Macc’s march to
MACCLESFIELD Town had to settle for a point as they were pegged back from two goals up to draw at Ebbsfleet United.
Goals from Nathan Blissett and Tyrone Marsh had put the Silkmen ahead, before Danny Kedwell pulled one back from the penalty spot for Ebbsfleet.
Blissett was then controversially sent off for Macc, before Dean Rance equalised for the hosts to ensure the game finished 2-2.
John Askey made one change to his Macclesfield side for the game, as Scott Burgess replaced Danny Whitehead in midfield after Whitehead was unable to recover from the injury he sustained during the Easter Monday fixture against Chester.
The hosts were quick out of the blocks in the game, with Corey Whitely causing plenty of problems for Ebbsfleet.
He almost set up an opener for his side when he sent a good ball into the area, but Luke Coulson couldn’t get on the end of it.
Once again Whitely was involved a few minutes later when he had an attempt of his own, but Shwan Jalal was on hand to deny him.
The visitors went up the other end and Burgess was hoping to make an impact after returning to the Macc line-up. The midfielder tried to break the deadlock twice, but both times he couldn’t get the shots on target as his efforts went over Nathan Ashmore’s crossbar.
Things were different on the half hour mark as the Silkmen did manage to make the breakthrough. Burgess capitalised on a mistake in the Ebbsfleet defence as he pounced on the ball and fired it across goal to the oncoming Blisset, who smashed the ball into the net to make it 1-0 to the away side at the break.
Macclesfield looked to build on their goal at the start of the second half, with Blissett and Marsh dictating play for their team.
It paid off, as Macc doubled their lead on 59 minutes. A pin-point corner from Danny Whitaker found Marsh, who headed home to net his sixth goal of the campaign.
It looked like Askey’s side were cruising to a victory, but Ebbsfleet found their way back into the game when they handed a penalty with around 20 minutes to go.
Jalal was deemed to have fouled Winfield in the penalty area by referee Paul Marsden, and despite the protests from the Macc players, Kedwell tucked home the resulting penalty to reduce the deficit.
Controversy then struck when the away side were reduced to 10 men. After discussion with his fourth official, referee Marsden decided to send off Blissett was an apparent altercation with Winfield, though replays showed that it was an incorrect decision.
The red card changed the game, as Ebbsfleet then managed to level the score on 79 minutes. Myles Weston pulled the ball back to Rance who slotted the ball into the net from the edge of the area to make it 2-2.
Ebbsfleet pushed forward as they tried to com- plete the turnaround, and the Silkmen had to dig deep with 10-men.
Macclesfield nearly got a winner of their end though, as substitute Kieran Kennedy’s header went narrowly over the bar.
There were then seven minutes of injury time added on, and despite Ebbsfleet’s best efforts, Macclesfield’s solid defence held firm as the score finished 2-2 at Stonebridge Road.
MACCLESFIELD TOWN:
Jalal, Hodgkiss, Fitzpatrick, Lowe, Pilkington, Marsh ( Wilson 82’), Blissett, Hancox, Evans, Burgess (Kennedy 85’), Whitaker. Subs Not Used: Ramsbottom, Baba, De Girolamo