The Gladiators had a spot of bother, or more to the point, two spots, as a brace of late spot kicks saw them beaten at Wincham Park on Tuesday night. The match was entering its final fifteen minutes when disaster struck for them as in a swift Albion break, Ryan Davis sloppily conceded possession to Mark Peers who raced forwards only to go down under Andy Richmond's challenge. Assistant referee Dominic McDonald saw no infringement, awarding a goal kick, but referee Andy Scregg, some sixty yards behind play sprinted forward to point to the spot. Then to rub salt into Matlock's wounds he showed Richmond the red card, an extremely harsh decision bearing in mind Peers was travelling away from goal.

On came joint boss Gareth Williams with Neil Ashley being sacrificed, but Williams was powerless to keep out PEERS 76th minute penalty, and after battling so hard, Matlock were now up against it. At least the second spot kick was more clear cut six minutes later as Adam Warlow burst into the Matlock box and was upended by a mixture of Glenn Kirkwood and Steve Circuit. WARLOW this time did the damage to
confirm the Albion's victory. It had been an entertaining top four clash with both sides looking to play attractive football. Without doubt Witton were the best side Matlock had faced so far this season. They closed Matlock down quickly and attacked
with pace, utilising both flanks and stroking the ball about with aplomb.

Peers was a bundle of mischief. He cut out Richmond's faulty clearance to try his luck from forty yards with the goalkeeper recovering in time to catch his effort. Then after Steve Brodie had probed down the right, Peers was high and wide from the low cross. It was perhaps a sign of things to come from the man in black when he awarded Witton a goalkick after Steve Warne's shot had looped up off Tom Spearritt. Witton piled on the pressure earning three corners on the trot, the bout ending when Adam Warlow's header dropped wide. Glenn Kirkwood was booked for a late challenge on Dean Crowe and from the free kick blasted in by Peers, Richmond did well to block.

Matlock though were defending well with Ryan Laight and James Lukic in excellent nick. The visitors responded with a Neil Ashley strike being too high and being beautifully caught by former Matlock Mercury Sports Editor Gareth Davis behind the goal! Shortly afterwards, Simon Barraclough, who never stopped working, found room on the left, but like Ashley's shot before him, the ball ended up sailing over the bar. Laight covered magnificently to stop Crowe from meeting a Brodie cross at the back post as half time arrived with Matlock having had to work the harder defensively for the goalless stalemate. There was panic in the home defence a couple of minutes into the new half as a Cavell Coo clearance was charged down by Steve Taylor, the ball cannoning off the Town striker's chest and narrowly past an upright.

But soon full back Coo was foraging forward and with Matlock for once not getting in an effective challenge, he shot low only for Richmond to push it away when he must have seen it late. The best chance of the match though fell to Matlock in the 57th minute when defenders Brian Pritchard and Spearritt got in an embarrassing muddle.
Taylor though spurned the chance shooting wildly over the bar from barely six yards out. Four minutes later a speedy weaving Peers run ended with a twenty five yarder which struck the outside of the post. Plucky Matlock's response was a neat three man move started by Warne, continued by Taylor and ended by Barrcalough shooting too high.

But then came the body blow to Matlock's hopes, shortly after another howler which the referee confessed to speaking to Phil Brown afterwards. Barraclough was clear on the left and with Taylor up in support and Albion's defenders having gone AWOL, Mr Scregg blew up for a Matlock foul when the advantage clause must really have been utilised. So Matlock's fourth visit in six months to the Witton ground, like the others, ended in disappointment. Late Kirkwood and Webster attempts were off target, but by then the stable door had been left open and the horse had bolted. Commitment had been there in abundance from the Gladiators, but on the day Witton were just that little bit better than them. Having said that, Matlock looked well capable of returning home with a point, and if Taylor had taken that golden chance, and he first penalty not awarded, then who knows what the result could have been?

MATLOCK TOWN: Richmond, Laight, Davis, Circuit, Kirkwood, Lukic, Webster, Warne, Taylor (Pidcock 83), Barraclough, Ashley (Williams 75). Other sub: Goff. Referee: A Scregg ( Liverpool) ATTENDANCE: 393 STAR MAN: Ryan Laight.