Changes afoot at Matlock

[FF News]

DON’T be surprised if there are a couple of changes to the Matlock Town team that takes on Marine at the Reynolds Stadium on Saturday as Mark Atkins’ men aim to return to winning ways following defeat at Chasetown on Tuesday night.

 

And it’s not really down to players doing a lot wrong. Fatigue could be the reason as Atkins hinted after the trip to Staffordshire which saw the Gladiators winning run come to an end at the fifth time of asking.

 

“I thought long and hard about making one or two changes before the game,” Atkins admitted. “But some players had got stuck in traffic on the way to the game and didn’t arrive until ten past seven. In the end I kept the same side and in hindsight maybe I should have followed my instinct. Some have played a lot recently especially after the bug that’s been going about.

 

“Some have felt unwell during the past week or two. But that isn’t an excuse for losing the game. It’s a disappointing result but not the end of the world. We never really got going, Chasetown played very well and closed us down very effectively.

 

“We played too many long balls, especially in the first half, and for some reason didn’t seem to have the confidence to play like we can. We gave it a right go in the second half but in my opinion we didn’t really deserve anything. But given recent results, I can’t be too critical of the lads. The games were always going to catch up on us.”

 

Matlock would have ended the night in second spot had they got at least a draw, but Ross Hannah’s 31st goal of another brilliant season was not enough.

 

“Ross has been fantastic again this term, what can you say when a lad has got more than thirty goals at this stage of the season?” Atkins demanded. “But it’s not just his goals, it’s his workrate and determination, his movement is excellent. He’s improved no end since I came to the club and all credit to him. He just loves playing for this club, and appreciates the help he gets from his team mates plus the backing from the supporters.”

 

Matlock remain in third spot, just a point behind second placed Colwyn Bay who they visit next weekend.But the Gladiators have three games in hand. If Matlock can better Bay’s result at the weekend when the Welsh side travel to Ossett Town, they will belatedly rise to the current runners up slot.

 

But Atkins knows that Marine are always a tough nut to crack and it’s only in the last two years that Matlock have started to get the upper hand over the Mariners in Derbyshire, with 4-0 and 3-0 results.

 

And if Marine want to maintain their play off challenge they will need their impressive away form this season to continue, having already got seven victories under their belt on their travels.

 

“It’s always a tough game when you play Marine,” Atkins warned. “We’ll need to be on top of our game to earn the points. The lads know we didn’t play well in midweek, now it’s a matter of putting that behind us and bouncing back on Saturday.”

 

 

 

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