Who should be the Silkmen’s number 1?
Dearnley injured, dropped or rested?
In life three things are certain - death, taxes and a Macclesfield FC goalkeeper getting lobbed when off his line.
Jokes aside, the debate over who should be the Silkmen’s number one rages on with opinion divided in favour of Max Dearnley and recent loan signing Rogan Ravenhill.
So it’s high time the Silkmen News waded in with some thoughts and analysis of our own, supported with analysis rather than being led by sentiment.
John Rooney’s decision to prefer new signing Rogan Ravenhill between the sticks in preference to established no.1 Max Dearnley has been the talk of the terraces recently.
Ravenhill, signed on loan from League One Barnsley until the end of the season, had caught Rooney’s eye during his previously impressive loan spell at National League North bottom club Leamington. This included a standout performance in restricting Macc to a solitary goal when they defeated Leamington on their own patch in October.
The 6 ft 6, 20-year-old goalkeeper is well thought of at Barnsley. So much so that on the same day as him signing for the Silkmen, the Tykes awarded Ravenhill a new contract which will keep him at the club until 2029.
Rogan earned a clean sheet on his Macclesfield debut and looked a commanding figure against Kings Lynn.
However, the Silkmen’s new stopper has had a mixture of outstanding and shaky moments in his subsequent games versus AFC Fylde, Scarborough and Darlington. We’ll spotlight Rogan’s performances later on, but let’s focus on Dearnley initially.
Dearnley dropped, injured or rested?
Max Dearnley became a huge favourite amongst Silkmen supporters during last season’s Northern Premier League title triumph - 23 clean sheets and just 30 goals conceded in 42 games made him a ‘keeper that Macclesfield could finally rely on after a plethora of previous loanees and mediocre permanent signings in net.
Dearnley has had a solid, if less spectacular second season at the Leasing.com stadium, retaining his position as the undisputed number one, supplemented by young understudies Joe Nicholson and Shea Callister.
But Callister’s decision to leave in search of first-team football at Irish side Derry, combined with some erratic recent performances from Dearnley, appear to have forced John Rooney’s hand in seeking genuine competition for the goalkeeper’s jersey.
Opinion amongst Silkmen supporters is divided as to whether Dearnley can consider himself unfortunate, or may benefit from being taken out of the firing line following some recent errors.
Is the criticism of Dearnley unfair?
In my opinion ‘yes’, but that doesn’t mean I’m opposed to Rooney drafting in a capable keeper in Ravenhill to provide overdue competition in this department.
Overall, Dearnley has been solid for the majority of this season. Max is an excellent shot stopper and safe handler of the ball. But his kicking can be erratic, as on occasion so is his decision making. At Step 2 though there are few better goalkeepers around at this level.
Dearnley was a standout performer in our 1-1 draw at home to Alfreton when Macc were all at sea in the second half, he made a big save at 1-1 at home to Peterborough, not withstanding his crucial penalty save at 2-0 in last month’s big win against Radcliffe to prevent the visitors pulling a goal back before half-time. And who can forget his sensational double save at Slough in extra time which effectively sealed our passage into the FA Cup third round?
Dearnley’s mistakes have been few and far between, and some of the recent criticism levelled at him by a minority has been harsh. Let’s take a look at some of his more high profile incidents.
Away at Southport - early into the season Dearnley made a poor clearance to a Southport player, and then failed to regain his composure as he allowed the speculative follow-up shot to squeeze inbetween him at the near post. A genuine howler. Macc went on to win 2-1.
The 1-0 home loss to Marine. This may be contentious. Sean Etaluku was injured and Marine took advantage by floating in a left wing cross that was turned in at close range. The post-match vitriol focused on Macclesfield’s poor form and Rooney not taking Etaluku off when he was clearly struggling.
1-1 draw vs Telford at home. Dearnley again remained static on his line as Telford took the lead as Walker latched onto a through ball to slot home. But Edmondson was guilty of conceding possession in the build-up and Macc’s centre halves played Walker onside. Criticism of Dearnley therefore feels harsh here.
2-1 win v Radcliffe. Dearnley blotted his copybook in an otherwise good display by spilling a cross late on which saw the visitor’s claw a goal back. A clear error.
Peterborough Sports away in the disappointing 4-3 loss. A mix-up between Dearnley and Menayese sees Peterborough equalise. Dearnley comes racing off his line to clear a long ball, Menayese decides to take ownership and Dearnley connects with fresh air, leaving Peterborough to tap into an empty net. Dearnley got the blame, but if Menayese didn’t touch the ball would the mishap have occurred? For me, both players are at fault in this instance due to miscommunication.
