Three goals up and coasting at half time, Matlock looked like racking up a cricket score but some changes, combined with some shoddy defending saw the UniBond First Division South outfit recover dramatically to score three times themselves to force a draw. Whether the late turnaround will have any effect on confidence in the Gladiators camp remains to be seen, but plainly it should not have been allowed to happen. The one consolation, as in Saturday's poor showing just down the road at Quorn, is that there was nothing at stake in terms of league points or cup progress.

Ryan Davis was back in the frame but operating on the right of midfield, as Matlock made just the one change in personnel, the other being a positional one, as Simon Barraclough partnered Dene Cropper in central attack with Ian Holmes operating down the left. Gary Webster was named as a substitute. Encouragingly Matlock created a host of opportunities throughout, albeit against a defence which was not the strongest. Shepshed were lucky to survive a double barrel of shots in only the 4th minute as defender Joe Carter charged down a blockbuster from James Lukic before goalkeeper Gary Hateley beat away a powerful follow up from Holmes. Then Hateley repeated the trick with another save from Holmes but Town were ahead after 12 minutes when LUKIC met a teasing Steve Warne corner with a header which ricocheted off a defender back to him to scramble over the line for an untidy looking, but perfectly acceptable goal.

The pressure was maintained with Glenn Kirkwood going close at the back post, Barraclough firing weakly at Hateley and an excellent run and cross from Paul Riley nearly finding Cropper unmarked at the back post. Lukic misread the bounce of the ball to let the speedy Robbie Banks fly down the right for his low cross to flash across the face of the goal before beanpole centre forward Shannon North headed wide. But Matlock soon responded with Holmes firing wide before they suffered a blow as Cropper limped off with the post match diagnosis being a sore knee joint. On came Webster to patrol the left flank with Holmes joining Barraclough down the centre. Within two minutes of his introduction, WEBSTER was celebrating as given space on the corner of the penalty box, he curled a delightful effort into the corner which even drew applause from the referee!

Shepshed, while looking flimsy in defence, had more about them as an attacking force. Riley produced a timely tackle to stop North before the visiting defence closed ranks to block a Chris Parr piledriver. But with three minutes of the half remaining, Matlock seemingly put the match to bed as KIRKWOOD volleyed in from close range after Shepshed again failed to deal effectively with a corner.

Shortly after the restart, an offside decision denied Holmes his first goal of the pre season campaign before Andy Richmond moved smartly to beat out Parr's fierce effort. The rain came down in torrents and chances came at both ends with Carter heading over for the Dynamo and Webster firing too high for the Gladiators. But on 62 minutes the fightback began as Matlock gave the ball away in midfield and Shepshed took full advantage as NORTH was released down the inside left channel to fire confidently past Richmond. Webster came close once more but Matlock were being caught offside too often and they played the ball too much in the air for a spell. When they reverted to football on the deck, they proved to be far more dangerous again and when Webster found Davis with a superb crossfield pass, the former Sheffield Wednesday defender shot beyond the far post with only Hateley in front of him. A tremendous volley by Barraclough after more great approach play by Webster was inches too high before Richmond was replaced by Martin Taylor in the 75th minute, one of a number of late Matlock substitutions.

By the 79th minute Shepshed had equalised but Taylor could not be blamed as Matlock's defensive discipline went right out of the window. CARTER's free header from a corner had reduced the deficit before a corner on the opposite side was played short and no-one picked up right back ASHLEY EDKINS who volleyed first time past Taylor. Trying to win the game once again, Matlock stormed forward for Webster to fire past the post from long range before Hateley did well to get behind Kirkwood's header on a greasy surface. A bust up between Edkins, Hateley and Barraclough saw the outfield players lectured before the final whistle sounded to herald a great Shepshed recovery but had Matlock reflecting on wasting a gilt edged chance of a morale boosting handsome victory just ahead of the serious stuff next week.

MATLOCK TOWN: Richmond (M Taylor 75), Laight, Riley (Austin 46), Circuit (Mottershead 89), Kirkwood (Hall 88), Lukic (Smith 75), Davis, Warne, Cropper (Webster 31), Barraclough, (Pidcock 87), Holmes. Referee: T W Simmons (Coalville) ATT: 80 (est) STAR MAN: Gary Webster.