Silkmen bounce to top of table
MACCLESFIELD FC bounced back from the disappointment of their FA Cup exit to win backto-back league games over the Bank Holiday weekend.
And victories against Barnoldswick and Congleton saw the Silkmen climb to the top of the North West Counties Premier Division table.
Though Bank Holiday Monday’s derby clash against Congleton was marred by fighting among rival supporters, on the pitch it was positive news all the way as James BerryMcNally’s goal secured a 1-0 win, coming two days after a 2-1 win at Barnoldswick.
And manager Danny Whitaker believes the results can propel his side’s push for promotion.
“The last two games can be a massive springboard for us after the FA Cup loss and the disappointment of that last week and what the lads and us as staff experienced,” he said following the win against
Congleton. “To then turn it around and go into these last two games – knowing the pressure was on the players and on us as staff – to get through them with six points, two wins out of two, has to give the lads loads of confidence.
“I thought the lads were magnificent from minute one to 95, that’s all we asked before the game and that’s what they gave us and we got the three points.
“There was no shortage of the passion and desire we have been asking for, the lads took on board what we have been saying to them and took it into Saturday’s game and produced again on Monday with another three points, so I can’t fault them.
“The chances that Congleton created were brought about by our own defensive mistakes, playing out when we shouldn’t have been and being a bit sloppy on the ball. Fortunately for us they didn’t score.
“We created a few really good chances (in the first half) and on another day you think they’ll go in, but they didn’t.
“But the main thing was the three points.
“After the week that we’ve had, three points was all that mattered in the last two games and we’ve done that.
“We made a few tactical changes at half time in terms of how we wanted them to play, we had been playing too many short passes into midfield instead of one pass in, going back out and then maybe going over the top because they struggled with balls in behind, so there was just a little bit more emphasis on that.”
And Whitaker revealed a pep-talk with BerryMcNally may have had a hand in the winning goal.
He said: “I spoke to James Berry-McNally before the game about making runs in behind like I do as a midfielder because defenders can’t live with you, midfielders don’t want to stay with you and defenders don’t like it when you run past them and we emphasised that at half time as well, instead of them coming from behind a man to receive the ball deep, make those runs in behind because if the midfielder does go with you then it creates space for someone else to go into.
“James did that fantastically well and he deserved his goal.
“We wanted to one hundred per cent push on for a second goal, the momentum was with us so there was no sitting back – as soon as you do that you are inviting trouble.
“So from our point of view it’s always press, press, press until you can’t press any more and then we’ll make changes and we’ll keep pressing.”
‘To get two wins out of two has to give the lads loads of confidence’