UniBond League Cup 2nd Round
Christchurch Meadow, Belper
Tuesday, 13th February 2007, 7.45pm
Gladiators too strong for Rovers
This much delayed match looked in doubt as heavy rain began to fall before the kick off but the Christchurch Meadow surface stood up to the downpour and enabled this second round of the League Cup to go ahead.
The game was won, not by flowing attacking football but by the generosity of the Rovers defence as they gifted their highflying premier opposition all four goals.
Unfortunately Rovers' keeper Tommy Whittle turned in one of those Jekyll and Hyde performances making some stunning saves but also some dreadful errors.
Indeed, one of those smart saves came in the first minute when he quickly got down to his left to block a shot at his near post.
Rovers had their first chance of the first half on 21minutes. Karl Brown, making his first start since returning to the Moat Ground, picked out Ravi Sangha who in turn found Paul Edwards. The striker struck a first time shot that whistled the wrong side of the upright.
Four minutes later, however, the Gladiators took the lead. A good move through the middle of the park ended with Steve Warne lashing a long-range shot that disappointingly went under the body of the diving Whittle.
Matlock doubled their lead just a minute later as a result of an awful mix-up in the Rovers defence. Whittle appeared to come for a through ball but changed his mind, Rovers' skipper Colin Hoyle then tried to rescue things but his attempted clearance from the bye line fell at the feet of Ian Holmes who duly slotted the ball into the net with Matt Millns trying his hardest to stop it on the line.
Matlock were well on top now and should have made it three when a cross from Gary Webster found Paul Riley in acres of space but he put his free header wide.
Whittle was called into action again, this time denying Simon Barraclough after another defensive Rovers mix up.
Rovers should have pulled a goal back on 42 minutes when Edwards' pass picked out Karl Brown on the right but with only the keeper to beat fired a hurried shot high and wide of the target.
The last say of the first half fell to Matlock when Riley's shot took a nasty deflection off Tom Groves but Whittle made a fine save pushing the ball away for a corner.
Rovers looked a different team at the start of the second period and were unlucky not to have reduced the deficit when Edwards crashed a superb volley off the bar with Matlock's Andy Richmond well beaten.
Minutes later Sangha left his marker for dead before sending a low ball into the area where Karl Brown was just inches away from connecting with.
Rovers did get the goal their early play deserved when Millns glanced a header past Richmond and into the far corner from Karl Brown's free kick.
Despite having the better of the play in the first fifteen minutes of the second half, Rovers continued to make defensive errors that could have cost them very dear.
On 60 minutes a dreadfully short backpass by Hoyle allowed Tom Cahill to nip in and steal the ball only for Whittle to make a good save smothering the ball at the substitute's feet.
Matlock were beginning to regain the upper hand and Whittle did well to deny Cahill and then Ian Holmes with smart saves.
On 70 minutes Edwards was put through by Sangha and the striker did well to drag the ball around Richmond but the keeper managed to get a hand to the ball and push it away for a corner.
Eight minutes later Cahill's cross found Barraclough but the shot was blocked by Whittle down low at his near post. Whittle did well to again deny Cahill holding a low shot.
The other side of Whittle was in evidence just minutes later when he tried a fairly simple clearance but only sliced the ball to the waiting Barraclough who had the simplest of tasks sidefooting the ball into the empty net.
On 85 minutes Whittle's poor evening was completed when he gave away a free kick on the edge of his area that led to Matlock's fourth goal. The keeper was still arguing with the referee when Warne kicked the ball into the empty net while the Rovers wall was still forming. The Rovers' players were incensed at the referee's decision to let the goal stand with Karl Brown receiving a yellow card for his protests.
Matlock could have increased their lead in the dying minutes but Whittle made good saves to deny both Cahill and Holmes before Holmes hit the far post with a shot.
Manager's View
"It was a frustrating night tonight. First half I was very disappointed, we'd tried a new system and it's easy to blame the system but we'd several players out there who weren't putting the shift in.
"So there were a few words at half time to the effect that players weren't working as hard as Matlock's players. They are a good side let's not forget that but we've got to match the workrate at a minimum but we didn't do that.
"When we had the ball in good areas we gave it away far too cheaply. I struggle to remember us creating anything at all in the first half. Having said that we were two-nil down to two very sloppy goals. I felt Tom (Whittle) was at fault for the first - it's easy from where we are to all be goalkeepers - it was a soft goal he should have pushed it round the post and there was a mix up between Colin (Hoyle) and Tom resulting in the second goal.
"Although the lead was deserved at half time for Matlock I felt as though we were the masters of our own downfall in terms of giving the goals away in the manner we did.
"We asked for a response at half time and we've got it. Within the first minute Eddie (Paul Edwards) crashed one against the bar and we looked a bit more purposeful second half without really ripping them apart.
"We created some good opportunities and it was a great delivery from Karl Brown for Matt Millns' flick on for the goal. It got us back in the game and we looked a little more of a match for them in the second half.
"Then, obviously we've killed ourselves with Tom's mistake for the third and the fourth was irrelevant. There was a lot of rowing going on as to whether the referee said we will have a quick free kick or not.
"Technically, we should have done our job and stood on the ball, we didn't so we can't really argue too much about that. Four-one looked harsh but I'm just pleased to get it out of the way to be honest.
"I did wonder about the effectiveness of the new system in the first half in particular. Second half we did have a little more food for thought. We worked the ball a little bit better and in actual fact I was contemplating going back to a back four if we started the second half in the same manner as we played in the first. But, we decided to stick with it because I thought we looked a bit more purposeful. Yes, we've got some things to work on, definitely but we are not look for excuses and say it was because of the system. The first half was well below par and that was because of the players in terms of not quite matching the workrate and endeavour that Matlock did.
"Let's not beat ourselves up, they are a good side, very well placed in the league with games in hand and they gave us a bit of a lesson in the first half but we certainly more than matched them in the second half. But, you can't give cheap goals away in that manner. All four of them were cheap and avoidable and hopefully that's Tommy's howler out of the way. He's not had too many this season so hopefully that's out of the system now and we can get on and get some more points on the board starting from Saturday.
"Woodley is an important game on Saturday. They are just ahead of us so it's important we get something from the game.
"We took Carl (Slater) off towards the end because he's been struggling with that sort of groin/bottom stomach muscle injury. Andy Simpson had a tight groin, Shaun Ridgway hasn't made it tonight, he's still struggling with his calf picked up against Kidsgrove. Liam Hebberd has served his suspension tonight but unfortunately Nick Carter serves his suspension on Saturday so we'll have a think between now and then to how we are going to set up."
