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Milestone win will be so vital
MATLOCK Town want to mark their 1,700th game in the UniBond/Northern Premier League by securing their Premier Division status.
The Gladiators host ninth-placed Ashton United looking for a third successive victory to banish any lingering relegation worries.
"There's one result to get and we want to continue our good run," said manager Mark Atkins.
"We'll be going for the three points not the one, and those two wins we've just had should fill us with confidence going into the game.
"Ashton are a very good hard working side with a good team ethic and who play to a formation where everyone seems to know what they're doing, so it'll be a tough game for us."
With Prescot Cables already down before last weekend, Matlock ensured Leigh Genesis joined them with a 2-0 victory at the Leigh Sports Village on Saturday.
Later that night news emerged that Cammell Laird would also be relegated, even if they finished out of the bottom four, due to ground grading issues.
But the Birkenhead club say they are to lodge an appeal against the ruling, so whoever finishes fourth bottom will have a nervous wait until May when the appeal is heard.
Boston's Tuesday night 5-0 thrashing at Nantwich saw the Gladiators go above the Pilgrims on goal difference.
Then last night (Wednesday), all eyes were on the Turnbull Grund where Whitby hosted Witton Albion, with Matlock hoping either for a draw or a Whitby victory.
But Atkins is adamant that he wants Matlock to end their season on a high with a victory and then other results and the Cammell Laird affair will be of no consequence to them.
"We've been very good at home generally recently and actually over the last six or seven weeks there's only been the two Buxton games where the result and the performance has been bad," he said.
"In that time we've got what we've deserved and we want to carry on our recent good form.
"When I looked at the final few fixtures, I always believed we could get something from the last three games.
"We've had two good wins, let's go on and make it three."
With the league business out of the way for another season, Matlock will then be concentrating on bringing the Derbyshire Senior Cup back to Causeway Lane for the first time in five years.
"We've got the Derbyshire Senior Cup Final to look forward to but people will need to play well enough on Saturday to play in the Cup Final at Pride Park. Buxton will go into the game as favourites.
“They've outplayed us in the two league games, so it'll be a case of the players wanting to put things right and I'll be expecting a much better performance on Tuesday night.”
Both sets of fans will be housed in the West Stand at Pride Park.
Admission is set at 8 for adults, 5 concessions and with the Derbyshire Football Association wanting to attract as many children to the game as they can, youngsters will be charged just 2.
This weekend sees the return of the Coleman Bradshaw beer festival to Causeway Lane, and then on Sunday afternoon Atkins will be lacing his boots once again to star in a fundraising game for a Matlock Town Allstars XI against Roger Davies' Derby County Veterans side in aid of the Gladiators' New Stand Appeal (kick-off 3pm).
Included in the Matlock side should be ex-Gladiators John Sheppard, Everton Marsh, Phil Greaves, Craig Thompson, Wayne Biggins and Stuart Franklin along with Atkins and current goalkeeping coach Nick Buxton, once of Doncaster Rovers.
The fans' sponsored walk to Buxton on Good Friday is expected to bring in approximately 2,500 for the appeal.
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Weather for Bakewell
Friday 25 May 2012
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Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
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Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
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