Bitter end to play-off push
MACCLESFIELD Town’s play-off push ended in controversy on Easter Monday with assistant manager Steve Watson believing his side fell victim to the worst refereeing decision of the season.
Macc took the lead against Solihull Moors but couldn’t hold on to their advantage and conceded three second half goals to come up short in the game at the Moss Rose.
The controversial moment came just before half-time when Macc appeared to clearly have the ball over the line, only for the officials to rule out the effort.
Watson was flabbergasted with the decision, and doesn’t think he has seen one worse during his team’s campaign.
“To be honest, without saying too much and getting into trouble, nothing surprises me with the officiating in this league,” he said.
“We thought we saw the worst decision this season when we conceded the penalty against Tranmere, but little did I know that they would disallow a goal that was three yards over the line.
“I’m unbelievably frustrated as we all want to put teams to bed at home and improve the home form, and going in 1-0 at halftime would have been a different story.
“We still had the lead and had chances to kill it off but in many ways that’s the story of the season at home. We dominated at times then can’t put the ball in the net to kill teams off.
Watson is desperate to try and turn the home form around, and is unsure why the players are not performing in front of their own supporters.
“There are no real problems about the way we’re playing away, but we can’t get to the bottom of why we can’t reproduce that form at home,” he said.
“I’ve played at clubs and coached at clubs where the home pressure is a lot for young inexperienced players, but these guys are all experienced.
“It shouldn’t be a pressure. Not paying your mortgage or putting food on your table is a pressure, playing at home in front of your own fans isn’t, so we really need to address that.”
The result left Macc ten points off the play-offs with three games to play.
Up next for John Askey’s men is a trip to league leaders Lincoln on Saturday. The Silkmen came up short when the two teams met in the reverse fixture earlier this season, with Lincoln picking up a 2-1 win at the Moss Rose back in August.
Macc led at the break thanks to a strike from Kingsley James, but goals from Harry Anderson and Adam Marriott helped the visitors come out on top.
Lincoln have been the dominant side in the National League this season, and can clinch the title with a victory this weekend. ”