Vauxhall Motors v Macclesfield report.
Tuesday 22nd February 2022, 745pm ko.
VanEupen Arena.
Motors returned to NWCFL action, following a win that saw them progress to the Cheshire Senior Cup Semi Final, with a blow as Macclesfield Town showcased the quality that they possess.
Danny Whitaker’s side showed that they were going to make the evening uncomfortable for the hosts at the VanEupen Arena as they forced Mick McGraa’s goalkeeper into making an early save. Claims for a penalty were dismissed too in the opening stages, the referee claiming that the attacker with eyes for goal was not tripped up.
It wouldn’t take too long for the scoreline to change however, Tom Clare netting from close range as The Silkmen opened up the defensive backline with a string of great forward passes.
The second came shortly after, the visitors countered as an attack from the hosts came to nothing. Former Tranmere midfielder, Neil Danns fired the ball past Michael Dixon with a powerful strike into the bottom corner when he was exquisitely passed to.
Goals kept coming for the visitors as they attacked relentlessly, a corner being cleared to the feet of Danns who was able to get his brace in a cool and calm manner. There could be no doubts as to whether they were worthy leaders as they made their spells on the ball count.
Vauxhall, aiming to get one back to be in contention of starting a comeback, threaded the ball through a strong backline. That strength being epitomised by a tackle that took the ball off the forward who would’ve been through on goal.
Motors needed to not concede any more if they were to have a memorable night and a pass into their box seemed to be going nowhere. However, a defensive mistake saw the ball end up into the feet of James Berry who slotted past the keeper in a 1 v 1 situation.
Dixon, although he was conceding, should be proud of some elements of his performance on the night that Macc came to Ellesmere Port. He made a great save, one of an excellent few, the rebound falling to Berry who made no mistake in the penalty box.
Macclesfield were 5-0 up at half time and were showing their quality, they have some brilliantly skillful players and they’ve made the league (Certainly Motors now, if not already) know about that. Danns and Mark Duffy’s EFL pedigree was made evident with their intelligence on the field in particular. The latter being subbed at the break.
With the game already won, you could’ve had a strong guess at how the second half would pan out. Whitaker’s team started strong, putting a few good crosses into the box but they weren’t able to create anything that was as bothersome as it was earlier.
Motors thought that they had found their consolation goal when a tame effort from the edge of the box brought a spillage from the travelling keeper. However, to the amusement of the Macclesfield fans, the man who found the ball at his feet was flagged by the linesman as being offside.
With the game already being won, The Silkmen still had an eye for goal. Harry Freedman crossed the ball into the box to Kielen Adams who managed to squeeze his effort into the net.
The game finished with an extensive 6-0 scoreline. Danny Whitaker should be pleased with his team’s performance, the hosts will look to forget about the result moving forwards as they play Barnoldswick Town on Saturday.
Man of the match for the hosts was chosen by club legend Steve Hylton, Micheal Burkey took on the immense centre half Laurent Mendy (the overall man of the match) thus he was named.
TEAMS.
Vauxhall Motors: Michael Dixon, Ethan Gouldbourne (Ben Dufton-Kelly), Joseph Heath, Simon Thelwell, Thomas Mitchell, Haydn Cooper, Michael Burkey, Leo Riley (Jordan Deer), Craig Cairns (Harvey Sample), Sean Moscrop, Ben Holmes.
Unused subs – Greg Drummond, James Eaton.
Macclesfield: Daniel Wallis, Jacob Hanson, Samuel Grimshaw, Lewis Fensome, Lee Jackson (Aaron Dwyer), Laurent Mendy, Harry Freedman, Neil Danns, Tom Clare, Mark Duffy (Sidi Sanogo Fofana), James Berry-McNally (Kielen Adams).
Unused subs – Braulio Valera Pinto Maieco, Andrew Owens.