Ross wants role
MACCLESFIELD Town goalkeeper Craig Ross is hoping to force his way into contention this weekend for his side’s FA Trophy final against York City.
Ross has shared goalkeeper duties with Scott Flinders this season, with Ross making 25 appearances for Macc in all competitions while Flinders has played 23 games.
It looks like Flinders is more likely to get the nod for the match at Wembley, but Ross will be doing all he can to try and be the one in the starting lineup.
“I’ve got to get my head down and work hard and do what I can do, so we’ll see what happens,” he told the Macclesfield Express.
“It’s a good occasion to look forward to. I’ve been to see different mates play in different games at Wembley but you always want to get there yourself.
“Every time I go there I think it could be me, and playing at Wembley is always one of the things that in your career you try to aim to do.
“It was a target of mine at the start of the season, whether that be in the FA Trophy final or the playoff final, and thankfully we’ve managed to do one of them.”
Macclesfield’s opponents York have had success against the Silkmen this season, winning both of their encounters in the National League.
With that in mind, Ross is expecting another hard game even though York have gone on to suffer relegation from the division.
“It’s going to be a tough game.
“They’ve gone down but they’ve beaten us twice this season so we owe them one,” he said.
“They’ve got good players on paper and they will be fired up for it as they’ll want to give something back to their fans after a disappointing season.
“Our games against them this season were two very different matches. At the start of the season they were playing quite good football but then made a lot of changes throughout the year.
“At the end of the campaign they were very direct, physical and strong, but we know what to expect now.”
Meanwhile, Silkmen skipper Andy Halls reckons the history the club enjoys in the FA Trophy makes this year’s final even more important.
The Silkmen take on York City at Wembley on May 21, hoping to win the cup for the third time since its creation nearly 50 years ago, so Halls thinks that makes it a unique situation.
“It’s massive that the club have an extra special connection with the competition having won it twice before,” he told the club’s official website.
“Having
‘Every time I go there I think it could be me. It’s one of the things you try to aim for’
a manager that’s already won it makes it seem an extra special trophy for us so hopefully we can win it and make it special for us as a team on the 21st May.”
Halls hopes that the town of Macclesfield can get behind the team and support the players.
“Last week I was at the treacle market and a few of the lads have been going around schools trying to get everyone in the town involved,” he said.
“It’s a great day for everyone associated with the club and hopefully we can take some big numbers with us.”
Halls also picked out his favourite moment during his side’s run to the final of the competition.
“It was definitely Ollie Norburn’s goal at Tranmere, we’ve done it the hard way of getting draws at Altrincham and Dulwich Hamlet,” he said.
“The two legs against Tranmere was tight and the game against Forest Green was probably one of our best performances but the highlight for me was definitely Ollie’s goal.”