Atkins prepares to pass new test

After seeing his side end high-flying Worksop Town's unbeaten run at the thirteenth game, Matlock Town manager Mark Atkins knows his team face a different challenge when they travel to Grantham on Saturday, writes Ian Richardson.

While the Tigers were bang in form when the Gladiators beat them 1-0 last Wednesday night, Grantham have gone from play-off contenders to relegation battlers. Since beating Blyth Spartans at the South Kesteven Stadium on November 9, the Gingerbreads have not tasted victory in the Evo-Stik NPL's top flight, collecting just four points from nine matches.

A 5-0 home defeat to Nantwich Town on the Saturday before Christmas also saw the sacking of joint managers Ian Robinson and Gary Sucharewycz, the former Matlock defender. The men they replaced, Jimmy Albans and Wayne Hallcro, are now back at the helm of the club they took into the Premier Division.

Gladiators manager Atkins, pictured, will be without strikers Shaun Tuton and Danny Holland through suspension and believes his 13th placed Matlock side will be facing dangerous opponents.

He said: "They have some good players there so again we'll need to be on our toes and show the same kind of commitment and desire which saw us through the Worksop game. On their day Grantham can give anyone a very difficult afternoon and we must be prepared for them."

Matlock’s game at Blyth Spartans last Saturday was called off early and Atkins believes the postponement has worked in their favour.

He admitted this week: "I think it helped us a bit. After a tough match against Worksop on the Wednesday, the rain that followed would have made it another very heavy surface and there would have been a lot of very tired legs out there. While we always like to play if we possibly can, not playing didn't do us any harm.

"The downside though was that with our very good home record, it would have been nice to try and build on the Worksop performance and try and gain another three points."

* Defender and current fans’ player of the year Adam Yates, who suffered a fractured cheekbone in the Derbyshire Senior Cup defeat at Glossop North End on December 10, is hoping to return to action within four weeks.

Yates said: "Everything's gone very well and I'm delighted with how things are progressing. I was told not to do any contact work for six weeks but there's definite light at the end of the tunnel and I'm targeting the Droylsden game on February 1 for a return."