Plucky Matlock went down to a solitary goal from defender Paul Robinson at table topping Eastwood on Tuesday night in a game of precious few chances.
Entertainment was also in short supply as the Badgers seemed to have just the one tactic....hoo
f it as long and as hard as they could.
At least the Gladiators tried to play some constructive football but all too often the final ball was lacking and they could find no way past the uncompromising central defensive duo of Mark Hume and Robinson.
It was same again from Mark Atkins with the starting line up which had thrashed Marine at the weekend retained.
Fit again Dene Cropper and Lee Featherstone, his two match suspension now complete, were named on the bench with Adam Yates and Matty Thorpe dropping out.
Neither of the two former Gladiators scoring heroes, Danny Holland nor Ian Holmes, featured for the hosts. Holmes was injured and not in the squad at all while Holland was an used substitute.
Eastwood won a corner inside the first thirty seconds, conceded from distance by Saturday's hat-trick hero Danny Davidson which was comfortably dealt with.
With the slope in their favour, Eastwood broke down the loeft through Andy Todd to win a fourth minute free kick following Liam King's foul but Paul Pettinger nonchalantly held Richard Dunning's strike.
Matlock settled and were more than holding their own. Eastwood were taking no chances, employing the big hoof at almost every opportunity to clear their lines.
It was certainly no nonsense defending.
When Alistair Asher clearly tripped Ross Hannah, the Matlock fans who also more than equalled the noise from the home following, were both angered and laughing at Ryan Newman's decision to merely signal a goal kick.
Matlock were then playing the ball about sweetly in front of the Eastwood defence who were keeping them at arms length.
Wingers Todd and Lindon Meikle seemed to be the only Badgers with any finesse about them, but Meikle's finish on 15 minutes after he was found by Todd's square pass was as wild and fierce as most of his defensive colleagues' clearances as the ball flew yards over the bar.
Four minutes later when Dunning brought down King some 25 yards from goal, Danny Wood's hoisted free kick was met by Ashley Foyle's header which unfortunately was straight at Ian Deakin.
The stalemate continued in a stop start game with Pettinger being untroubled as he easily claimed another Dunning free kick.
Jackson, in a more central role than usual, then was back on familiar territory on the right, his trickery winning a corner which was again fruitless.
But on 33 minutes came the decisive moment from the one time when Matlock switched off.
Eastwood won a corner on the left and nobody picked up Robinson peeling off beyond the back post and the header was true, across goal and into the opposite corner.
Neither side had done enough to warrant the lead and Matlock now faced a test of character which in the end was not a difficult one. It was there in abundance and visiting fans were left wondering just how Eastwood are top of the league.
Just before the interval Matlock made a pig's ear of a free kick which saw Eastwood couter attack at pace but Dunning's cross had Peter Knox stretching and the striker nodded wide.
There were early signs that Eastwood were content with what they had with a succession of time wasting tactics which do nothing to encourage the paying public through the turnstiles.
An early scramble in the home danger area with Jackson in the thick of things was ended by the assistant's flag, and if they already didn't have enough giants on the field, Eastwood then introduced another in substitute Matt Rhead.
In a rare passing move from the hosts, Meikle was found by Todd to cut in and thread a cross drive a couple of yards wide.
Pettinger was only in action plucking crosses out of the air and collecting even more long aimless punts forward.
"HOOF IT" shouted the Gladiators fans and Eastwood didn't disappoint!
Ian Clarke and Dene Cropper replaced Danny Wood and Ros Hannah and soon Clarke was showing composure on the ball although this could not be said of a free kick which sailed over as Matlock again failed to test Deakin.
A rare slip from Ryan Laight,who along with Ashley Foyle, were rock solid at the heart of the Blues defence, let in Knox but Pettinger had smelt danger early and he was swiftly off his line to whip the ball off the striker's toes.
Matlock's reply was to push Eastwood back to win three corners, all taken by Riley from the right.
The first one flashed across the six yard box only needing a touch but the other two were disappointing as they curled behind.
With six minutes left Jackson managed to latch on to a knock on from Cropper but the ball reared up quickly and the final shot lacked venom and was meat and drink for Deakin.
Eastwood then went route one again as Matlock pushed more bodies forward and Knox found himself free up the centre but hoisted his shot over both Pettinger and the bar.
A second goal would have been totally unjust on Matlock who battled to the end and deserved a draw.
Remarkably given Eastwood's and particularly Deakin's delaying tactics, plus a caution for Rhead and five substitutions, the referee only found three minutes of stoppage time.
0-0 would have been a true reflection and neither side would have complained too loudly.
Eastwood looked far from a top of the table side.
They played to their strengths but it led to a sterile affair.
They closed Matlock down quickly and scarcely gave Matlock a chance all night.
They will most probably win the title for it's theirs to lose now, but there are better, more entertaining sides in the division. It was effective but ugly.
Matlock can take comfort from a battling display, but will be disapponted at not snatching a point.
They showed tons of resolve and will need to continue to do so in the games to come.
That extra bit of quality, missing on Tuesday and that could have got them some reward, will also be needed.
Matlock Town: Pettinger, Brough, Riley, King, Foyle, Laight, Jackson, Warne, Davidson, Hannah (Cropper 71), Wood (Clarke 61). Other subs: Benger, Featherstone, Buxton.
Referee: R Newman (Barnsley)
Attendance: 648
Star Man: Ashley Foyle.
