Matlock were left counting the cost of not converting a number of second half chances as they were held to a draw by a spirited Silsden AFC side.
The injury-hit Gladiators were dealt another blow before first half had even kicked off when Manasse Mampala was ruled out of the game when succumbing to an injury in the warm ups.
The visitors started the brighter and took a shock lead on four minutes when a cross from Matlock’s left found Andrew Buah at the back post for a tap in.
This spurred the Gladiators into action and they nearly repplied on seven minutes, Eratt-Thompson’s cross finding Washington who could only head over from close range.
Elliott, Abbey and Jeffers would also fail to make the most of half-chances and Matlock were close to going into the break 2-0 down. Max Asante-Boakye uncharacteristically gave the ball away but a fantastic last ditch challenge by Eratt-Thompson saved his blushes and kept the arrears down to one.
In a proverbial game of two halves, Matlock began the second half with more assertion with the returning Fouad Bachirou directing operations. Parity was restored in the fiftieth minute, a neat through ball finding Goodson who lobbed Silsden’s keeper Tommy Brown just as the latter could get to the ball.
Washington nearly gave Matlock the leade a minute later when though one-one on Brown, but this time the Silsden custodian made a fine save to deny him.
On 58 minutes the Gladiators thought they did have a second but it was ruled out by assistant referee’s flag.
Goodson went agonisingly close with a free header on 71 minutes from Bachirou’s cross. Then on 76 minutes he thought he had turned provider for Matlock’s second, his cross being met by Eratt-Thompson only for Brown to pull off a world class save.
Then on 81 minutes the home side were sucker-punched: a ball over the top caught the Gladiators flat footed and while there was more than a look of offside, the official on the far side didn’t agree and Luke Brooksbank finished well.
However, just five minutes later it was the visitors’ turn to be caught out, Elliott stealing the ball off the Silsden backline and feeding Washington to put it beyond the stranded Brown.
If that wasn’t enough, Silsden would pile on the pressure as the match entered time added on and Marcus Dewhurst, who had had little to do in the match, thwarted the visitors with a world class double save of his own.
Matlock Town: Dewhurst, Eratt-Thompson, Sherif, Bradbury, Etherington, Asante-Boakye, Goodson, Jeffers (Bachirou), Washington, Elliott ©, Abbey. Subs (not used): Outram, Waldram, Parkin (gk)
Attendance: 558
Reaction: watch Chairman David Hilton’s post-match thoughts here.
Match Centre: Matlock Town vs Silsden AFC
