Matlock Town FC vs Lancaster City
Matlock Town FC
2The Proctor Cars Stadium
Northern Premier League
Lancaster City
1Match Report
MATLOCK TOWN 2-1 LANCASTER CITY
Matlock returned to winning ways after picking up just a solitary point in their last five outings in a hard fought clash with play off chasing Lancaster City.
The damage was done in the first half when Curtis Durose notched his first goal in Matlock colours before Adam Yates hit his eighteenth for the Gladiators, Nik Evangelinos pulling one back for the Dolly Blues midway through the second half to set up a nervous finale.
It was a patched up Gladiators line up with captain John Johnston, Harry Wood and Jack Goodman all out through injuries picked up in the midweek defeat at Whitby. Ioan Evans was omitted from the starting line up by boss Martin Carruthers so Nathan Whitehead partnered Yates at the heart of the back four with Fin Armond, Michael Williams and Olly Clark all starting.
A good 738 crowd settled to watch Matlock attack the visitors from the off with wide men Tavonga Kuleya and Durose prominent.
Inside the first couple of minutes Durose drove down the throat of City custodian Tom Stewart before Kuleya broke free on the left but a misplaced cross flashed harmlessly across the visitors penalty box.
The vastly experienced David Norris shot goalwards for City as Saul Deeney made an easy claim, Matlock quickly responding through Durose who cut in from the right to hit a left footer that swerved wide of the far post.
Town came within a lick of paint of breaking the deadlock on 9 minutes, a neat build up involving Durose and Kuleya saw the ball reach the supporting Joe West whose piledriver cannoned back off the crossbar with Stewart well beaten.
A Durose centre flashed across the penalty box as Matlock increased the tempo with Kureya seeing an effort well blocked shortly afterwards.
Yates was honoured ahead of his testimonial next Sunday on 15 minutes when the crowd joined in unison for a minute’s applause to mark his fifteen years with the Gladiators, Yates having made his debut fifteen years and one day earlier against FC United of Manchester,
Williams was well placed to boot clear a Norris shot from a right wing corner but Matlock went in front in the 22nd minute as Kuleya advanced at pace and had the calmness to slot the most inviting passes into the run of DUROSE who tucked his shot under Stewart.
City would strike the bar three minutes later from Bradley Carroll’s header and the Dolly Blues positive response to falling behind was amplified by Deeney pulling off a cracking save from the unattended Evangelinos at the far post.
In a very watchable match, the action soon returned to the opposite end with the Kuleya/Durose combination again nearly bearing fruit, the final strike from Durose taking a deflection and the sting allowing Stewart a more comfortable stop.
Armond and Clark appeared to get in each others’ way from a free kick played into the box before another free kick, from West was deflected behind.
But with the contest into four minutes of stoppage time at the end of the half, Matlock doubled their lead and it would prove to be the decider as City failed to deal with a corner from the left, Kuleya’s attempted back heel was blocked but YATES was on hand to force the ball in from a couple of yards.
Lancaster were sent out early for the second half as Matlock made an enforced change with George Wilkinson being injured to be replaced by Kornell McDonald.
Matlock had the better of the opening exchanges, a vital interception by Tyler Hill preventing Durose from probably making it three, then a Clark header was too high.
The visitors though reminded the home support that they were still in contention, Deeney pulling off another great save from Evangelinos in the 55th minute.
Then it was Stewart’s turn to excel, Durose being excellently denied after Clark’s headed assist had created the opportunity. Clark then headed over when well placed, time would prove later that Matlock badly needed that third goal.
Kuleya wanted to provide it, cutting in from the left but his effort drifted comfortably wide before City had home nerves jangling when EVANGELINOS scored a personally well deserved goal, finding space down the middle to turn Whitehead and place his finish beyond Deeney.
Matlock had twenty three minutes plus stoppage time to hold on, that task might have been made markedly easier almost immediately when Scott Boden was clear of the City back line and onside due to the ball coming off a visiting defender. Everyone stopped and from a Matlock perspective groaned when his lob on the turn beat Stewart but bounced agonisingly wide.
Then it was backs to the wall stuff for Matlock as City threw all they had at the Gladiators in search of an equaliser. Carroll volleyed harmlessly too high in the 75th minute but apart from a 90th minute penalty box scramble, City failed to create anything clear cut as Yates and his defensive colleagues rose to the task magnificently to see the game out.
It was a morale boosting three points with Matlock playing some superb football at times. It does again beg the question why they can’t produce similar fare away from home but with seven more home games to come and only three away, opportunity knocks for Carruthers’ troops to end the campaign on a high.
MATLOCK TOWN: 1 Saul Deeney 2 George Wilkinson (15 Kornell McDonald 46) 3 Joe West 4 Michael Williams 5 Adam Yates 6 Nathan Whitehead 7 Curtis Durose 8 Fin Armond (14 Ioan Evans 81) 9 Scott Boden 10 Olly Clark 11 Tavonga Kuleya Other subs: 12 Alex Duhameau 13 Myles Wright 17 Nat Crofts
LANCASTER CITY: 1 Tom Stewart 2 Sam Bailey 3 Tyler Hill (15 Paul Jarvis 61) 4 Christian Sloan 5 Bradley Carroll 6 Niall Cowperthwaite 7 Charlie Bailey (14 Chidubam Elewa- Ikpakuou 26) 8 Nik Evangelinos 9 Tom Kilifin (12 Dominic Lawson 61) 10 David Norris 11 Jake Connelly
REFEREE: Chay Hathaway (Ipswich) ATTENDANCE: 738 BEST GLADIATOR: Tavonga Kuleya