Matlock Town FC vs Macclesfield FC
Matlock Town FC
1The Proctor Cars Stadium
Northern Premier League
Macclesfield FC
2Match Report
Matlock Town 1-2 Macclesfield
Two goals in five second half minutes proved to be decisive for big spending Macclesfield in what was a tight and entertaining game on a chilly Tuesday night.
Skipper Alex Curran after 52 minutes and Tere Pemberton in the 57th gave the Silkmen a cushion and they survived late Matlock pressure in which a superb Joe West free kick halved the hosts’ deficit with eight minutes remaining.
It all resulted in a second successive home defeat for the Gladiators but a vastly improved performance from the Stafford loss in their final Proctor Cars Stadium appearance of 2023.
New signing Scott Boden came on as a second half substitute, the former Chesterfield striker’s arrival having finally been confirmed a couple of hours before kick off. Manager Martin Carruthers rejigged his line up with Alex Duhameau and George Wilkinson coming in for Anthony Dwyer and Fin Armond, Matlock playing with a back three and wing backs.
Both sides exchanged corner kicks in the opening minutes, Matlock nearly making theirs count but Ioan Evans watched his header drift wide. Macclesfield countered immediately, Luke Duffy shooting off target from out on the left.
The game was well contested with neither side prepared to give an inch as they sought to gain a foothold on proceedings. John Johnston was crowded out after Jonny Margetts was dumped to the turf by a late challenge on the half way line.
Matlock would reflect that they should have made hay from their best spell of the game in the second half of the opening period. A Whitehead header from a West corner dropped past goalkeeper Dylan Berry’s right hand post before Harry wood’s scorching twenty five yarder fizzed a foot over the bar. Intricate footwork from the burly Whitehead saw a Macclesfield defender find a crucial deflection at the expense of a further corner which produced a fine save from Berry who pushed aside a header from Evans. The last corner found Evans again but he headed too high from close range. Appeals for a spot kick when Margetts went down under challenge from Lewis Fensome were waved away by referee Daniel Smith in stoppage time,
Ironically the best chance probably fell to the visitors as Laurent Mendy put a free header wide from Duffy’s free kick out on the left.
Having reached half time all square the Silkmen made the most of it with an electric start to the second period.
Kane Drummond was at the heart of the best of their attacks, a speedy winger with the pace of a cheetah and the tricks of a conjuror which certainly gave Matlock plenty to ponder.
The number seven saw his 48th minute effort deflected narrowly wide before asking Saul Deeney to produce a magnificent save to keep the scores equal. But Macc took the lead from the corner, the ball being played inside to CURRAN whose twenty yarder took a horrible bobble in front of Deeney’s dive to pop up and finds the bottom corner. It was tough on Deeney after his initial excellent work.
The Silkmen scented blood and looked threatening each time they attacked and their lead was extended when Drummond again raced on to a long pass down the right to pull a pin point pass back for the onrushing PEMBERTON to fire clinically low into the far corner. It was a picture book goal, Matlock had it all to do. It might have been three when Tunde Olowobi got the better of Evans from a through pass down the centre but Deeney was well placed to hold the shot,
Boden came on for Duhameau and suddenly Matlock began to create some good chances, but only after Drummond again frightened the hosts, Wilkinson .and Deeney combining well to clear the danger as he shot goalwards.
A half chance fell to Margetts who drove directly at Berry before Matlock gave it a real go in the final twenty minutes.
Boden’s effort from eighteen yards was narrowly wide before Margetts curled his shot a touch too high from a similar distance. The former’s introduction certainly made a difference with Macclesfield now a more muted danger in attack although Paul Dawson shot across the face of the Matlock goal..
When Kornell McDonald was felled a couple of yards outside the penalty box, WEST stepped up to beat the wall and Berry with a tremendously struck and executed shot to set up a grandstand finish.
Matlock could easily have earned what in the end would have been a worthy point when Boden held off a couple of defenders to chip on to the roof of the net and as the game entered stoppage time, Margetts flicked West’s free kick wide when well placed. There was still time for Berry to pull off a great stop to keep out a low drive from Whitehead as Macc held on.
A disappointing result for Matlock but plenty of positives to take from an industrious performance. The players were rightly criticised for their display against Stafford but fans could have no complaints with the way they applied themselves here.
Now Matlock need to maintain those standards at Atherton on Saturday but come away with three vital points.
MATLOCK TOWN: 1 Saul Deeney 2 George Wilkinson (15 Olly Clark 70) 3 Joe West 4 Nathan Whitehead 5 Adam Yates 6 Ioan Evans 7 John Johnston (14 Anthony Dwyer 70) 8 Harry Wood 9 Alex Duhameau (12 Scott Boden 62) 10 Jonny Margetts 11 Kornell McDonald Other subs: 16 Fin Armond 17 Michael Williams
MACC:ESFIELD: 1 Dylan Berry 2 Tre Pemberton 3 Drew Baker 4 Lewis Fensome 5 Laurent Mendy 6 Paul Dawson (15 Luke Murphy 80) 7 Kane Drummond 8 Tunde Owolobi (17 Alex Hurst 86) 9 Alex Curran 10 John Rooney 11 Luke Duffy Other subs: 12 Neil Kengni 14 Brandon Lee 16 Sam Heathcote
REFEREE: Daniel Smith (Sutton-in-Ashfield) ATTENDANCE: 772 BEST GLADIATOR: Joe West