Recap

Macclesfield Town 1 Exeter City 2. D3. Saturday 2 February 2001.

Referee: G B Frankland

Att: 1719 with 130 City fans

Full Time Report Macclesfield Town 1-2 Exeter City

The Grecians’ start the game making just the one change from our last match with Barlow coming in to replace the suspended Glenn Cronin.

City start the game attacking The Carlsberg Stand where the Silkmens fans are situated. Once again there are a hundred or so regular City fans in attendance stood out on the open terracing in the pouring rain.

City start the game with the kick off, immediately putting Lee Martin under pressure in the Macclesfield goal. In the third minute Steve Flack latched onto a through ball but mis kicked his first effort and put the second effort wide of the left post.

City win the first corner of the game which Barlow took, Macclesfield cleared and broke away, Richard Tracey had a shot from twenty five yards which bounced back into play off of Stuart Fraser’s right post. A couple of minutes later and City win their second corner with Roscoe in swinging the ball straight into Martin’s hands.

Macclesfield won a free kick on the edge of the box after Tomlinson was adjudged to have committed a high tackle. Lambert’s resulting free kick came off of one of his own players and out for a goal kick.

Power left a ball that was played over his head and Richard Tracey capitalised on the free ball only to see Stuart Fraser come racing off of his line and block the resulting right foot effort. McConnell won a corner for the Grecians twenty three minutes into the game, Roscoe wasted the corner by trying to play the ball to the near post but only succeeding in putting the ball into the side netting.

Lambert found himself in space on the edge of the box and placed the ball past the outstretched arm of Fraser but fortunately just wide of the post. Macclesfield are fancying their chances and hitting efforts from all sorts of ranges.

Twenty nine minutes and McConnell forces another corner which Roscoe once again wasted by placing the ball straight into the hands of Martin. A neat piece of combination play down the left channel set Tomlinson up twelve yards out to see his right foot shot stopped by Martin.

City won a corner on the right flank, which was taken quickly by Barlow, Flack met the resulting cross to see his header picked out of the air by Lee Martin. Forty two minutes into the first half and a long Power free kick was flicked onto Ampadu who saw his volleyed left foot shot dip just inches over the bar.

Tracey again found himself in acres of space with a one on one with Fraser who saved the first shot, in piled efforts from another couple of players only to see them all saved or blocked by the defence.

Half Time Macclesfield Town 0-0 Exeter City

Just as the second half we get the official attendance of 1719 which is comprising 130 Grecians’ fans that have made the journey. Tomlinson has now dropped back into midfield with Roberts moving into the strikers position. Lambert again bent in a free kick from twenty five yards that went just over the crossbar.

Graeme Power became the first player to enter the book for dissent. From the free kick a head met the whipped in cross but the ball again went the wrong side of the bar.

A ball was spread out to Roscoe whose cross was cushioned down by Flack to Tomlinson who side footed a defender and curled a left foot shot into the top corner of the net. One nil the Grecians’.

After the goal there was a lengthy delay when Alex Watson was flattened in a challenge. Macclesfield seem to have sprung into life since the goal and are applying the more pressure of the two teams.

A mistake by Dave Ridler let Steve Flack in who chipped the advancing Lee Martin to make it two nil to Exeter. Flack then proceeded to get himself booked by making a joke of the current financial situation by going over to the away fans jokingly with a cap asking for money!

Christian Roberts has sprung into life and is starting to create problems on the right flank for the Silkmens defence constantly cutting in behind the defence and forcing save after save out of Lee Martin the Macclesfield goal. Tomlinson then came of to be replaced by new signing Stuart Elliott.

A bit of indecision by McConnell let Danny Whitaker in again only to see Fraser save for a corner before Whitaker struck into the top right corner to make it two one. Macclesfield are now applying all of the pressure but City hold on in the final five minutes.

City put all their widely publicised financial problems behind them and thoroughly deserve yet another away victory.