In hot conditions the Nailers held the upper hand in the first half and might have added to the two goals they scored in the first period.

The Nailers went in front in the 13th minute when Tom Eccleshall’s cross from the left was met by Tristan Thompson-Matthews and he made sure from close range.

Edwards had an effort blocked in the 21st minute, and then the Nailers extended their lead in the 28th minute when Ben Rhodes’s cross was met by Jack Rodgers at on the corner of the six-yard area and his shot was deflected past the ‘keeper by Thompson-Matthews for his second goal of the afternoon.

Harry Draper set Edwards up for a shot on goal in the 34th minute but the Belper striker put the ball over the top, then the Nailers were reduced to ten men when Josh Mansell was sent off in the 39th minute.

Matlock reduced the arrears in the 45th minute when Trialist C put the ball in from close range.

It was always going to be an uphill struggle for Belper with a man short and coping with the heat that was sapping all the players' strength.

The Gladiators equalised in the 47th minute when Trialist C bagged his second of the game, however Belper came close to regaining the lead when Edwards’s curling shot from almost thirty yards cannoned off the cross bar.

The man advantage began to tell on Belper as the hosts had the lion’s share of the ball without getting too close to Kieran Preston in the Belper goal.

It wasn’t all one-way traffic as Belper broke away more frequently in the latter stages of the game but couldn’t make the most of the situations they created.

Belper still have key players to come back in the side, and manager Lee Attenborough was satisfied with his team’s showing on a hot afternoon.

Belper Town: (Starting) Preston, Mansell, Rhodes, Fankwe, Broadhead, Evans, Edwards, Burrows, Draper, Thompson-Matthews, Eccleshall. Subs: Trialist, Trialist 1, Trialist 2. Hassett.

Matlock Town: (Starting). Trialist A, Errat-Thompson, Senior, Trialist B, Bird, Cummings, McClean, Sault, Washington, Trialist C, Elliott. Subs: Jeffers, Bachirou, Outram, Trialist D, Wajs, Manegabe, Ogbeide.

Att: 493