Matlock player-coach Adam Clayton takes the positives from Senior Cup defeat
Adam Clayton says Tuesday’s Derbyshire Senior Cup defeat to Ilkeston was useful on several levels despite the Gladiators being beaten 2-1.
Two Tom Cursons strikes either side of Remaye Campbell’s equaliser sealed Ilkeston’s passage through at the Proctor Cars Stadium in what was the first of two meetings between the sides this month – a Boxing Day league meeting set to take place before the year is out.
And ex-Middlesbrough and Leeds United star Clayton, who was an unused substitute in Tuesday’s game, said Matlock deserved more from the game.
He said: “I thought we were the better team in the first-half in terms of getting into the dangerous areas and creating chances, but Ilkeston are a really good team on the break and have two willing runners up front that helps them get up the pitch quickly.
"So with them creating a few chances in the first-half too it could have gone either way. In the second-half I thought we nullified them in terms of the break but they were pretty solid and stopped us doing what we wanted to do and it developed into a bit of a stalemate.
"But it was a good night’s work against a good side in our division and a few players who needed minutes got some playing time. I don’t think we deserved to lose but ultimately we have and we now move on to Saturday.
"It doesn’t matter what competition it is, we’re trying to build a culture of winning so last Saturday [3-3 draw at Morpeth] wasn’t great given we were in a great position to win the game and we don’t want those things happening, and it’s always disappointing to lose a game of football as we did tonight.”
Three more home games in a row either side of Christmas now follow for Matlock, with Ashton United first up on Saturday followed by Mickleover a week later and then Ilkeston on Boxing Day – December 21 currently a free date in the Gladiators’ diary.
Clayton added: “When we came to the club things were pretty bleak but we’ve completed the first stage of that recovery in getting out of the bottom four, and we want to be looking forwards rather than backwards now and now that we know each other and how we all want to approach things, you can see that out on the pitch with the belief being shown, getting a few wins and wanting to look up the table.
"The next three home games will be really important in trying to get some wins and be fighting for something at the top end of the league.”