Macclesfield 1-0 Cheltenham

The Silkmen left it late to earn a vital three points against Cheltenham Town at the Moss Rose this weekend.

The 1-0 win all but secures the Blues Football-League survival, leaving them 11 points ahead of Grimsby.

The Silkmen had Ben Wright to thank for the win who, alongside possibly his best performance of the season, hit his third goal in four games in the 89th minute.

Jon Brain in the ~Macclesfield goal was a virtual spectator as the visitors rarely threatened much up front despite several spells of possession and Macc missed several gilt edged chances before eventually winning.

The first of these came from the spot when Ben Wright was brought down. Lee Bell won the argument to take the penalty and took it well, but was denied by an excellent save by Brown in the visitor`s goal. In the resulting scramble, Ross Draper collided with the advertising boards and was stretchered off with a suspected fractured ankle.

Gary Simpson took the gamble of throwing on youngster Vinny Mukendi, a just reward for his recent form in the Reserves.

It was in the second half that the second excellent chance came and went as Ben Wright slid a low ball across the penalty area to Mukendi, but he misjudged his timing and missed the potential tap-in. It was a real shame for a young player who was otherwise having a good home debut.

The goal, when it came had something that has been sorely missing for the Silkmen this season – a slice of luck. Lee Bell`s long shot was spilled by the ‘keeper and Matthew Tipton was on hand to nick the ball away from him to Ben Wright who managed to force the ball into the unguarded goal.