Match Report: Redcar Athletic 1-2 Macclesfield FC

We exit the FA Cup at the hands of a Macclesfield side who could've scored, and conceded, more than they did

Another home match, but a first home defeat in over a year, as a potentially National League-bound Macclesfield pipped us to the next round of the FA Cup

With Redcar Town hosting Darlington on the same day today, our town was full of football fans, looking to enjoy some FA Cup action, and those who made it to both matches got to watch 9 goals go in.

Annoyingly, 6 of those 9 were for the opponents of the Redcar-based clubs

Ours started well as Curtis Round received a pass from Oscar Fletcher, before playing his own pass into the box that narrowly missed Louis Johnson, with the visitor’s keeper getting hold of it

We would keep having chances as the game progressed, with Macclesfield’s first coming in the 12th minute as a distant strike went wide

The match would continue to be end-to-end action, with both sides producing intelligent chances that couldn’t be converted

There would be a brief moment of worry, as a clash between Mazfari and a Macclesfield attacker would result in the referee’s whistle being blown, but luckily for us, it was to book the opponent for simulation

The match would keep seeing us form chances that we couldn’t score, and ultimately it would be Macclesfield who took the lead, as a move down the wing saw them loft a ball into the box that looped over our defence, and the Silkmen were able to score via a back post header

The final cluster of action saw a fierce tackle from JJ Bartliff on the wing, which made Macclesfield’s bench and players furious, demanding a straight red for our midfielder.

Amid the chaos, their manager received a booking, and in a case of mistaken identity, their assistant manager then got a booking himself, followed by a red.

After the mistake was explained, the decision was reverted to just a booking, but it was still a very heated end to an entertaining half

The next 45 would see Macclesfield instantly form a great chance, though their whipped shot was tipped away by Mazfari.

The next good chunk of the half would be nothing but Steelmen opportunities, as we would keep the visitors firmly in their own half with a string of chances coming, but frustratingly going.

A deep free kick from Ciaran Banks just before the hour would be floated in, though it would narrowly miss the head of Danni Lay, and Banks would then be involved in another attack moments later.

He would play a superb ball to Curtis Round, who would get down the left wing, enter the box, but then put his strike over the bar.

Macclesfield would get an attack of their own, and it would be halted by a Danny Rowe foul, with the defender picking up a booking for that action.

That set piece would be expertly whipped in, and prodded home at the back post, giving Macclesfield a second goal.

We would try to change things by bringing Owen Burns and Luke Spalding on for Lewis Hawkins and Curtis Round, and things would indeed change for us.

Just after the 71st minute, Adam Boyes would be hauled down in the box, and we would win a penalty with 20 minutes left to play.

Taken by Louis Johnson, that spot kick would be slammed into the net to halve our deficit, and we would begin to see some of the best chances of the match follow.

We would make a third sub in the final ten minutes, with Andrei Ardelean coming on for Nathan Guru, and in the 87th minute our best chance of the game would be agonisingly missed.

A ball played into the box would be nodded about, before a hit by Bartliff would see it smack off the crossbar and come back, before being cleared by the visitors.

The final action of the game would be at the other end, as some solid tackling from Oscar Fletcher would prevent Macclesfield from scoring a third, but the full-time whistle would be blown, and we would have to take a defeat on the chin, as well as the accompanying cup exit.

Back to league action next though, and it is a midweek trip to Cleethorpes up next. 1st hosting 3rd on Tuesday night!

Lineups:

Redcar Athletic: Mazfari, Guru [Ardelean, 81′], Banks, Bartliff, Rowe, Lay (C), Johnson, Hawkins [Burns, 65′], Boyes, Fletcher, Round [Spalding, 65′]

Unused subs: Parkinson, Smith, Fewster, Bailey

Macclesfield FC: Dibble, Osborne, Dawson (C), Chapman [Apter, 79′], Wilson, Elliott [Dos Santos, 82′], Duffy [Matheson, 66′ [Hassan, 92′]], Heathcote, Shrimpton, Ustabasi, Dyer

Unused subs: Cooper, Veron, Rooney