JP’s star turn lights up Leek
JOHN Paul Kissock provided a timely reminder of his abilities, scoring a fine goal in Macclesfield’s win at Harrison Park.
He jinked and shimmied his way past home defenders before drilling in to liven up an otherwise stolid afternoon’s football.
The midfielder was shipped out to Oldham on loan for the second half of last season and is currently in dispute with Macc.
But with nearly half an hour remaining at Harrison Park he had the ball at his feet and two men blocking his path to goal. But a twist and a turn and he was through, finishing well to make it 1-0 to a Macc side that had the greater possession but struggled to significantly threaten Ben Chapman’s goal.
Half-time replacement Josh Amis increased his stock too, timing his run perfectly to take Jack Disney’s pass and slot in a second minutes before the end.
With manager John Askey absent on a scouting mission, Efe Sodje took charge of team affairs and gave Rhys Taylor a chance in goal after his brief stint at Crawley.
He was called to arms early on, parrying from Tim Grice and then pouncing to smother the loose ball at the feet of the impressive Liam Shotton.
Shotton did have the best chance of the half but turned Dan Shelley’s cross the wrong side of the far post with the goal at his mercy.
Macc’s Waide Fairhurst did at least test Chapman towards the end of the half but the majority of balls in and around the box were poorly directed – including one wayward cross from Kissock that cleared the bar and cleaned out Express photographer Tony Carter.
After the second half began with Taylor saving from Grice twice, Macc’s Spanish trialist David Gonzalez shot wide after finding the space to collect a Kissock corner and set his sights.
But a well-worked move minutes after that allowed Kissock to evade the attentions of the Leek defence to score.
And then the substitutions came thick and fast. Will Bailey, who’d formed a strong central midfield partnership with Gonzalez, limped off 10 minutes from time but the Silkmen came through the match otherwise unscathed.
And the win was confirmed by Amis.
He’d won a powerful header 15 minutes from the end but couldn’t direct it on target, but he made no mistake with his next chance, keeping calm when in on Chapman’s goal to nestle the ball inside the post.