Macclesfield Town 3

Andy Holt 43' (og) Danny Whitaker 75' Andrew Teague 82'

Wrexham 2

Sam Williams 9' Andy Holt 33'

Saturday 14 March 2006

 

Kick Off @ 19:45



Match Report

Wrexham throw it away

PRE-MATCH THOUGHTS: The first of three consecutive away games comes against a team three points above the relegation zone and we should be looking for a similar result off the field after the positive result off it.

CONDITIONS: Damp.

SUM UP OUR PERFORMANCE IN ONE SENTENCE: The team disappeared in the second half.

TURNING POINT: Andy Holt’s own goal just before half time gave Macclesfield the confidence to build on for the second half.

MAIN INCIDENTS AND GOALS:

Wrexham started the brighter with Andy Holt’s early free kick blocked in the penalty area after it was driven past the wall. Levi Mackin looked lively early on bursting into the area but no Wrexham player was able to get onto his cut back.

Sam WilliamsWrexham did not have to wait much longer for the opening goal when Derbyshire played Mark Jones in down the right and he picked out Sam Williams on the edge of the area. After controlling the ball Sam Williams’ shot took a deflection off a defender and went above the keeper who had already committed to the original save by diving low to his left.

Wrexham continued to press and Dennis Lawrence found himself in the unusual position of right wing back but he delivered a decent ball that travelled across the face of goal without a Wrexham player being able to turn it in.

Macclesfield looked decent go forward without ever troubling Ingham, apart from routine saves. The closest they came was when the lively Whitaker fired his shot over the bar from the edge of the area.

Wrexham built on their advantage with a well taken header from Andy Holt after 33 minutes. Shaun Pejic picked up the ball on the touch line and delivered a high looping cross to the centre of the area from where Holt stormed in unmarked to bury his header past Lee inside of the near post.

With the first half fizzling out with Wrexham in control, they allowed their hosts back in the game with two minutes left. An inswinging free kick from the right took a deflection off Dennis Lawrence and went beyond the near post for a corner after evading the other players inside of the area.

The corner was a poor one and although Holt was unmarked by a Macclesfield player he collided with a team mate and could only steer a header above Whitley and into the top corner of the net.

This was the catalyst Macclesfield required for the second half where they dominated the Wrexham team from the resumption of play. The first chance after half time fell to the Silkmen when Swailes rose unchallenged at the near post to plant a corner over the bar when he should have at least hit the target.

Derbyshire sprung the offside tarp at the other end of the field but although he took the ball past Lee he over ran the ball after the keeper forced him wide and although he fell to the ground, it came as no surprise that the referee awarded a goal kick.

Macclesfield continued to press as the Wrexham midfield went missing. Balls were no longer sticking with the inexperienced front two and the defence were missing headers. Cracks ultimately appeared in the Wrexham defence with Bullock cutting in unchallenged from the left but his shot continued to rise over the cross bar until it hit the roof of the stand behind the goal.

It was no surprise when the equaliser arrived with fifteen minutes left when McNeil managed to fend off the weak challenge from Lawrence on the edge of the area and Whittaker made no mistake by firing the loose ball past Ingham to bring the scores level.

Denis Smith realised the problem with Wrexham dropping deeper and deeper but reacted too late as Macclesfield took the lead as he was lining up a triple substitution with eight minutes left.

Wrexham had plenty of opportunities to clear the ball from open play but when the cross finally came in from the right, Lawrence had to scramble it behind for a corner. With the substitutes lining up to come on, the corner was delivered to the edge of the six yard area from where Briscoe arrived unmarked to power his header past Ingham to complete Macclesfield’s comeback.

Wrexham still had time left but despite the added quality from Done, Wrexham only created one chance when Derbyshire laid the ball back for Lawrence who drove a low shot from twenty five yards that Lee collected with a dive at his near post. This was Wrexham’s first shot of the second half and summed up the performance well.

OPPOSITION: Looked to have a lot of quality and will stay clear from relegation although it would have been interesting to see how they played in the second half without the own goal on the stroke of half time.

OFFICIALS: Missed a hand ball in the first half that Macclesfield failed to capitalise on but there can be no arguments with any of the bookings. Always looked to keep the game flowing and made allowances for the slippery conditions.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Shaun Pejic – only Wrexham player who looked comfortable through out and delivered a superb cross for Wrexham’s second goal.

