Goals from John Rooney and Tre Pemberton either side of the second half secured Macclesfield a return to winning ways at the expense of Marine, whose 12 match unbeaten streak came to a crushing halt.
The Silkmen continuously peppered the Marine net throughout the first half and they eventually took the lead when Rooney’s composed finish beat Felix Goddard.
Pemberton netted the games sealer early on in the second half and despite Finley Sinclair-Smith’s goal late on in the game, it proved to be too little too late for Marine who’s positivity from Saturday’s shock victory in the FA Cup at Halifax Town was quickly dampened.
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Story of the match
Macclesfield raised the tempo straight from the off, calving through Marine’s sweet spot and this ultimately led to the hosts having to weather the storm.
Felix Goddard in the Marine goal had work to do early on when Sam Heathcote rose the highest from a lofted free-kick into the area, with Goddard getting down low to superbly claw the ball away from danger.
The game settled down slightly, with the ball being played mainly around the centre of the park, but from nothing the hosts calved out a great opening which they nearly took with open arms.
After winning the ball high up the pitch, Fin Sinclair-Smith was sent clear to lob the onrushing Macclesfield keeper, Conor O’Keefe, but his effort agonisingly struck the outside of the post and bounced away.
Macclesfield were out for blood after a blip in form had seen them slide down the table and crash out of the FA Cup. They gained their authority back in the game, laying siege on the Marine goal.
Goddard saved again this time from Rooney before the best move of the match saw the ball hauled into the six-yard area with Alex Curran collecting the ball at his feet before striking the underside of the bar.
In a five minute spell, Marine posed the Silkmen huge problems, the most threatening coming from Manasse Mampala’s header, which went narrowly wide, and a flurry of Black and White bodies piling up for a series of corner kicks, with all coming to no avail despite close attempts.
The quickness of Macclesfield pierced the Mariners as the visitors entered their strongest period in terms of dominance in the game, with Goddard constantly on his toes.
He was forced to save another incoming effort on target before Tre Pemberton, to the disbelief and exasperation of many inside the Marine Travel Arena, somehow squandered an effort from the six yard area.
The Mariners’ resistance was eventually broken as the Silkmen inevitably drew first blood. Neil Kengni, returning to his former home, shifted inside from the left and put the ball into a dangerous territory when it picked out John Rooney in the area, and a composed effort beat Goddard and gave Macclesfield the lead on the stroke of half time.
Second Half
Marine were given a mountain to climb early into the second half as Macclesfield netted a second and extended their cushion on the game.
The ball was worked well on the wing by Luke Duffy, who crossed low for Tre Pemberton, who spared his earlier blushes by being on hand to tap home the second.
Marine added intensity into their game then and began to test a largely unfazed O’Keefe in the Silkmen net.
The Mariners used their lofted corner kicks to their advantage, always having someone on hand to meet the in-swingers, a tactic that became a regular theme throughout the game.
None of the corners ever amounted to anything that worried Macclesfield a great deal, although many were flicked on and drifted off target.
The hosts reduced the arrears with just over 15 minutes left of play as Sol Solomon set Fin Sinclair-Smith up for a great chance, and the Mariners winger finished precisely to hang the game in the balance.
Unfortunately for Marine, it wasn’t enough to spark a remarkable comeback and Macclesfield hung on for a well-merited three points, whereas Neil Young’s side tasted defeat for the first time since the end of August.
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Player of the match
Paul Dawson (Macclesfield)
