Macc’s Men’s teams topping their tables
WITH all eight Macclesfield Hockey Club senior teams on the pitch for the first time in a while, the Men’s 2s looked to continue their unbeaten run and it was a top of the table clash for the Men’s 1s.
In a frosty start, it was the Ladies 1s up first against Oldham 1s in a 3-3 draw.
Macclesfield dominated play in the first half with Francesca Losa (1) putting the side ahead within 10 minutes from a smart back post tap in.
After continual pressure on Oldham’s defence, Player of the Match Thea Losa’s concise passing and great leading runs created a number of attacking opportunities for the home side, and a short corner was gained. Great passes within the D saw the corner end in Lily Brown (1) rocketing the ball over the line. With Oldham’s retaliatory goal quickly countered by the third goal for Macclesfield converted by Lizzy Jones (1), half time saw the home side 3-1 up.
Keeper Jess Hughes made some fantastic saves and an on the line deflection from Brown saw frustrations rise within the Oldham team as they looked to pull the game back.
Taking advantage of a misplaced pass, the scoreline narrowed to 3-2.
Tense from both sides, it was stalemate as Macclesfield’s play stagnated and Oldham were elated to take advantage of this to level the score. Despite the Ladies 1s switching on again for the last 5 minutes to gain several penalties, it wasn’t to be as the team couldn’t convert further and left the pitch somewhat disappointed, but determined to go again next week.
With the top of the table spot up for grabs, it was a tense clash between the Men’s 1s and Oxton 2s resulting in a 4-2 victory for the home side. Macclesfield held the 2nd place spot going into Saturday’s match, knowing that top of the table Oxton were going to prove a tough opposition.
The Men’s 1s were unable to break through the well organised Oxton press who took the first advantage of the game after winning a series of short corners they were eventually able to convert and take the lead. It wasn’t for long though, as Macclesfield intensified their play and Will AllmandSmith (2) equalised within minutes.
With both sides giving nothing away, the match was tight. Oxton once again took the lead following a quick break to end the half at 2-1. Fired up, the Men’s 1s saw individual wins across the pitch contribute to the everincreasing pressure on Oxton’s defence with Player of the Match Morgan Jennings showing skill as attacks were created.
It was Brandon Crichton (2) who equalised on a short corner, closely followed by a second goal to edge into the lead. Flying tackles across the pitch saw a flurry of cards and it was a battle to take the final upper hand. It was Macclesfield who were triumphant as AllmandSmith defeated the keeper 1 on 1 after a precisely threaded ball from Aaron Gaskell travelled the full length of the pitch. Now equal on points, Macclesfield have the edge on goal difference to take Oxton’s top spot from them.
Away at Deeside Ramblers 4s, the Ladies 3s saw a 4-0 defeat. Starting well, Macclesfield maintained possession but it was Deeside late in the second half who took the lead with a breakaway goal that was quickly followed up by a second to take a 2-0 lead going into half time.
Applying greater pressure in the second half, the Ladies 3s transferred well, pushing forward up the wings but were unable to convert their chances. Deeside worked hard to break down the Macclesfield play, creating attacking chances of their own and were rewarded by doubling their advance. The Ladies 3s heads are still held high though as they maintained their high levels of effort and possession throughout the game.
Hosting Lymm 2s, the Men’s 2s were successful in maintaining their clean sweep of points in a 7-0 win. Following a twoweek break the Men’s 2s were raring to go again in their promotion campaign. Macclesfield set the tone from the first
whistle as Ben Ford (1) found the net in under a minute after a great passage of opening play. Continuing to pressure the Lymm defence, the home side saw several misses but gained a short corner that was duly converted by Ollie Moore (2) 10 minutes in. With confidence high, the Men’s 2s were relentless and the team worked as a unit to increase their lead. Player of the Match Roland Alston (2) joined the score sheet after some fantastic link up play. As the half progressed, Moore gained a second goal and it was Jake Bennison (1) who dealt the final blow of the half to end it at 5-0 with Lymm’s chances looking slim.
