Silkmen back in
MACCLESFIELD Town moved up into second place in the National League table with a 2-0 win away to struggling Barrow.
Captain Jared Hodgkiss scored his first ever goal for the Silkmen, before Elliott Durrell sealed the result in the second half.
The hosts made a blistering start to the match. Byron Harrison played Adi Yussuf in within the first minute, but the striker’s run was met by the offside flag.
The Bluebirds continued to threaten in the opening exchanges, with a couple of speculative efforts from Bedsente Gomis from just outside the area.
Yussuf then went close in 20th minute, but lacked the cutting-edge which enabled him to claim a hat-trick in their previous match and saw his shot go inches past the post.
Macclesfield looked dangerous too. Hodgkiss flashed wide from outside of the box and an effort from Ryan Lloyd took a deflection to send it offtarget at the near post.
Town created the crucial opening in the 27th minute with a one-two between Danny Whitaker and Hodgkiss. This left the skipper in plenty of space let loose on goal and open his account.
Scott Burgess could have added a second soon after when Scott Wilson played the ball to him, but the Bury loanee failed to keep the ball down.
AFC received a further blow in the 35th minute when they lost Jack Barthram to injury following, which caused them to reshuffle the defence. This did not prevent them having the better of the chances for the remainder of the half however.
Barrow’s man with the armband attempted to level the scores. Asa Hall will have been disappointed with the outcome of his effort inside the Macclesfield penalty area, as he failed to find the net with an unmarked header.
Yussuf continued to blaze off-target from the edge of the area, with two further attempts when other options were available.
The second-half saw the match open up more, with both sides chasing the next goal.
Scott Wilson forced Stuart Moore into a save soon after the restart and Yussuf had Shwan Jalal down at his near post.
Burgess had sent a shot wide from five yards out and an opportunity for Scott Wilson was stifled, after a counter-attack led by David Fitzpatrick and Durrell presented him with a chance.
Durrell soon had a chance of his own and took it well, with a curling finish into the top corner from just outside the box, to put the visitors in a comfortable position in the 61st minute.
Whitaker almost added a third for the Silkmen with a shot low across goal from the left, but a fine save from Moore denied him and Moussa Diarra was on hand to block the follow-up on the line.
Barrow’s latest signing, Grant Holt entered the field ten minutes from the end, but the former Norwich and Rochdale striker failed to make a significant impact on his return to the Cumbrian side.
This result signals a return to form for the Silkmen, after succumbing to consecutive defeats against Dagenham & Redbridge and Eastleigh in their two previous matches.
Town manager John Askey said: “Our form is good in regard to points and if we keep performing like we did on Saturday, then we’re likely to win games and continue to be as high as we can in the table. Hopefully we can keep doing that and push on.”