Silkmen must turn Moss Rose into a fortress

MACCLESFIELD Town manager John Askey insists his team have to try and make the Moss Rose a fortress this season.

The Silkmen host Chester on Saturday looking to pick up just their second win of the season so far.

All of the points that Askey’s side have picked up during this campaign have come at home, and he knows how vital that form can be.

“As we are all aware our home record is great and we need to make sure that when teams come here they have to fight hard to get anything,” he said.

“We haven’t lost at home yet and we have to try and get that form as good as it was during last season.

“Chester will come here and try to win the game by playing good passing football but we will be confident.”

Macclesfield currently sit 18th in the National League table and head into this weekend’s clash on the back of two straight losses.

Their last defeat came at the hands of Eastleigh, but Askey revealed he took a lot of positives from the performance.

“We worked hard and made it difficult for Eastleigh and I was pleased with how we defended after conceding five goals against Lincoln,” he said.

“It’s always difficult at Eastleigh so I can’t knock the effort that the players put in and I thought Ritchie Branagan in particular was standing.

“The goal we conceded was still poor though so there is still some things that we need to work on, but overall I couldn’t have asked for more from the lads.”

The 1-0 defeat to Eastleigh means that Macclesfield have now failed to score in three of their league matches this season.

While that may be the case, Askey has no concerns about his attacking options at this moment in time.

“We scored three against Lincoln and then two the game before, so I’m not

out- too worried about that aspect,” he said.

“In the first half against Eastleigh we were competitive, and then the game opened up a bit more in the second half and it meant we had more chances.

“It’s a matter of wanting to compete first and foremost and I thought the players did that throughout the game.

“We worked hard and make it difficult for Eastleigh and in the second half I can’t remember them having too many chances.”

Saturday’s opponents Chester currently sit 11th in the league table, having won two of their opening five games.

The Silkmen picked up a 3-1 victory when they met in this fixture last season, with Waide Fairhust scoring the pick of the goals.

Askey will have two games to prepare for over a 48 hour period this weekend, as his side will also travel to Grimsby on Bank Holiday Monday.

Macclesfield will be hoping that they can repeat their success from last season in the fixture, as a late winner from Danny Whitaker helped his team run out 2-1 victors at Blundell Park in January.

‘We have to try and get that home form as good as it was last season’