IF YOU WERE DENIS SMITH: Introduced Jon Walters with twenty minutes left as Williams and Derbyshire were spectators for most of the second half.

Match Reaction

Denis Smith: "This is as low as I have felt since coming to Wrexham - on a footballing front. I will certainly not be good company over the next few days. This was one of our games in hand, if we want to push into the play-offs, but any more displays like the second half and that will become a distant dream. The referee has admitted that he got the decision wrong over the corner for their first, but it was not as big a mistake as Andy Holt's in handing them a goal. I'm not having a particular go at the lad, we all make mistakes, but it gave them a way back into the match. At 2-0 I thought we were comfortable and Matt Derbyshire could have made it three when he was through on their keeper. Yet we kept encouraging them in the second half, as we failed to deal with the lumped ball forward. Indeed, their fans were booing when the keeper launched the ball forward with a long kick, but to be fair Whittaker finished well for their equaliser. We sat deep in the second half and this invited them to come onto us. With 10 minutes left, I had three subs stripped off ready to come on and see if we could get back in front - but from a corner we gave up a third!" [Source: Wrexham AFC]

Macclesfield Town

Starting XI:

13 Tommy Lee
04 David Moreley
05 Danny Swailes
06 Martin Bullock
07 Paul Harsley 45'
12 Danny Whitaker
14 Kevin McIntyre
18 Andrew Teague
24 Ian Brightwell
26 Alan Navarro
28 Matty McNeil

Subs:

01 Alan fettis (GK)
09 Kevin Townson
10 John Miles
19 Michael Briscoe 45'
23 Andrew Smart

Stats:

Shots on Goal: 14
Shots on Target: 6
Shots off Target: 8
Possession: 50%
Fouls Conceded: 10
Corners: 10
Yellow Cards: 2
Red Cards: 0

Wrexham

Starting XI:

01 Michael Ingham
18 Shaun Pejic
08 Danny Williams
06 Dennis Lawrence
12 Dean Bennett
02 Jim Whitley 83'
17 Mark Jones
19 Levi Mackin 83'
07 Andy Holt
27 Sam Williams 83'
14 Matt Derbyshire

Subs:

09 Jon Walters 83'
13 Michael Jones (GK)
16 Matt Crowell 83'
22 Matt Done 83'
25 Mike Williams

Stats:

Shots on Goal: 8
Shots on Target: 5
Shots off Target: 3
Possession: 50%
Fouls Conceded: 11
Corners: 4
Yellow Cards: 1
Red Cards: 0

Match Notes

Venue Moss Rose
Attendance 1,616
Half Time Macclesfield Town 1 Wrexham 2
Referee G Laws (Tyne & Wear)

Other Match Reports

BBC: Macclesfield 3-2 Wrexham


Macclesfield Town FC: Macclesfield Town 3 - 2 Wrexham


TEAMtalk: Wrexham stunned by Silkmen


Wrexham AFC:  Macclesfield Town 3 Wrexham 2


Wrexham MAD: Macclesfield Town 3 Wrexham 2

League 2 Results

Macclesfield 3 Wrexham 2
Rochdale v Grimsby Postponed
Oxford United v Bristol Rovers (Wednesday)

League 2 Table

 Pos Team Pld
GD
PTS
1 Carlisle 36 31 65
2 Wycombe 37 22 65
3 Grimsby 36 22 64
4 Leyton Orient 37 11 63
5 Northampton 36 17 60
6 Peterborough 37 12 55
7 Cheltenham 36 4 54
8 Lincoln City 36 7 53
9 Bristol Rovers 36 -7 50
10 Darlington 36 8 49
11 Wrexham 35 10 47
12 Notts County 37 -9 47
13 Mansfield 37 0 45
14 Shrewsbury 37 -3 45
15 Boston United 35 -7 45
16 Rochdale 34 0 44
17 Macclesfield 36 -9 42
18 Stockport 37 -19 40
19 Bury 35 -12 38
20 Barnet 36 -14 38
21 Chester 35 -8 37
22 Oxford United 35 -12 37
23 Torquay 37 -19 36
24 Rushden & Diamonds 37 -25 35

Next Game

Rochdale (a), Coca Cola League 2

Saturday 18 March 2006, Kick Off @ 15:00