18^th March 2023, Macclesfield FC v Runcorn Linnets FC : 3-2

Linnets travelled to the Leasing.com Stadium for the first time, and added to the prize of three more points in the race for the promotion play-offs, was the incentive of a hat-trick of victories over runaway league leaders Macclesfield.

Runcorn had achieved 2-1 wins over the Silkmen at the APEC Stadium in the Pitching In NPL West in November, and in a Cheshire Senior Cup quarter-final, less than three weeks ago.

In a first half that took a while to come to life, the league leaders patiently built up a lion's share of possession, and there were early signs that Tre Pemberton and Neil Kegni would be a double handful on the Macclesfield right, demanding a sterling afternoon's work from Runcorn captain James Short on the left of defence, and for Moore, Heathcote and O'Mahony in the centre.

A first attempt on goal for Linnets fell to Lewis Doyle, whose shot on the turn was forced wide, when he met a free-kick from a foul on Ryan Brooke, 30 yards from goal.

The resulting goal kick led to a Macclesfield corner on the right, which reached Dan Sweeney beyond the far post. He hooked a shot well over the bar, into the throng of travelling fans on the open terrace behind the goal.  

Three coachloads of them, plus many more who had travelled under their own steam, represented probably the most numerous away support in Runcorn Linnets history, and they made far more than their fair share of the noise generated by a stunning attendance of 4,210. 

Sam Heathcote blocked Alex Curran's cross for another corner, which was taken short and relayed into the area, from where a stunted Lewis Fensome shot trickled wide.

Attempts to get forward on the ground by both sides were short lived, thanks to rapid defensive interventions, and a first multiple passing move among the Silkmen, in the thirteenth minute, was confined to the middle third.

It ended with a soft free-kick, of which there would be many more. As it reached the six-yard box, the visiting defence was a touch lucky that the ball ricocheted to safety. 

Macclesfield's artificial surface is one of the best, providing realistic pace and bounce, but thanks to frequent and heavy bursts of rain, it was slick on top. That confounded Ollie McFadyen, as he chased a promising Louis Hayes through ball into undefended space.

Sean O'Mahony and James Short halted attacking runs by Kengni, fed by a string of passes across to the right wing. Macclesfield continued to take the first half to the visitors, but were denied goalscoring opportunities by determined defending.

In the 26th minute, luck appeared to have come to Macclesfield's aid, when a wild deflection had Mark Duffy's shot from just inside the area heading inside the right post. Danny Taberner has pulled off some amazing saves this season, but I still don't know how he managed to change direction in a split second to deny a certain goal.

Linnets had achieved very little telling possession in the Macclesfield third, but just before the half-hour mark, Hayes, Brooke, Rooney, O'Mahony and Doyle were all involved in seeking an opening. Lewis Doyle's shot was the last to be blocked at close quarters.

A first spell of Runcorn pressure continued, and a Cameron Rooney shot skimmed off the top of the bar from 18 yards. But it was the prelude to the home side taking the lead.

When the goal-kick reached the centre circle, Runcorn fans applauded a great tackle by Tom Moore, but referee Jordan Crossley considered a beaten man in blue on the ground sufficient reason to award a free-kick.

That was picked up by James Hardy, whose cross cleared the leap of Sam Heathcote and found Dan Sweeney. The resulting header was placed perfectly past Taberner to put the hosts ahead.

It was a well-executed goal, but the unjustified free-kick that sparked it would not be the last to irritate Linnets fans.

Runcorn fought back, with a Tom Moore shot sailing well over the bar, before another Macc free-kick, from Sean O'Mahony's apparently clean tackle, resulted in a well-defended corner.

A stray infield pass from the right by Ally Brown gifted Sweeney an opportunity which the Murdishaw Massive were happy to field, when it flew high and wide.

A bout of pushing and shoving between Ollie McFadyen and Tre Pemberton, inside the Runcorn half, ended with a yellow card for the Linnets No.7.

At half-time, the balance of possession and chances in favour of Macclesfield justified their narrow lead. Dave Wild made a tactical switch before the restart, withdrawing Louis Hayes in favour of the wide attacking threat of Jamal Crawford.

A not entirely new face was also on the bench. Keiran Nolan, now 26, was a valuable midfield cog in the 2018 NWCFL-winning machine. Dave Wild knew Kieran well from his time at Mossley, and had signed him from Daisy Hill in midweek, to bolster the promotion play-off charge.

The reshuffle appeared to wrongfoot the league leaders, and Linnets took the initiative in a second half which left them feeling justified disappointment in failing to take away at least a point.

Macclesfield still shaped some chances early in the second half. Danny Taberner got down to smother Curran shot, and Hardy collected a Kengni pass to bounce a shot off the top of the crossbar.

But Linnets were getting forward in numbers up either wing, and balls up to Crawford on the right were causing mounting problems for the Macc defence.

A trip on Crawford inside the right touchline provided a free-kick that prompted some panic in the Macclesfield area. Tom Moore tried a subtly-placed shot from 18 yards, but 'keeper Wyll Stanway was behind it. 

As the second half progressed, referee Mr Crossley appeared to develop a very low tolerance for the art of tackling. James Short and Tre Pemberton both received yellow cards for challenges which barely resembled fouls.

Rooney found Crawford at the right edge of the area, and the Linnets sub tried to bounce the ball off the advancing 'keeper to win a corner, but he held on to it.  

