Champions into Cup final again
STOCKPORT DFA SNR CUP SEMI-FINAL AFC MACCLESFIELD .1 POYNTON FC ...............0
after extra time AFC Macclesfield overcame a very strong Poynton team from the Cheshire League Premier Division to win their Stockport DFA Senior Cup Semi Final and make it to their second successive final.
Macc reached the final last season, winning the cup in April, and will now hope to do it again this year.
Macclesfield manager Ed Haslam was delighted with the win, and has urged his team to try and replicate what they achieved in 2016.
He said: All the Macclesfield players were magnificent and deserved their second consecutive appearance in the final. We’re looking forward to trying to repeat last year’s success.”
The game between Macclesfield and Poynton was the first time the two teams had met in any competition, but it was probably Macc’s best performance of the season and the 1-0 score line didn’t tell the full story of the game.
Macclesfield dominated the game in the first half and if it wasn’t for the excellent Simon Nicol in the Poynton goal, they would have gone in at half time, with an advantage. The Poynton attack couldn’t penetrate the Macc defence with central defenders Jack Disney and man of the match Chris Coppenhall, putting in outstanding performances.
Midfielders Jack Hunter and Jonny Cavanagh controlled the middle of the pitch and up front Jack Bannister tormented the Poynton defence time and again, but couldn’t get anything to show for his efforts.
Matt Williams made his debut for Macclesfield up front alongside Chris Smith, who came back to the team after a long layoff.
The second half was a little more even, with both teams working hard for that vital first goal but it was Macclesfield who were creating more chances and looking the more likely to make a breakthrough.
Poynton’s Nicol was far the busier of the two goalkeepers, continuing where he left off in the first half, denying Macclesfield an advantage.
In the final minute of the 90, Jay Burgess thought he’d won it for Macclesfield, but once again, the Poynton goalkeeper pulled off another stunning save to force the match into 30 minutes of extra time.
Extra time proved again to be a similar story with both Macc and Poynton pressing for that vital goal.
With 10 minutes of extra time gone, another Macclesfield attack proved the turning point of the game.
It was a goalmouth scramble and after a couple attempts at the Poynton goal, it was finally put into the back of the Poynton net by Chris Smith for a deserved lead.
In the closing minutes of the second half of extra time, an opportunity came for a second goal for Macclesfield when a penalty was awarded for a foul on Jack Naylor in the Poynton penalty area, but another great save by Nicol denied Jack Disney a goal and Macclesfield their second.
It didn’t matter in the end, as Macclesfield managed to hold on to pick up the deserved win and set up a showdown in the final with either Cheadle Town Reserves or Spurley Hey.