Irresistible AFC hit nine past rivals

CHESHIRE FOOTBALL LEAGUE 1 W DIDSBURY & CH ..... 2 AFC MACCLESFIELD . 9

AFC Macclesfield picked up their biggest win of the season as they ran out extremely dominant winners at West Didsbury & Chorlton Reserves.

A depleted Macc team went into the game with nine regular players unavailable for selection at Brockburn Road, but it didn’t turn out to be an issue for the visitors.

Macclesfield pressed from the start and five minutes in, they went in front from a well worked move which found Jay Burgess unmarked in the West Didsbury box. He picked out Tom Bowey who slotted the ball through the keeper’s legs to make it 1-0.

Macclesfield’s leading scorer Burgess was again in the thick of the action and from outside the area and with his weaker foot, curled a shot in to find the top corner of the West Didsbury net with only ten minutes on the clock.

The away side’s great start shook up the home side and they rallied, forcing Macc goalkeeper Nick Ward into two fine saves to keep them in front, but West Didsbury managed to break his resolve and after another fantastic save from Ward, the ball came out to a West Didsbury forward who tapped in the rebound.

On 25 minutes, Macclesfield’s Jamie Collins played a sublime crossfield ball up to Jack Naylor on the left. He took the ball into the opposition’s penalty area and coolly slotted the ball into the back of the net to make it 3-1 at the break.

At half-time Ryan Stewart replaced the injured Jay Burgess, and within 10 minutes of the start of the second half, Matt Astbury grabbed his first goal for the club after returning from injury. A well worked goal resulted in a good finish to make it 4-1.

The fourth goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of the home side and after more pressing by Macclesfield, Astbury had now turned provider and he found skipper Greg Mathers who scored one of his trademark goals slotting it in from 15 yards.

Macclesfield were now putting West Didsbury to the sword. Sam Dickov burst past his marker from the right side to get on the end of a Bowey through ball to slot the ball in the opposite corner of the net for 6-1.

Astbury grabbed his second and Macclesfield’s 7th, showing his strength to hold off two defenders to turn and finish nicely .

Mathers scored another after confusion within the West Didsbury defence. Their goalkeeper and his defender couldn’t clear the ball resulting in Mathers sliding in between them both to roll the ball into the back of the net. Mathers then had a great chance to claim a hat-trick but his shot hit the cross bar.

The ball fell back to his feet, and when a goal seemed certain, the home team goalkeeper came from nowhere to pull off a brilliant save.

Macc’s goal rout came to an end in the 85th minute. Astbury scored Macclesfield’s ninth goal and his third, for his first hat-trick for the club. He got on to the end of a Mathers through ball to beat the on rushing keeper.

With Macclesfield coasting to a brilliant win, West Didsbury grabbed an unexpected consolation goal. Nick Ward having picked up a shoulder injury minutes before, couldn’t do anything to prevent the goal. A lapse in concentration in the Macclesfield defence let in the West Didsbury substitute to score and make the final score 9-2.

AFC Macclesfield will look to build on that impressive victory when their next Cheshire League game is at All Hallows against Golborne Sports FC on Saturday, with kick-off at 3pm.