Ton-up! Guiseley 0 Macc 3
Super Silkmen on 100pts & 99 goals
It was literally a walk in the (Nethermoor) park. Precision over perseverance, class over hoof. Macclesfield FC cantered to 100 points in the Northern Premier League with a ruthless, and at times effortless, 3-0 demolition away at Guiseley.
Two goals from the irrepressible Neil Kengni set the tone in the first half, with Diego De Girolamo rounding off proceedings with Macc’s third in injury time - his first goal for the club.
The Silkmen’s supremacy over the Northern Premier League was never more evident yesterday.
Only a couple of months ago Guiseley, then occupying second place on the back of a 17-game unbeaten run, could have narrowed the gap to ten points to Macc had they won their games in hand. But three back-to-back defeats and no wins in five ended their fleeting title hopes. In contrast, Robbie Savage’s men put their foot on the gas and have now won nine in a row, extending their unbeaten league run to 13 matches.
The Silkmen are well and truly on course to surpass the NPL’s record 104 points total with three games to go against Ilkeston, Leek and Whitby.
Macc that good or Guiseley that bad?
Undoubtedly this was a classic away performance from Macc, not dissimilar to their previous wins over Morpeth and Gainsborough. They managed the dry, bobbly Nethermoor Park pitch superbly, in addition to admirably coping with the home side’s aerial threat as they repeatedly tossed in long, high balls into the Silkmen’s box.
Route one, zero finesse, industrially ineffective. How were Guiseley flying so high in the NPL? How can they win the play-offs playing like this?
Obviously this isn’t our concern, but it’s important to maintain perspective when assessing Macclesfield’s merits. In the interests of balance, the ‘Lions’ were eight unbeaten before yesterday (just three wins though).
Maybe Macc are simply head-and-shoulders ahead of everyone at this level? A remarkable 30 points clear of Guiseley and 26 points ahead of second-placed Worksop emphatically proves just that.
Class from Kengni
What an outstanding season this has been for Neil Kengni, a loyal and model professional who continues to endear himself to Silkmen supporters. Neil has reinvented himself from a winger to a marauding left back, retaining the shirt even when Brandon Lee returned to fitness.
Pushed further forward to right midfield yesterday, Kengni served another reminder as to what a potent force he can be in the final third, as he did at Blyth a couple of weeks ago.
Could anyone else on the pitch have converted the goals that Kengni scored yesterday?
Neil’s opener on six minutes showcased his blistering pace that Usain Bolt would have taken note of. Kengni won a footrace with the Guiseley defence, rounded the keeper and cooly slotted home. A goal out of nothing, blink and you would have missed it. Guiseley duly blinked and Kengni punished them.
The home side didn’t learn their lesson. On 36 minutes they allowed Kengni to pick the ball up, maybe 40 yards from goal and run at their terrified back line. Neil had only one thing in mind as he powerfully galloped towards goal, maintaining his composure to hold off the threat of an advancing defender to dink the ball over the keeper into the net. 0-2. Kengni’s third league goal of the season.
We typically associate Kengni with pace and power. Yesterday he also showcased his anticipation and finishing ability, further evidence of the work that Savage and his coaching staff have done to improve our longstanding players.
100 points, 99 goals
If I’m going to be pedantic, I was a bit disappointed by our second half display. We were comfortable in second gear, easily repelling Guiseley’s predictable attempts to get back into the game from corners, set pieces and long range shots which sailed over the bar.
But had we stepped it up I think we could have put the Lions to the sword and reached our 100 goal milestone. Some argued that Savage’s decision to bring all five subs on at once after 62 minutes disrupted the team’s flow. I’d argue that we’d already gone off the boil by that point.
In the end, we had to settle for 99 following Diego De Girolamo’s first goal for the club in injury time since his loan move from Buxton.
In truth, Diego needed his goal far more than Macc needed the 100 - the striker is still finding his feet and didn’t really seize his opportunity when given extended minutes against Blyth and Workington. So there was relief when he finally did get on the scoresheet in his seventh appearance for the club.
And what a superb team goal it was which epitomised the desire and mentality of this magnificent squad. Sean Etaluku did brilliantly to keep the ball in play by the right touchline. His back heel was collected by fellow substitute Paul Dawson who drove into the box and fizzed in a pinpoint cross into Diego, who found the net with a bullet header from close range. 0-3.
De Girolamo may have more to do to convince Savage that his future should be with Macclesfield next season. Perhaps I’m being harsh on Diego’s cameo contributions off the bench though. His stats now read one goal and three assists in seven games - not too shabby at all.
Match stats
Shots on target: Macc 5, Guiseley 1
Shots off target: Macc 5, Guiseley 6
Corners: Macc 4, Guiseley 4
Player ratings
Dearnley 7.5 - 21 clean sheets for Max now. Only had one save to make yesterday but his handling was faultless when collecting Guiseley’s repeated crosses. Cautioned late on, I’m not sure why!
Pemberton 7.5 - solid defensively, leapt high in the first half to win an excellent header in the first half. Less of an attacking threat, but no need to be with Kengni rampaging ahead of him.
Fensome 8 - had a difficult afternoon up against the physical presence of Guiseley’s top scorer Longbottom, but coped well and won the majority of his duels. Just one hashed clearance in an otherwise excellent performance.
Menayese 8 - like Fensome he had his work cut out against Guiseley’s aerial threat. Would we have won this fixture as easily without Rollin’s presence at the back? Probably not. Headed away and cleared everything. Booked in the second half.
Lee 7.5 - defended stubbornly and tried to get forward on occasion. Should have done better when getting into the box in the first half, but took too long to make his mind up and his eventual cross was cleared for a corner.
Whitehead 7.5 - his first start since Mickleover in November. Lots of energy alongside Mendy in the middle of the park and had one effort deflected wide.
Mendy 8 - box-to-box performance, some good runs forward and interceptions to stifle Guiseley’s attempts to play in midfield. So much so they frequently went long.
Kengni 9.5 - Neil, Neil f*****g Kengni! Two superbly taken goals and thrived playing further forward.
Rooney 8 - denied by a good save in the second half and was almost set up by Mellor on the stroke of half-time. Whipped in some dangerous corners. Played in an attacking midfield berth with Whitehead coming in to play next to Mendy in the holding role.
Duffy 7.5 - busy but less productive in the final third from Duffs against Guiseley. Didn’t quite have the same understanding with Lee that he does with Kengni on the left flank.
Mellor 7.5 - had a shot from a narrow angle saved low to the keeper’s left in the first half. Had a great opportunity to play in Duffy for a goalscoring chance midway through the second half but made a hash of his attempted pass. Similarly, he almost played in Rooney for a great opportunity just before half-time.
Subs (all after 62 minutes):
Dawson 8 - fabulous assist for the third goal. Competed well and won several headers.
De Girolamo 7.5 - in the right place at the right time to open his Silkmen account. This should do his confidence the world of good.
Etaluku 7.5 - his speed and desire kept the ball alive which led to our third goal.
Elliott 7 - only had one sniff at goal, a left foot shot which he dragged wide.
Johnson 6 - another disappointing contribution from the bench. Picked up a yellow card.