MATLOCK Town will be looking to put the disappointing defeat at Bradford Park Avenue behind them as they prepare for the visit of Prescot Cables.
Caretaker manager Glenn Kirkwood is still upset after a last-minute goal denied the Gladiators a point against one of the division’s promotion hopefuls.
“I am still absolutely gutted about it,” said Kirkwood.
“We murdered them all over the pitch and were by far the better footballing side.
“It was 2-2, the clock was ticking down and then I heard their manager shout ‘route one’ and they just lobbed the ball.
“I thought we deserved three points, not just one, so to come away with nothing is hard to take.
“Craig (Hopkins, joint manager) and I thought that we deserved the three points and even the Bradford manager thought we were robbed.”
Matlock turn their attention to the bottom half of the UniBond Premier Division table this weekend, with Prescot Cables having won only three of their 14 games so far this season.
Kirkwood, however, is not expecting an easy ride.
“To be fair, we’re not bothered about Prescot Cables,” he said.
“All Craig and I are concerned about is Matlock Town and cutting out the unforced errors that we made against Bradford Park Avenue.”
There are no new injuries but checks will be made on long-term worries Ryan Davis and Jamie Jackson prior to the Prescot game.
For Kirkwood and Hopkins, it could be their last chance to impress the Matlock Town board, with applications for the vacant manager’s job due to close.
And, having had just over a week in charge of the first team, Kirkwood and Hopkins are not wanting to return to the reserves any time soon.
“Managing the first team is what we want to do,” said Kirkwood.
“We’re loving it and just hope that we get the opportunity to do it on a permanent basis.
“The lads seem to be enjoying playing their football under us – hopefully the board have liked what they have seen from us so far.”
Courtesy of Kerry Ganly, Derby Telegraph.
