Ten-man visitors emerge victorious
A 10-MAN Macclesfield got the better of fellow play-off contenders Ashton United last Tuesday evening after two first-half strikes helped secure a comfortable 2-0 victory at the Hurst Cross Stadium.
After Sam Heathcote broke the deadlock from close range, an extraordinary finish from distance from Sam Perry doubled the lead before the break.
Manager Michael
Clegg made two changes to the side that were successful against Morpeth Town previously, with Drew Baker and Neil Kengni dropping to the bench to make way for Dan Lafferty and Laurant Mendy.
The Silks put the pressure on early with Luke Duffy testing Paul Cooper from distance, yet his effort failed to trouble the Ashton number one.
Macc were then forced into substitution just 15 minutes in after Brandon Lee struggled to continue, with the Silkmen full-back limping off to make way for Drew Baker.
But circumstances did improve for the visitors, with Heathcote snatching the opener just two minutes later.
Luke Duffy’s faultless ball into the area from deep in the Ashton half was caught well by Heathcote, who wasted no time in knocking a composed finish into the bottom left corner from close range to put his side 1-0 up.
Equipped with the lead, Macc looked to push for a second and did so via Kane Drummond who burst down the right flank before squaring it to his left to pick out Paul Dawson, but his effort was hit narrowly over the crossbar.
But the Silkmen’s next move did result in success, with midfielder Perry claiming his first goal for the club in style after 34 minutes.
After Mendy dispossessed Bernardo Couto on the halfway line, Perry picked up the loose ball before weaving his way in and out of the Ashton defence and finishing an excellent phase of play by drilling an outstanding strike into the bottom right corner from distance past a helpless Cooper.
After three minutes of additional time at the end of the first period, the Silks entered the interval confidently with a two-goal lead under their belts.
Following the break, a huge chance for Drummond to increase the advantage arrived almost immediately after the forward caught Owolabi’s flick-on perfectly, hooking a half-volleyed effort goalwards at some power, but the strike fell inches wide of the far post.
But things quickly worsened for the visitors, after goalkeeper Joe Hilton was issued an immediate dismissal following a late challenge on ex-Macclesfield man Keilen Adams.
The Silkmen number one rushed out of his goal in an attempt to dispossess Adams, but clashed with the Robins forward after having the ball knocked past him, causing the referee to reach for his back pocket to demand a red card.
With no ‘keepers on the bench, Dawson sacrificed his place in midfield to take on the responsibility of playing the remaining half-an-hour between the sticks.
Ten minutes later, with the hosts being a man to the advantage but still suffering a two-goal deficit, tempers flared in and around the dugouts, with players, staff and substitutes clashing, causing the referee to issue a number of yellow cards and a red card for Assistant Manager Nicky Hunt.
As things calmed down, Clegg’s second change of the evening followed and saw Tom Clare come on up-top, replacing Owolabi.
Following seven minutes of additional time at the end of the 90, the Silks concluded victorious after intense defending, allowing them to travel home with all three points gained.