) put away one of the few chances they had and it again showed as I've said before, the importance of taking your chances while you're on top. I was very pleased with our second half performance and disappointed that we didn't win it, but I was unhappy with us in the first half. Having said that the lads showed a lot of character and two weeks ago we would have lost the game heavily. A point away from home is always a good result. We must now start to get our home league form sorted."
The solitary point left Matlock stuck in the bottom two, but if the Gladiators could manage a win against Worksop, they would replace Buxton in third bottom spot.
They would also be hoping for no more injuries to a wafer thin squad ahead of the Cambridge trip. Scott Brough limped off after being challenged in the home penalty area at Whitby with both knee and ankle injuries and was a definite non starter in midweek. Striker Dene Cropper failed a fitness check at Whitby and must still be considered doubtful, but winger Ben Algar was due to undergo a fitness test ahead of Wednesday's game after coming off at Whitby with a hip complaint. Matlock will need to replace their suspended goalkeeper Adam Sollitt with Nick Buxton on Saturday.
Atkins acknowledges that the Gladiators face a tough test against their high riding Zamaretto Southern League Premier Division hosts, whose only defeat this season came in the FA Cup at home to Blue Square North Hinckley United. City's recent preparation for Saturday saw them hammer Clevedon Town 4-1 last weekend before on Tuesday night, they won 2-1 in the League Cup at Bury Town, who knocked the Gladiators out of the FA Cup.
"We know it'll be a tough, tough game. I've already spoken to one manager who has faced them this season who reckons they're a good, well organised side. I've got someone watching them against Bury on Tuesday so I'll look at the report from that game. But to be honest it's nice for us to go into a cup game as underdogs. Most people will be expecting us to get beaten, so we'll be looking to prove people wrong."
Matlock will be hoping to reverse the result of a tense FA Cup Third Qualifying Round tie three years ago. Town, then flying high in the UniBond Premier Division, travelled to Milton Road to face a City side in mid table in the Conference South and forced a replay after a goalless draw. Three days later at Causeway Lane, Matlock dominated the first half and were deservedly in front at the interval thanks to a Simon Barraclough goal, the tiny striker also having missed a penalty. But City rallied in the second half to go 2-1 up before Paul Riley forced extra time with a late leveller. Matlock's James Lukic missed another penalty in extra time as City scored the all important goal to go through by a narrow 3-2 margin in an epic tie.
Twenty years ago, Matlock knocked City out of the Premier Inter League Cup in two successive seasons at Causeway Lane.
Official transport to Cambridge leaves the ground at 10 am on Saturday. Supporters wishing to travel should contact Phil via mtfcwebmaster@hotmail.com or post on the official forum www.phpbbserver.co/matlocktownfc to book their place. If a replay is required, it will be at Matlock on Tuesday night, kick off 7.45 pm.
Atkins is hoping to be able to talk to two players he had put in seven days notice of approach for within the next few days. "I'm hoping by the end of the week we'll have had a yes or no from either one or both of the players concerned" he said.
Meanwhile the manager has given want away winger Jamie Jackson permission to speak to Sheffield FC. The Dronfield based club are one of two clubs interested in the former Spireite. If Jackson does move to Sheffield, he will join midfielder Matty Thorpe, who made the move from Causeway Lane to the Bright Finance Stadium a fortnight ago.
