MACC’S BIG ESCAPE!
MACCLESFIELD showed why they possess the best away record in the National League after they stole victory at Hartlepool United.
Macc were second best for 85 minutes at Victoria Park but nabbed two goals in the last five minutes to record their eighth win on the road this season.
Late goals from Ryan Lloyd and Keith Lowe put Macc a point off top spot and boss John Askey said: “It’s a great feeling, our away record is fantastic with eight wins this season and it’s pleasing to score so late like that.
“Full credit to our players for working their socks off again and we played some good football. We had chance to put away, but we have 41 points at the halfway stage so we will take that.’’
Opposite number Craig Harrison wasn’t quite so chirpy, however. He kept his players locked in the dressing room for the best part of TWO HOURS before emerging at 7pm to say: “It’s frustration more than any- thing else. Take away four minutes at the end and we played well. Then we haven’t done our jobs well, basic jobs, nothing special or out of the ordinary. Just what we are after and the two occasions we didn’t we are punished.
“Decision making has to be better at key moments. We have been through it in the dressing room, people picked out, named and told in front of everyone – which is for the dressing room to manage.’’
Up until the final stages, Pools played with energy on the front foot without really threatening the Macc goal until the 38th minute when they finally broke the deadlock. Jake Cassidy broke down the right side and picked out Michael Woods, who cracked a low-angled finish across keeper Shwan Jalal into the net.
Two minutes later, however, Macc came within a whisker of levelling with a Scott Burgess from 20 yards which brought a fine save from Scott Loach.
Macc were out early for the second half and were almost soon two-down. First Carl Magnay’s shot was blocked and then a storming run from Woods ended in the area when he ran out of gas.
Macc still failed to really trouble Loach, while Jamal was busy keeping out shots from Connor Newton and Jack Munns, the latter also curling a shot wide after being teed up by Magnay.
But the visitors stole a leveller on the break. A low ball was fizzed across the face of goal by Elliott Durrell and Ryan Lloyd slid in to convert for an unlikely leveller.
And minutes later, Macc stole it. As a header came back off the bar, Lowe was on hand to nod in the simplest of winners.