Matlock Town FC vs Buxton FC
Matlock Town FC
2The Proctor Cars Stadium
Northern Premier League
Buxton FC
4Match Report
MATLOCK TOWN 2-4 BUXTON
Aided by some calamitous Matlock defending, Buxton staged a dramatic fightback to win the spoils in the Boxing Day derby at the Proctor Cars Stadium and claim their first away win in the league this season.
All four of the visitors goals could so easily avoided with better concentration, they were down to basic individual errors but also due to Buxton showing a greater appetite for the battle, despite trailing 2-0 in the opening five minutes!
Luke Hinsley and Tomas Poole had given the Gladiators their dream start, and they might have added more, but at the same time there was an uncomfortable feeling that all was not well from a defensive point of view. As the match wore on, Matlock lost the midfield battle which put extra unwanted pressure on the back four, with Matlock extending the Christmas spirit to their neighbours too much and too often. Alex Byrne pulled one back before half time before Liam Hardy and a Diego Degirolamo brace ensured Buxton won three vital points.
The Bucks were unchanged from their 5-0 romp against Scarborough while Matlock brought in Sam Scrivens on the left flank, signed from Guiseley on Christmas Eve after a loan spell with Matlock earlier in the campaign. Chib Chilaka was on the substitutes bench, as was club captain Adam Yates, coming back from a hamstring problem.
In a whirlwind start, Matlock were ahead inside three minutes, Luke Dean’s hoisted, hanging cross from the left being fumbled by Bucks custodian Grant Shenton and HINSLEY nodded gently home from close range with Shenton wanting the free kick.
It got even better for Matlock in the 5th minute as Scrivens cleverly released the overlapping Ben Gordon, who pulled a simple but effective pass into POOLE ‘s path for the winger to tuck a precise low shot into the corner.
Home goalkeeper Dan Wallis saved well from Diego Degirolamo and was then well placed to save from Byrne while at the other end Matlock might have been awarded a penalty when Poole was pushed in the back by Alex Brown as he attacked down the right. Luke Hinsley had two efforts blocked.
An enforced break when referee Anthony Tankard had to be replaced on 28 minutes seemed to help Buxton more as Matlock lost concentration and focus once play restarted with senior assistant Gareth Carlile taking the whistle and spectator Dan Tracey, an assistant referee at this level, answered a plea to take over on the line.
BYRNE scored after Wallis was impeded by his own player in dropping a free kick and after a number of shots were blocked, it was the Buxton number seven who shot through a ruck of players to find the net.
Then just ninety seconds into the second half Buxton were back on level terms, Wiley missing his header from a throw on the right, the ball bouncing over Dean for HARDY to scuff a simple finish past Wallis from close range.
By the 55th minute, Buxton had completed the turnaround, Alex Brown’s pass down the inside left channel catching out Bailey Gooda and DIEGO DEGIROLAMO took full advantage getting in behind Gooda to thread a low shot past the unprotected Wallis.
Buxton always looked a yard sharper than the hosts who looked vulnerable every time the Bucks swept forward. The visitors were now defending much better after the nightmare start.
The closest Matlock came to an equaliser was a 79th minute Jordan Sinnott free kick which was spectacularly kept out by the diving Shenton.
Matlock’s shocking defensive play was summed up in Buxton’s fourth goal with two minutes left that killed any hope Matlock might have had of saving a point.
Yates, on for the injured Wiley, saw his square pass to Gooda cut out by Tom Elliott who unselfishly let DEGIROLAMO run the ball into an empty net.
“All four goals were down to our errors, we’ve got to be better than that” said Matlock boss Steve Kittrick afterwards. “It was a comedy of errors, Buxton didn’t have to really work for their goals and it’s disappointing after doing so well in the last two or three games.”
MATLOCK TOWN: 1 Dan Willis 2 Spencer Harris 3 Ben Gordon 4 Luke Dean 5 Bailey Gooda 6 Dwayne Wiley (17 Adam Yates 69) 7 Tomas Poole (14 Dan Bramall 66) 8 Jordan Sinnott 9 Marcus Marshall 10 Luke Hinsley 11 Sam Scrivens (15 Piteu Crouz 80) Other subs: 12 Chib Chilaka, 16 James Tague
BUXTON: 1 Grant Shenton 2 Callam Mendez-Jones 3 Alex Brown 4 Kristian Scott 5 Nico Degirolamo 6 Connor O’Grady 7 Alex Byrne (14 Rumeni Barai 89) 8 Arron Chambers (16 Simon Lenighan 50) 9 Diego Degirolamo 10 Tom Elliott 11 Liam Hardy Other subs: 12 Ryan Jennings 15 Ethan Parden 18 Mitchell Allen
REFEREE: Anthony Tankard (Sheffield) replaced by Gareth Carlile (Chesterfield 28 mins) ATTENDANCE: 922 BEST GLADIATOR: -Sam Scrivens BEST BUCK: Tom Elliott