In an incident-packed contest, it was the major decisions made by Mr Simpson which were the main talking points.
Right from the third minute, when he chose to book Sam Smith after a 50-50 challenge on Ted Cribley, he chose to baffle players and spectators alike.
Both players had gone in totally committed. Smith won it and Cribley took a knock. It’s part of a contact sport, has been since the game was invented and Mr Simpson was making a rod for his own back.
Consequently, the next two free-kicks he gave inside five minutes, and both to Workington, weren’t even fouls. And so it went on, yet surprisingly it proved to be an exciting contest.
Workington had the better chances in the first-half yet Matlock forced 10 corners, and the only goal came from the home side two minutes before the break.
Once more there was some controversy because an assistant had seemingly flagged for offside, which the referee chose to ignore and instead gave a free-kick to Matlock out on the left.
It was swung in low to the Reds’ box and Marc Newsham got fee to dive forward and head into the bottom corner beyond the diving Aaron Taylor.
Before then Reds had defended the 10 corners very confidently and the only time the Gladiators threatened was when skipper Adam Yates got to the ball first and his header was turned over by Taylor.
Reds had two very good chances to take the lead before then. A long ball forward saw Conor Tinnion get clear but the winger seemed in two minds about chipping the keeper or guiding a shot round him.
The end product was a half-hit shot which Phil Barnes went down smartly to save comfortably.
The other opportunity fell to Joe McGee from a well-flighted free kick by Jake Simpson. The Workington player got on the end of it at the far post and looked a certain scorer but headed wide of the opposite upright.
Workington were the more attack-minded side in the second-half and Matlock needed a super save from Barnes to stay in front. James Earl hit a screamer from 25 yards and somehow the 38-year-old twisted and turned in the air to flick the ball over the bar.
The deserved equaliser came on 66 minutes from a right-wing corner put into the box by Tinnion. Kyle May got on the end of it with a diving header into the top corner.
Minutes later Reds should have been in front. Tinnion was played in and, as he pulled back his trusty left foot, we had visions of the net bulging but again he scuffed his shot and Barnes was able to block.
To complete Tinnion’s agony he was booked, although again it was from an over-reaction by the referee.
The best chances in the later stages went to Matlock as substitute Marcus Dinanga got clear down the middle but as Taylor advanced he slid the ball past him, only to see it go behind off a post.
Then in the 88th minute fellow substitute Curtis Morrison, making his debut on loan from Chesterfield, could have won it, but cutting in from the by-line he was stopped by a brave block from Taylor.
Finally, though, the referee took centre stage again.
Earl won a challenge on Joe Doyle-Charles and, as he pursued the ball, stepped on the Matlock midfielder who had ended on the bottom – clearly accidental but Mr Simpson saw it as a stamp and produced a red card.
Reds had four minutes to see-out but they did so with May, in particular, setting a great example with his strong defending. The old war horse was outstanding.
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