A dramatic stoppage-time goal from Alex Byrne salvaged a point for Matlock Town on Bank Holiday Monday as they drew 1-1 at home against Gainsborough Trinity in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.
It looked set to be a very frustrating defeat at Causeway Lane for the Gladiators but a moment of magic from Alex Byrne's free-kick in the dying seconds of the match secured a deserved point for Paul Phillips's side.
It was another case of deja vu in the first half as Matlock spurned a number of good opportunities while their opponents just needed one chance to be in front at the interval.
Matlock Town came within inches of going 1-0 up after only nine minutes when Jake Day's 14 yard effort rolled inches wide of the post.
Five minutes later though, the visitors took the lead from out of nowhere. A 16 yard effort was palmed away by Gladiators goalkeeper Jim Pollard and Trinity player Liam Waldock was the first to react and he tucked home the rebound easily from close range. It was a very disappointing goal for the hosts to concede as the Gladiators defence were very slow to react to the loose ball.
Matlock should have equalised midway through the first half. Reece Kendall broke free of his marker to win a free header following Alex Byrne's corner delivery. Instead of hitting the target though, his header cannoned off an unsuspecting Nico De Girolamo and the ball ricocheted into the side netting.
Two big opportunities for an equaliser were missed in the 36th minute. Firstly, the hard-working Callum Chippendale couldn't quite get the ball out from under his feet from just eight yards out. Once he finally got the shot in, his effort was superbly blocked by a Trinity defender to concede a corner. From the resulting corner, Reece Kendall's bullet header flashed just over the cross bar.
Matlock's final opportunity to grab a goal in the first half fell in the 43rd minute thanks to a cheeky effort from Jordan Barnett. It looked to everyone like Barnett was setting up an in-swinging free-kick from the right-wing. Instead, Barnett fooled everyone when he actually went for goal himself by attempting to beat the unsuspecting goalkeeper and stroke the ball in at the near post. His ambitious effort was, sadly, just off target.
The second half was admittedly poor from both teams. Gainsborough managed one effort (which was safely off target) throughout the duration of the second 45 minutes while the hosts were nowhere near as threatening as they were in the first half. It was a poor spectacle and a deeply frustrating one to watch from a Gladiators perspective. Gladiators manager Paul Phillips made two changes at the interval to try and force a way back into the game. Simon Njaria and Jorome Slew came on for Alex Wiles and Jake Day. Unfortunately, the changes had very little impact and chances were at a premium in an extremely uneventful second half. That was until the last five minutes of the game. Jordan Barnett fired in two excellent crosses from the left wing in the 85th and 88th minutes. On both occasions, the ball was met by Reece Kendall inside the penalty area but both of his headed efforts were disappointingly off target. It looked all set to be a very frustrating home defeat for the hosts until Matlock won a free-kick from 22 yards out after Jorome Slew was fouled deep into stoppage time. Incredibly, with virtually the very last kick of the game, the crowd held its breath as Byrne stepped up to take the set-piece. To the ecstasy of the home crowd, his free-kick sailed past the Trinity goalkeeper and into the back of the net sparking wild scenes of celebrations at The Proctor Cars Stadium. The final whistle was blown less than a minute later once play had re-started. While understandably delighted to have avoided a home defeat right in the last few seconds, there is understandably growing concern at the lack of firepower in Matlock's final third. After the opening six games of this season, Matlock have scored only four goals and just one of those have come from a recognised centre-forward. It's a continuation of the big problems Matlock faced in the final third of last season and manager Paul Phillips knows that this issue must be resolved soon if the Gladiators are going to finish in the top five in the league for the second season in a row. Matlock Town team: Pollard, De Girolamo, Kendall, Evans, Qualter (c), Lees (Higgins 80), Byrne, Wiles (Njaria 46), Day (Slew 46), Chippendale, Barnett. Unused subs: Blakeley, Coppin. Attendance: 782
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