As Macclesfield continued in the same fashion as play moved into the second half, passes were flowing and although Dom Findlay’s shot was denied by the Lymm keeper, the ball was sent straight to Adam Herbert (1) who converted the side’s 6th goal. Alston scored the 7th and final goal as play started to open up and Lymm took a greater control of play. Macclesfield defence held strong, guaranteeing a clean sheet while Lymm’s keeper made some cracking
saves in order to prevent a further lead extension. A great win to continue the Men’s 2 top of the table run.
The Ladies 2s travelled over to Knutsford 1s and returned with a 2-0 loss. It was a frustrating game for the Ladies 2s as the majority of the game was played in the Macclesfield attacking half, but the team were unable to convert their many chances. With Player of the Match Jenny Austin having a fantastic game holding the midfield, Knutsford were struggling to break through.
With high hopes moving into the second half, Macclesfield continued to move the ball throughout the pitch and utilise the width but with an unfortunate own goal the team saw themselves 1-0 down. Heads dropped and Knutsford took advantage to double their lead before the final whistle leaving the Ladies 2s disappointed.
Over at Wilmslow 3s, the Men’s 3s lost out 3-2. Early on, it was Macclesfield showing promise as with good interceptions and a solid defence but it remained 0-0 for the majority of the first half as both teams battled for an opening goal.
Deadlock was broken as
Wilmslow were awarded a short corner which was deflected in. As Macclesfield played the ball out well from the back with the midfield finding the wide forwards, they looked set to score, but Wilmslow’s defensive line kept them off the score sheet as half time sat at 1-0.
The second half saw a similar continuance of play and Wilmslow extended their lead as tensions rose. Macclesfield kept cool to draw level with conversions from Jim Leach (1) and Jeremy Allmand-Smith (1). Both teams were in search of a winner but with no substitutions the visitors began to tire, and Wilmslow snuck through to add another deflection to their tally and narrowly nab the win.
Also away were the Ladies 4s who were successful, beating Whitchurch 3s 2-1.
Looking to replicate last week’s performance, the Ladies 4s went out with fire against Whitchurch from the start.
They were rewarded with an early lead for the visitors as Leila Stoneley (1) scored a fantastic goal from the baseline. Whitchurch quickly countered to equalise but Macclesfield
kept a positive attitude and continued with their drive and determination to win in the second half.
As the side created chance after chance, the Ladies 4s struggled to convert. The hard work paid off however as Megan Behan (1) sealed the win for the Ladies 4s as she slipped the ball into the corner. On the back foot now, Whitchurch upped the pressure, but thanks to Player of the Match Hattie Hawkins’ wonderful defending, and opposition nominated Best Player Megan Martin’s superb interceptions, the home teams breaks were kept out and the Ladies 4s deservedly took the 3 points home.
Last up for an undefeated home day, the Men’s 4s took on Deeside Ramblers 7s in a 1-1 draw. Trying out a new formation, Ian Owen managed the defence and distribution well but the Men’s 4s soon decided to revert to the tried and tested formation, soon seeing attacking chances created. Player of the Match, Phil Holder, ensured that the score was 0-0 at half time with a number of great saves in goals. As the second half progressed, Macclesfield were the first to break the deadlock as David Lawrance (1) defeated the defence to slot it home.
Oscar Powell, Felix Robey and Joe Laughton added to the Men’s 4s attacking chances but the plays were denied by Deeside’s keeper.
Holder kept the numerous Deeside attacks at bay but in the final minutes of the game a short corner was won and unfortunately converted to end the game in a 1-1 draw.
On Sunday, the U8s Tigers team headed over to the Wilmslow tournament. On the cold, rainy afternoon our U8s played 7 games against the local teams. Putting recent training into practise, the Tigers showed great improvements in their tackling, use of space, passing and overall confidence. Despite the weather, it was a wellattended and enjoyable event with the team once again doing themselves proud.
If you are interested in getting involved with our club, whether by playing, coaching, officiating or spectating, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via email at macchockey@ gmail.com or by searching for Macclesfield Hockey Club on our social media platforms!