SATURDAY ACTION
Every game covered as the race for promotion and relegation hots up across the country
AND so we go onto Tuesday. Macclesfield Town were hoping to kick-start their promotion party in front of the BT Sport cameras but Leyton Orient gatecrashed it.
With Tranmere Rovers needing to equal or better the Silkmen’s lunchtime result, it was a waiting game to see how things panned out at Prenton Park against Aldershot. They won, so now it’s all eyes on the Rovers at Dover in midweek.
Silkmen boss John Askey – Sir John in these parts – joked he still doesn’t know what twitter is so wouldn’t be following the Shots result until the final 20 minutes, while Macc supporters hung around the ground hoping the champagne would eventually be flowing.
But, with his side needing four points before the game to win the title, it’s a point closer.
“It is,” Askey said. “I thought we started brightly, we had two or three good chances and if we’d have taken them it would have been a different story. But every time there was a set-piece, they looked dangerous. They are very good in the air.
“We played Tuesday and with the away travel one or two were a bit leggy. Again, they’ve worked their socks off to get that point and in the end I’m pleased they’ve got that.” If there’s a player who epitomises everything Macclesfield are about, it’s Danny Whitaker. The midfielder played alongside Askey in his first spell at the club. Friday’s Race Night to raise funds for him in his testimonial season was cancelled ahead of this early start. The 37-year-old is the Silkmen’s thoroughbred and he opened his legs to latch onto Mitch Hancox’s clever ball around the corner before poking in to the bottom corner for the opener on 17 minutes. Striker Nathan Blissett had a wonderful chance to extend the lead on 29 minutes. Scott Burgess, on from the bench to replace the injured Evans, sent a ball in from the left where Blissett, unmarked, couldn’t quite get enough power on his downward header that was, all the same, well saved low to his left by Brill.
The O’s had made no secret of their intention to dampen the festival mood. Left winger James Brophy looked threatening and they were able to rack up the corner count.
When one inswinger fell in the box, Josh Koroma was able to smuggle past Shwan Jalal on the turn to level the scores before the break.
Striker Macauley Bonne nearly got in behind the defence early in the second-half and Koroma was off target from just inside the box.
It was the start of a frustrating second period for the Silkmen, who couldn’t get into their usual stride while the O’s looked solid. The terraces collectively held its breath when Jobi McAnuff struck a fierce shot over the bar with five minutes left.
That was nothing compared to the inhaling when Bonne’s low shot was blocked and the loose ball fell to David Mooney, but his smashed effort from six yards was kept out by David Fitzpatrick’s brilliant lastditch block. How important that could be.
And Orient boss Justin Edinburgh was pleased with his side’s work as they made it five unbeaten.
“It’s credit to the players,” he said. “It would have been quite easy to come here today and take part in a party – everyone was looking for Macclesfield to win. We certainly stopped that celebration. I thought we were excellent. Apart from two isolated incidents in the first half, I thought we bossed the game.
“They worked tirelessly on the training ground and that’s what we’ve got to do. We’ve got to take the momentum into next year because these are the games we want to be playing.”