Squad told to roll up their sleeves

Still defiant after Saturday's 2-0 reverse, a defiant Kirkwood, pictured, believes there is no simple remedy to end their woes other than to keep on working hard and wait for the rewards.

With their next home game not until Tuesday 30 January when Hednesford Town arrive in the Integro League Cup, they'll have to start on the road, at Farsley Celtic next Tuesday night before hitting the road again on Saturday week at Stafford Rangers.

The joint boss said: “We’ve still got lads not playing as well as we know they can, so that’s disappointing. But we’ve got to stick together, roll our sleeves up and keep battling on. We know we can do it when everyone applies themselves properly.

"We’ve got to learn to shut up shop in the first half, get to half time level or even in front, but in short we’ve got to defend better as a team. We’re looking up rather than down, we take every result personally, but we have to stick to our beliefs. It’s a good dressing room, we’re doing nothing different to last year, but we’re not getting the results.”

Matlock are without a game at the weekend but travel to Farsley Celtic on Tuesday night before hitting the road again on Saturday week when they go to Stafford Rangers. Their next home game is in the Integro League Cup versus Hednesford Town on Tuesday 30 January.

While Matlock remain comfortably clear of the one relegation place this season with a league reorganisation imminent in the summer, they need to halt their bad run as soon as possible. Further arrivals look likely following the departures of Whitehead, Degirolamo and Sharpe.

“We’re continuing to work hard to bring people in, everyone worked overtime last Friday to bring the three lads in. We’re making loads of phone calls and with the best part of a week before the Farsley game, there’ll probably be one or two coming in.”

Image courtesy of @Matlock_TownFC/Twitter

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