Macc taste season’s first home defeat
MACCLESFIELD Town were beaten at the Moss Rose for the first time this season when they lost to Lincoln City.
Kingsley James had put the hosts in the lead at the interval, but goals from Harry Anderson and Adam Marriott saw the visitors turn things around.
It was a slow start to the match, with neither team able to create any major chances during the opening stages.
Ritchie Branagan was the first goalkeeper called into action when the Macc stopper was required to keep out an effort from Terry Hawkridge.
The Imps had another opportunity minutes later when they had a free-kick in a dangerous position, but it went to waste as the effort went high over the crossbar.
Macclesfield had their first real chance on 15 minutes when Danny Whitaker went close, before a long range effort from David Fitzpatrick was pushed away by Paul Farman.
Things then got a bit lively when John McCombe received the first yellow card of the match after a foul on Jonathan Margetts.
Lincoln looked to be the better side as the half progressed, with Branagan again needed to deny Nathan Arnold, while Margetts fired wide after finding space for himself.
The away side couldn’t make their chances count though and Macclesfield made them pay when they opened the scoring two minutes before half-time.
Chris Holroyd’s effort struck the far post, with James reacting quickest to tap the ball home and make it 1-0 to the Silkmen at the interval.
Macclesfield looked to double their lead at the start of the second half when Whitaker and Paul Lewis both tried their luck, but neither man could take full advantage.
Lincoln then found themselves on level terms on 56 minutes when Anderson grabbed an equaliser.
The midfielder fired a long-range shot past Branagan and into the bottom corner of the net to make it 1-1.
That goal appeared to give the away side an extra edge and they began to dictate proceedings from that point onwards, forcing the Macc defence to make several important challenges.
Silkmen boss John Askey turned to his substitute’s bench as he tried to get his side back in their groove, with Ollie Norburn coming on in place of Whitaker.
Norburn nearly made an immediate impact when he tried to find Danny Rowe in the box, but the ball whistled over the crossbar.
Lincoln’s turnaround was complete on 75 minutes when a substitute of their own got the all-important winner for his side.
Marriott had only been on the pitch for four minutes when his close range finish put the visitors 2-1 up.
Macclesfield tried to find an equaliser in the closing stages but were unsuccessful, meaning they suffered a narrow defeat.
Branagan, Fitzpatrick, Pilkington, McCombe (Byrne 45’), Lewis (Mackreth 77’), Holroyd, Sampson, Rowe, Cowan, James, Whitaker (Norburn 71’).
Ross, Hancox
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