Phillips defiant despite South Shields defeat

The Gladiators were beaten 3-1 by South Shields on Tuesday night, which saw the Mariners go top of the table, a position Matlock have held for the majority of the past four months.

He said: “We beat ourselves a little bit, we didn't start well enough and naivety has cost us.

"It took us too long to suss out what their three forwards were doing and by then we were two goals down.

"There's twelve games left. A long way to go. It's disappointing we've hit a bit of a lull but it's up to me, my management team and the players to get us out of it."

Matlock have won one of their last six games and face another tough assignment away at FC United on Saturday.

He added: "These are the games we want, in this league and in the one above. We've got to earn that right. FC have watched us tonight and we know they'll be prepared and we're going to play a really good side.”