Silkmen return to top five with Tunde triple
MACCLESFIELD .............. 3 MORPETH TOWN ............ 0
MACCLESFIELD clawed their way back into a playoff spot at the weekend after Tunde Owolabi netted a hat-trick to sink Morpeth Town AFC 3-0 at the Leasing.com Stadium.
Seeking to wreak vengeance after suffering defeat at the hands of Morpeth last October, Owolabi made it possible by converting from the spot before successfully rebounding a second penalty that was initially saved by Dan Lowson.
The Silkmen number 10 completed the triad by nodding home from close range after 80 minutes to secure the three points.
Manager Michael Clegg made just one change to the side that were triumphant on the road against Stafford Rangers last Tuesday night, with Neil Kengni being introduced to replace the suspended John Rooney.
The Silkmen secured a 3-1 victory at Marston Road, thanks to first-half strikes from Tre Pemberton and Luke Duffy, with Tom Clare scoring on his return after coming off the bench with 20 minutes to go.
Macc started the better of the two sides, with Kane Drummond being set free within the first 30 seconds, but goalkeeper Lowson swept the ball from his feet when faced one-on-one.
Drummond then came close again less than a minute later when he rose highest to meet a ball in from the left with his head, but Lowson caught it with ease.
A phase of admirable one-touch football then followed, with Macc’s front three linking together well enough to find Owolabi at the back post, who converted from close range but was deemed offside following initial celebrations.
But Macc were soon given the opportunity they were looking for after the hand of full-back Michael Turner appeared to connect with the face of Sam Heatchote in the visitors’ area, causing Heathcote to fall to the surface and the referee to point to the spot.
Owolabi was quick to claim the ball, stepping up and slotting a low effort into the bottom right corner to send Lowson the wrong way and break the deadlock after a quarterof-an-hour.
Equipped with the advantage, Owolabi almost doubled it less than two minutes later after an intelligent ball from Drummond picked the striker out.
The goalscorer’s initial effort was kept out by an outstanding stop from Lowson, with his rebound only being able trickle past the post much to Tre Pemberton’s frustration, who made it clear that a square-ball across goal perhaps would have been the better decision.
But the Belgian had the chance to redeem himself after 26 minutes after Paul Dawson was clipped inside the area by William Dowling following a Silkmen corner, causing the referee to award the Silks a second penalty.
Owolabi set the ball on the spot once again, but watched his central effort palmed out by Lowson.
Fortunately for Owolabi, however, the ball fell directly into his path, allowing him to slot home into an empty net to double Macc’s advantage.
For the remainder of the half, the Silks dominated in possession but failed to offer any real threat in front of goal.
Drummond came the closest following an excellent phase of play out on the right with Pemberton, but his conclusive effort was hit straight at Lowson and they entered the interval two goals to the good.
Macc kicked-off the second period with the same level of threat they posed in that of the first, with Neil Kengni providing a wake-up call to the visitors after his vicious effort from outside the area rattled the woodwork.
Luke Duffy followed in his footsteps just three minutes later, curling an ambitious effort from distance towards the top-left hand corner but was left head-in-hands after his effort brushed the crossbar.
The Silkmen’s next real chance of note arrived just
under 20 minutes later, where Owolabi was able to claim his first Silkmen hat-trick, in front of the Bathshack Star Lane End.
The Highwaymen seemed to have overcommitted the initial ball, allowing Pemberton to pick out the unmarked Owolabi in the area, who flicked on a headed effort to secure the victory.
The hat-trick hero then left the field to a well-deserved standing ovation, making way for Tom Clare who was welcomed back to the Leasing.com Stadium for the first time since departing the Club in January of last year.
Clare almost had the instant impact he did against Stafford last Tuesday after sliding in at speed in an attempt to connect with Kengni’s driven ball from the left, but the 6’ 2” forward was unable to make the connection he was looking for.
The Silks then played out the closing four minutes of additional time, ultimately securing the victory and a clean sheet in the process.
They will now turn their attention to Saturday 30th March, where they’ll welcome FC United of Manchester in the penultimate home game of the season, a side that got the better of Macc in the reverse fixture last August.
MACCLESFIELD:
Hilton, Pemberton, Lee, Baker, Heathcote, Dawson, Kengni, Perry, Drummond, Owolabi, Duffy Lowson, Robson, Turner, Dowling, Henderson, King, Foalle, Barlow, Hodgson, John, Steels
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