Silkmen all out of luck at Hayes Lane
MACCLESFIELD Town were unfortunate to leave Hayes Lane empty handed, after a single Ben May strike was enough to earn Bromley all three points.
Both sides battled hard in the end-to-end affair, however John Askey’s Macclesfield outfit were made to regret their missed chances throughout the game.
Kristian Dennis had the lion’s share of the opportunities for the Silkmen, but the in-form striker was unable to get the travelling team on the score sheet.
Neither side could take control of the tempo in the early exchanges, yet it was clear that Bromley forward Alex Wall was keen to put on a physical display in front of the home fans.
Macclesfield were looking dangerous in the opposition half whenever Dennis made a run in behind the defence, however the back four were alert enough to catch him offside time after time.
The first sight of a goalscoring chance fell to Macc in the 11th minute when Danny Rowe clipped a ball into Chris Holroyd at the back post, but the midfielder’s strike was deflected away and Danny Whitehead’s follow up was cleared for a corner.
Bromley’s Paul Rodgers put a scare into the Silkmen as he drove into space on the right hand side. George Pilkington tracked his run all the way and managed to deflect the shot just past the far post.
It was then Rowe who whipped in a corner to Diagne on the edge of the box and the left back smashed the ball across the six yard box, forcing the keeper to pull off a double save with his feet as Dennis met the ball at the near post.
A Golden chance for Wall then went begging as Shwan Jalal was unable to gather the ball in the box and Goldberg snatched possession. He found Wall, however the target man could only guide the ball over the bar.
The tempo of the game became very unsettled for the final 10 minutes of the half, as neither attacking line were able to carve out any meaningful chances, and half time came with the score at 0-0.
Despite a chance to recompose at the break, the slow pace continued for the opening stages of the second half, with both teams still lacking a spark in their movement.
With 56 minutes played, a double chance came Macclesfield’s way. First it was Rowe who delivered a corner into Paul Lewis at the near post, who managed to get the slightest touch to send the ball goal bound, only for the defence to clear it off the line.
Possession then bounced out to Whitehead, but his deflected strike was headed away. The momentum continued in the Silkmen’s favour as Dennis, Whitehead and Rowe all looked dangerous on the counter attack, yet the end product still alluded them at the vital moment.
Dennis then had a fantastic chance to put the visitors ahead with a direct free kick from 25 yards out, but he couldn’t beat the wall.
Bromley then sprung into a counter attack with a five on two advantage, however Andy Halls recovered well and cleared for a corner.
The Ravens had Macc pinned back and they managed to make the most of a rare second half chance, and it was substitute May who netted for Bromley.
The ball was fizzed into the forward at the near post, and he left Jalal with no chance as he fired in a half volley on the turn.
Askey looked for a way back into the game by bringing on Jack Sampson and Theo Bailey-Jones, but the Silkmen’s passing in the final third was still breaking down at the key moments.
Bailey-Jones was lively for the remaining minutes, before Dennis wasted a glorious chance to go level in stoppage time as he could only find the side netting with his left foot.
The match finished 1-0, ending a run of two consecutive wins for Macclesfield.