Matlock Town battle back to beat Coalville Town

Daniel Creaney had headed the Ravens into the lead, but then foolishly got himself sent off on 28 minutes for pushing Jake Green to the floor in an incident spotted by assistant Ricky Taylor.

By then though Coalville were already under the cosh and, although still in front, it seemed only a matter of time before Matlock would score.

So without hitting the heights of the Buxton win four days earlier, Matlock eased to victory thanks to a brace from Harry Limb and a third from Michael Williams.

Creaney sliced a 5th minute volley wide before from a long throw from Dean Freeman on the left, CREANEY rose above Adam Yates to head downwards and beyond the dive of goalkeeper Richard Walton.

The long throw seemed to be Coalville’s only dangerous attacking weapon, they offered little else as Matlock built up a head of steam.

The Gladiators took a firm grip on the midfield with Ted Cribley, Michael Williams and Kieran Wallace pulling the strings while the pace and strength of Ricky German in attack would prove to be too much for Coalville.

Wallace and German linked sweetly on the left in the 14th minute as they cut open the Coalville rearguard and it needed a desperate intervention from Danny Jenno to concede a corner. Yates saw his header from the flag kick knocked away before a pin point cross from Williams on the right found German at the back post. Coalville survived through more luck than judgement as German stretched to divert the ball goalwards but against goalkeeper Elliott Taylor’s legs.

Williams headed a Cribley cross wide before a rattled Creaney who looked to be at boiling point since the first whistle was off for an early bath.

It took Matlock only five more minutes to be back on level terms as HARRY LIMB started and finished the move.

The Burnley loanee won the ball off Kyle Bryant deep midway in the Matlock half to release German on the left. German’s searing pace took him deep into Coalville territory before a slide rule cross was converted by Limb from close range.

Taylor pushed aside a teasing long range effort from Wallace with the traffic all being one way towards the visiting goal.

Dwayne Wiley had a goalbound attempt knocked clear but Matlock would not be denied. German collected the resulting corner played to the far post to drive in another low cross which again LIMB converted from inside the six yard box. That was on the stroke of half time and gave Matlock just reward for a dominant display.

Limb might have had a hat-trick early in the second half, the referee playing an advantage after Limb was clearly pulled back by Freeman with Taylor coming off his line to make the save.

Then Williams drove wide from another German assist under pressure from a couple of Ravens defenders before a Wallace cross narrowly cleared the bar with Taylor backpedalling.

Matlock made it three though with twenty minutes left. Jamie Jackson, who had replaced German eleven minutes earlier, found space on the right to beat Lee Torr and unselfishly square the ball across goal for WILLIAMS to have the easiest of finishes as he prodded into a vacant net from six yards.

Joe Doyle-Charles came close to adding a fourth driving narrowly wide after another controlled build up which Coalville could not find an answer to.

Having not had a single attempt at the Gladiators goal in the second half, Coalville at last emerged from their slumber for Tom McGlinchey to place a soft header straight at Walton who then pushed aside a long range attempt from Alex Howes leading to a corner which saw Freeman’s header looping over the bar.

But Matlock remained in control and the three points were never in doubt.

MATLOCK TOWN: 1 Richard Walton 2 Jake Green 3 Jan Yeomans 4 Joe Doyle-Charles 5 Adam Yates 6 Dwayne Wiley 7 Kieran Wallace 8 Michael Williams 9 Ricky German (17 Jamie Jackson 59) 10 Ted Cribley (15 Chris Ondong-Mba 82) 11 Harry Limb (14 Curtis Morrison 71) Other subs: 12 Jake Phillips 16 Amos Kabeya

COALVILLE TOWN: 1 Elliott Taylor 2 Kyle Bryant 3 Lee Torr 4 Danny Jenno 5 Dean Freeman 6 Steve Towers 7 Cleveland Taylor (12 Tom McGlinchey 46) 8 Jermaine Hollis (16 Ben Bradshaw 46) 9 Daniel Creaney 10 Jake Woolley 11 Alex Howes 15 Kyle Dixon 60) Other subs: 14 Alex Dean 17 James Dillon

REFEREE: Ian Johnston (Wakefield)

ATTENDANCE: 356

BEST GLADIATOR: Michael Williams