Leamington at home. The infamous chip from the halfway line. Yes, Dearnley was off his line, but how often do you see freak goals like that? I don’t think any keeper could have anticipated it or necessarily have saved the shot either. And as we know, keepers can get lobbed!
My personal view is that Dearnley has had a bad wrap. However, what is clear is that Max’s errors have become more frequent and his kicking and general command of his penalty area has been suspect at times.
He also appeared to have an injury to his right leg which saw him receive treatment for a number of minutes against Leamington, which may explain why his kicking was notably poor.
But if he’s injured, or carrying a knock, it would be good to have some clarification of this now that Rooney has taken him out of the firing line. I also understand tactically why Rooney wishes to remain tight-lipped.
Dearnley out, Ravenhill in
It’s fair to say that Rogan Ravenhill hasn’t entirely convinced every Silkmen supporter that he should be Rooney’s number one.
In his four starts in a Macclesfield jersey he’s conceded seven goals and recorded one clean sheet. To offer balance, three of those games have been against play-off contenders AFC Fylde, Scarborough and Darlington.
In contrast, I did think Ravenhill made a real hash in allowing Paul Dawson’s header to squirm under him for Macc’s equaliser against Leamington which ultimately saw us triumph 3-1 last month!
A clean sheet in his debut versus King’s Lynn where he was relatively untroubled
Fylde – produced a brilliant save to turn a shot onto the post at 1-1. Moments later Fylde made it 2-1 after a long punt forward was latched onto by Omerod, whose first time shot went under Ravenhill’s body. The shot was well struck, but might Rogan have done better? I’m not sure. I doubt I’d be applying the same scrutiny to Max Dearnley but for the debate on the merits of Macclesfield’s number one!
Omerod’s second and Fylde’s fourth was proof that lightening can strike twice as this time it was Ravenhill who was beaten by the halfway line by an outstanding strike. And just like Leamington’s goal, I think you’ve got to hold your hands up and concede that it was a superbly struck finish. But at what point does it become more than a coincidence? See Scarborough…
Scarborough – Ravenhill gets done off his line again, but you have to say once more it’s an excellent strike from Walker for Scarborough’s opener. By the time the shot was in motion, Ravenhill had retreated to his goal line, however, at the time Walker contemplated whether to try his luck Ravenhill presented an inviting target. Keeper to blame? Not for me per se, but clearly teams are targeting long-range shots against us now…
Scarborough’s second was bundled in from a corner. Could Ravenhill have been stronger? Possibly… although he did make a good point blank save from Walker to keep the scoreline at 2-1 before James Gale later equalised.
Darlington – see my previous article where I cover the Darlington game extensively and Ravenhill’s flashpoints within it. He was at fault for Darlo’s equaliser when rushing off his line and failing to get there ahead of striker Maskell who prodded home. But Rogan did produce two outstanding saves in each half, the second a superb reactionary save to keep out a header from a corner, to preserve all three points.
Dearnley v Ravenhill – stats comparison in the league
Enough of the emotion, let’s look at the cold, hard stats which compare how good each goalkeeper has performed in a variety of key disciplines.
League appearances vs goals conceded (Ravenhill played 18 times for bottom-of-the-table Leamington)
Dearnley 28 apps, 40 conceded = 1.4 goals per game, 4 clean sheets
Ravenhill 22 apps, 36 conceded = 1.6 goals per games, 4 clean sheets
Total saves made and overall ‘save percentage’ versus shots faced on target
Dearnley 88 saves made at a save percentage of 71.5%
Ravenhill 91 saves made at a save percentage of 74.5%
Passing accuracy overall
Dearnley 81%
Ravenhill 63%
Long-balls accuracy
Dearnley 55%
Ravenhill 54%
High claims
Dearnley 16
Ravenhill 17
Defensive contributions (tackles won, interceptions, clearances, blocked shots – more relevant for defenders obviously, but applicable to goalkeepers if they come off their line to act as a defender)
Dearnley 50
Ravenhill 29
Conclusion
I’m not sure these stats do anything to prove one goalkeeper’s superiority over the other, but I think they do highlight that Macclesfield are fortunate to have two players who will provide genuine competition for the number one jersey, which surely can only help to bring the best out in both of them?
Unsurprisingly, Ravenhill has been the busier keeper of the two playing for rock-bottom Leamington and has made more saves in his 22 league appearances compared to Dearnley’s 28. His overall save percentage is slightly higher.
The stats also indicate that Dearnley’s kicking accuracy is better and he’s more proactive off his line in making defensive contributions, which might explain why Ravenhill was a jack-in-the-box against Darlington in his eagerness to come off his line at all costs?
What is clear is that the debate over who should be Macclesfield’s first-choice goalkeeper won’t go away any time soon. But for now it’s Ravenhill’s shirt to lose.