Match report proudly sponsored by Northumbria Print
Morpeth Town had to settle for a share of the spoils as they ended a winless, and goalless, six-game run with a 2-2 draw at Matlock Town.
A thoroughly entertaining game saw the Highwaymen lead twice – through Sam Fishburn and Connor Thomson – only to be pegged back on each occasion by Karl Demidh and Ryan Qualter.
The game had survived a morning pitch inspection, with heavy rain during the week and overnight leaving the pitch soft but still playable.
Town kept with the same side that performed so admirably on Monday against South Shields and started brightly.
A ball down the channel early on saw Fishburn give chase. The striker managed to keep it in on the stretch and cut it back for a completely unmarked Andrew Johnson in the area but, on the stretch, his shot was smothered by opposition stopper Jim Pollard.
The seventh minute saw the home team bare their attacking teeth for the first time, when a looping inswinging delivery from the right was nodded goalward with Dan Lowson doing well to save.
A bit of 13th minute pinball in the Morpeth box caused a few flutters, but the best chance of the game in the opening stages would fall to Jack Foalle three minutes later.
A long ball forward was capitalised upon by Fishburn. The forward held off the attentions of his marker brilliantly before laying it into the path of Foalle who blazed his shot well over the crossbar.
Then came the opener on 25 minutes and it was a deserved one for the hard-working Fishburn. Johnson was creator-in-chief, sprinting down the left hand side after Connor Pani had released him. Without a challenge coming his way, he simply advanced into the area before crossing for Fishburn to slot into an empty net.
A first goal in 565 minutes of football, it was a welcome boost to the confidence of the visitors who were a threat on the front foot.
They would head into the interval in front, with a tame Matlock free-kick wide the best the hosts could muster in the remainder of the first period.
Morpeth started the second half looking assured but would concede 10 minutes in. A dinked ball in from the left found a free Demidh, with the debutant heading straight down the middle of the goal to restore parity.
Despite this set-back, Town responded in ideal fashion by re-taking the lead. The Highwaymen did so from the spot after Foalle raced in behind the defence and was shoved over in the penalty area in the 60th minute.
Jordan Barnett, already on a yellow card, was given a second followed by a red to reduce his side to 10 men. Thomson strode up to the spot to dispatch the penalty and give his side the advantage.
With the game becoming increasingly frantic as the home side looked for another equaliser, substitute Jerome Slew dragged an effort wide on 71 minutes before Fishburn could, and probably should, have put the game to bed on 76 minutes.
The striker latched on to a Foalle ball across the box but, with time and space, he couldn’t steer his shot past Pollard, who saved.
Lowson denied a Matlock header and then tipped another effort over the top as the pressure was cranked up a notch.
Then came the equaliser as captain Qualter rose highest to glance a header across goal and into the back of the net.
Foalle was denied a one-on-one chance late on and the Gladiators were denied a penalty as the referee deemed Lowson expertly challenged an on-rushing Matlock player with his feet.
This led to frustrations boiling over with home boss Martin Carruthers shown a straight red card for throwing his hat at the assistant referee as the game ended in a draw.
Town are next in action when they host Gainsborough Trinity at Craik Park on Saturday. Tickets are available online now.
MATLOCK TOWN: Pollard, Sharman, Barnett, Yates, Qualter, Goundry, Byrne, Milovanovic, Demidh, Church, Johnston.
SUBS: Duhameau, Evans, Slew, Nijaria
MORPETH TOWN: Lowson, King, Reid, Donaldson, Henderson, Turner, Foalle, Pani, Fishburn (Pearson 79’), Thomson, Johnson.
SUBS: Geliher, Ramsey, Robson
ATT: 702
