Salford increase
SKY BET
LEAGUE TWO MACCLESFIELD .............. 0 SALFORD CITY................ 2
FIRST half goals from Ash Hunter and Richie Towell saw Salford claim all three points at the Moss Rose.
Hunter saw his whipped cross taken by the wind and fly into the top corner – leaving Jonathan Mitchell with little chance.
The visitors’ second came courtesy of Richie Towell, with his powerful close-range drive providing a safety net for the Greater Manchester outfit.
Despite the fact that The Silkmen started the game firmly in the ascendancy, Salford forged the game’s first opening of note. Ash Hunter scuffed his effort well wide of Jonathan Mitchell’s goal under pressure from a couple of Macc defenders.
Arthur Gnahoua proved to be Macc’s most promising outlet in the early exchanges; and would find himself involved in two promising Silkmen attacks in as many minutes.
After earning a corner at the end of a fantastic solo run, Arthur sent a teasing ball towards Salford’s far post; a matter of inches ahead of the onrushing Connor Kirby who, for a moment, looked set to open the scoring.
Salford responded with a dangerous looking counter-attack, the ball eventually falling at the feet of Bruno Andrade, whose attempts to bypass the Silkmen backline were foiled by the ever-dependable Fiacre Kelleher who slid in well before clearing the danger for Macc.
A period of stalemate would ensue, until The Ammies took the lead through Ash Hunter, who saw his cross taken by the wind any fly into the top corner leaving Jonathan Mitchell with little chance in the Macc goal.
The Ammies looked to build on their lead moments later through Richie Towell, but his effort was well saved by an alert Mitchell who did well to get down to his right and push the ball to safety.
Towell would indeed double Salford’s lead with just over five minutes to play before the interval, as he beat his man before firing a powerful closerange strike under Mitchell.
Fraser Horsfall then fired a powerful longrange shot into the hands of Kyle Letheren in the opening minutes of the second half, as the Silkmen came out intent on reducing Salford’s lead.
Macc would keep this intensity up and create another chance moments later, but Arthur Gnahooua couldn’t quite connect as he stretched to get on the end of Nathan Cameron’s goalward flick.
Some good work from substitute Joe Ironside then saw him beat multiple Salford defenders down the right side before finding Shilow Tracey with a pinpoint cross into the Salford area.
Shilow’s header came off Salford defender Oscar Threlkeld, forcing Letheren to claw the ball away when it looked as though Macc had done enough to half the deficit.
A rare second half attack from Salford then saw Andrade strike straight at Mitchell, who was largely untested for much of the second period.
The Silkmen came close to scoring once more as the game ticked towards its final stages, but Nathan Cameron saw his powerful header deflected over the crossbar.
Joe Ironside would have another chance as stoppage time loomed, but his snapshot was well held by Letheren as Salford held firm.
Jonathan Mitchell, Jak McCourt (Jacob Blyth, 87’), Fiacre Kelleher, Arthur Gnahoua, Ben
MACCLESFIELD TOWN:
Tollitt (Ironside, 55’), Theo Archibald, Connor Kirby, Fraser Horsfall, Corey O’Keeffe, Shilow Tracey (Donovan Wilson, 72’), Nathan Cameron. Unused Substitutes: Harry Hamblin, Ben Stephens, Jacob Blyth, David Fitzpatrick.
2,317 (680 away)
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