MATLOCK Town comfortably ended their winless streak at the ninth time of asking against Whitby in a fiery game which was completed with only 19 players on the pitch.
The Gladiators netted a goal in each half to win the contest as Cecil Nyoni opened the scoring and Massiah McDonald finished it.
But the main talking point was a 38th-minute bust-up which saw Nyoni red-carded along with Whitby's Steven Snaith and David McTiernan.
Snaith put in a horrible challenge on Adam Yates which resulted in a brawl and when the dust died down, referee Martin Rawcliffe issued the punishments.
Nyoni and McTiernan can possibly be considered unlucky, having been involved in pushing and shoving at the most. It certainly appeared to be a gross over-reaction from the official.
Matlock were in front by that time, thanks to fine play by man of the match Shaun Tuton on the left.
Tuton used his strength to the full to hold off Ibrahim Hassan and then had the poise to look up and slip a neat pass to Nyoni, who drove low past goalkeeper Shane Bland.
In a first half of few chances, Matlock had the better ones, with Tuton firing high and wide following a quickly-taken free kick from Micky Harcourt and another fine delivery from Harcourt, surprisingly recalled after injury, might have been touched in by James Ashmore.
Shortly before the interval came Matlock's one moment of danger as Jon Kennedy saved well from Craig Farrell but, in truth, the home goalkeeper had little to do.
With the extra man, Matlock dominated the second period, with McDonald slicing off target and Ashmore firing high over the bar before a fine tackle from Lee Bullock denied McDonald as he looked to turn home Tuton's low cross.
A 63rd-minute Ashmore corner found the net off a Whitby defender only for the referee to blow for a foul.
But the Seasiders would have no such luck two minutes later.
Found by Martin Foster, McDonald bore down on the Whitby defence to lash a fine 20-yarder low past Bland to clinch the three points.
Corey Gregory, McDonald and Tuton might have added to the tally as Matlock finished easily in control.
MATLOCK TOWN: Kennedy, Harcourt, Leesley, Foster, Radford, Yates, Gregory (White, 79), Ashmore, McDonald (Bradshaw, 90), Tuton, Nyoni. Other subs: Thomas, Wilkinson, Leese.
WHITBY TOWN: Bland, Hassan, Robinson, Burgess, Bullock, McTiernan, Portas, Mason (Boagey, 67), Farrell (Rundle, 72), Snaith, Henry (Mulligan, 67). Other subs: Armstrong, Campbell
REFEREE: M Rawcliffe (Manchester).
ATTENDANCE: 281.
