​Lacklustre Gladiators are thrashed by Whitby

The game was over as a contest by half-time – and arguably earlier – with the visitors four goals to the good, the Gladiators lacklustre throughout and producing very little to impress the four-figure crowd.

And with the manner of defeat perhaps the most frustrating aspect, given that Matlock gifted Whitby three of their goals, it left boss Martin Carruthers a crestfallen figure after the game.

The writing was on the wall early on for the Gladiators just eight seconds in as Junior Mondal put a great chance wide as the hosts fell asleep from the kick-off.

But three minutes later Whitby took the lead when a long ball over the top was misjudged by Adam Yates and Max Howells nipped in to finish well past Saul Deeney.

After Nathan Thomas had fired wide soon afterwards, the lead was doubled when, following a corner, Mondal’s eventual shot was deflected past Deeney and as the ball flashed across the six yard box Howells was on hand to poke home from a yard out.

Curtis Durose went close for the hosts in a rare moment of hope but a third goal soon followed for Whitby, Nathan Whitehead’s error this time gifting the ball to Nathan Thomas who placed the ball into the corner.

Things failed to spark at all for the Gladiators and sure enough it was then 4-0 before the break, Howells getting his hat-trick after another error from Yates gifted him the chance, the home fans booing their team off after one of the worst halves of football seen from their team on their own patch for some time.

Matlock’s players woke briefly in the early stages of the second-half and pulled a goal back through Tav Kuleya’s good finish after a neat move featuring Scott Boden and Durose.

But perhaps a sign of how things had gone for the Gladiators was emphasised when just seconds later Thomas got his second with a low finish to restore the four-goal advantage on 57 minutes.

Chances then became more few and far between in the latter stages as the game petered out, the visitors very good value for their three points but their cause certainly aided by a very poor display from the home side.