With half an hour to play, Stanway was displaying a lack of confidence in his side's ability to maintain the lead. The Linnets fans repeatedly demanded action from the referee, as the 'keeper took an eternity to retrieve dead balls and take goal-kicks: always from the opposite side of the goal from where he had eventually collected it.

Ollie McFadyen intercepted a loose Pemberton pass to invade the Macc area, where Stanway raced out to block the ball with a boot. Lewis Doyle volleyed the rebound, just outside the top left angle.

The referee finally offered some advice that Stanway should hurry up, when he took almost a minute to collect the ball and place it for a goal-kick.

A little more urgency was injected into his game after 64 minutes. Crawford's cross into the area was chased by a pack in yellow and green, and with the 'keeper right in front of him, and nothing to aim at, Ryan Brooke deftly headed the ball up and over his reach, and into the net.

Linnets both on and off the pitch celebrated the well-deserved equaliser with gusto, but the joy lasted less than four minutes.

There were defensive numbers in the Runcorn area when Alex Curran picked up a crossfield pass at the left corner of the area. He took two strides into the 18-yard line and unleashed what was undeniably a peach of a shot into the top right corner. Tabs had no chance.

Changes followed for both sides. Eden Gumbs, returning from recent illness, replaced Ollie McFadyen, and for Macclesfield, James Hardy gave way to Tom Thorpe.

The referee's distaste for physical contact achieved its zenith, when he dispensed a yellow card to Ryan Brooke for his aerial challenge on Stanway to meet the latest Crawford cross.

The 'keeper caught the ball, as anything but the shortest of custodians always should, but his pained collapse to the ground was enough to convince Mr Crossley of a robust foul that nobody else witnessed. It seemed that a goalkeeper simply cannot be challenged for a high ball.

As Runcorn pressure for a second equaliser continued, Macclesfield bought some time with two substitutions, five minutes apart. Kane Drummond replaced Mark Duffy, and Dan Sweeney gave way to EFL veteran Nicky Maynard.  

In between those two swaps, Stanway vitally got his fingertips to a Crawford cross that Ryan Brooke was perfectly placed to meet inside the far post. 

Runcorn kept coming. Short's ball from the left was relayed by Doyle, to Crawford on the right. His cross was headed into the middle by Brooke, and volleyed by Rooney. It curled left and wide.

Time was running out, when Jamal Crawford delivered yet another cross from the right. Stanway misjudged its flight as it turned into a shot, and sailed over him into the net. However unintentional, it was a thoroughly deserved reward for a tremendous 42 minutes by the Runcorn No.12. 

Runcorn tails were up, and Eden Gumbs repeatedly attacked the Macclesfield area, backed up by James Short, in pursuit of a famous treble over the Pitching In NPL West's champions elect. But the home defence held firm.

Going into five added minutes, Macclesfield also chased a winner. They have established a reputation for crucial late goals, not least with two that delivered a 4-3 win over Mossley in November, when they had been 2-1 down after 86 minutes.

Tom Moore was yellow carded for another tackle that didn't look like a foul, and when the free-kick into the area was diverted away towards the corner flag, Kengni - still inside the box - went to ground as he chased it.

As hard as it was to understand why any Runcorn defender would concede a penalty in the dying seconds, when there was no threat to his goal, the referee awarded Macclesfield a lifeline, by instantly pointing to the spot. 

Sean O'Mahony received the sixth yellow card of a game without a single nasty challenge, for his protestations at the decision. Alex Curran saw its seventh, for removing his shirt amid the celebrations, after burying his spot-kick beyond Taberner's fingertips, to take all three points. I have never seen the sense in that rule, but it is a rule.  

A fine game of football was disrespected by seven unnecessary cautions. The views expressed are the author's own. 

Riotous celebrations at the home end after the final whistle, which came mere seconds after the penalty had been dispatched, reflected the fact that the league leaders were fortunate indeed to take all three points, after being run ragged for most of the second half.

While expressing disappointment at the outcome, but extreme pride in the Linnets players and fans, Dave Wild's comments echoed that impression. He said that Macclesfield director Robbie Savage had declared Runcorn to be the best side to have visited the Leasing.com Stadium this season, and that they did not deserve to go home empty handed. 

This had been the tenth defeat in 32 league games for Linnets, but their performance was a cause for pride to match any of their 15 victories. It received a warranted ovation from the travelling faithful, which was returned in kind  

The diversion of a quick return to Bootle for a Liverpool Senior Cup semi-final, on Tuesday 21st March, will be followed by a crucial clash between play-off contenders', at home to Clitheroe on Saturday 25th.

What had at kick-off been a four-point cushion between Linnets and Clitheroe was reduced to three by the Lancastrians drawing 2-2, after a great comeback by Prescot Cables from two goals down.

Given six more Linnets league performances resembling this one, a place in the play-offs surely beckons. 

Runcorn Linnets:Danny Taberner, Ally Brown, James Short, Tom Moore, Sean O'Mahony, Sam Heathcote, Ollie McFadyen (Eden Gumbs, 69 mins) , Louis Hayes (Jamal Crawford, 45 mins), Ryan Brooke, Lewis Doyle, Cameron Rooney.  Subs not used: Matty Birchall, Josh Elverstone, Kieran Nolan. 

Attendance:4,210.

NB. The views expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Runcorn Linnets FC or its Board.