Matlock boss Adam Clayton upset by disallowed goal in Ferriby loss
Adam Clayton says his Matlock Town side felt hard done by having fallen to defeat at North Ferriby last weekend.
The 2-1 defeat also saw Matlock controversially have a goal disallowed and striker Diego De Girolamo sent off, with Cameron Wilson’s late penalty proving a consolation as the hosts took all three points.
And Clayton felt that the last ten minutes of the game could have swung either way had certain decisions not been made.
He said: “It was a strange game. Ferriby scored at a really good time just before the break, and to be fair had a really good spell after half-time where they deserved a goal as well.
"But without us being ‘us’, we were still well in the game but fair play to them on a dry pitch, we couldn’t really get our normal game going but we were still in it and then obviously at the end we’re just trying to get back in the game with ten men and throwing everything forwards.
"We feel like we should have, and did, but had it taken off of us by the referee.”
Clayton was referencing the moment when Sam Giles’ long throw in ended up in the net, with Matlock adamant a Ferriby player had touched the ball which would have legally allowed the goal to stand rather than a goal kick being awarded had there been no touch, which was ultimately the outcome. De Girolamo was then sent off for his protestations.
He added: “I don’t know how he’s disallowed it, and then he’s sent Diego off for asking a question.
"I think it came off one of their lads. The refs have a really tough job, especially at this level without the fourth official and so on, but I think today he wanted everyone to know that he was the man with the whistle, for both teams at times.
"We’re in a league season that’s going to be filled with highs and lows and winning games many different ways, and it is what it is and we move on to the next one just like we do if we win a game.”
Matlock were back in action on Tuesday night with a trip to Emley, in what was a fourth v third battle in the NPL Division One East standings, after this week’s Mercury went to press.
On Saturday, free-scoring high-flyers Redcar Athletic are then the visitors to the Proctor Cars Stadium, for what will be another early season six-pointer, before Matlock make the trip to Blyth Spartans next Tuesday night.