REPORT BY: IVOR TIMMIS

Despite a much improved performance from Stockton on Wednesday, Guiseley fell to a 3-1 defeat at Macclesfield on Saturday.

Mark Bower made three changes with Adriano Moke, Ollie Brown and Jack Emmett replacing Will Longbottom, Joe Ackroyd and Reece Kendall. This meant a back three of Jake Lawlor, Jameel Ible and Lebrun Mbeka with Lucas Odunston and Brown wing backs.

The situation further forward was more fluid, Mark Bower explaining later that there was some tactical cat and mouse going on. One constant was that Jordan Thewlis was the furthest forward.

The opening 20 minutes were curious, with both sides trying to play passing football but interspersing nice combinations with really careless misdirected passes. Justin Johnson, Danny Elliot and Luke Duffy, supported by John Rooney, were a threat throughout, and they combined in a neat move which culminated in Duffy putting an overhead kick wide.

Johnson broke quickly after a Guiseley attack broke down but he was impressively crowded out by a pack of Lions.

On 25 minutes Rooney hit the post with a volley from a narrow angle after a sustained spell of pressure.

It was the Lions, however, who were to take the lead. Prince Ekpolo drove right at the Macclesfield defence before slipping through to Thewlis who had made a clever diagonal run. Thewlis rounded the keeper and slotted home confidently from a tightish angle.

For all Macclesfield’s clever play, it was a long ball which nearly caught the Lions out. Elliot controlled with one touch but his shot went wide of the far post. It looked like Macclesfield’s pressure might come to nothing, but on the stroke of half time Brown conceded a free kick 40 yards from goal for which he received a yellow card. A quickly taken free kick into the vacant left back spot was crossed to the near post where Duffy scored with a clever flick. From the Silkmen’s point of view, a silky goal; from the Lions’ point of view, poor concentration.

Worse was to follow shortly after half time. A short pass in the area squirmed through Emmet’s legs to Danny Whitehead. His excellent curling shot hit the far post, rebounded off Joe Cracknell’s back, hit the post again and fell to Elliot who slid home despite desperate attempts by the Lions.

For a period, buoyed by the goal, the Silkmen dominated with some fine passing moves. Lawlor had to go off with a rib injury to be replaced by Gabriel Johnson, with Odunston dropping into the back three.

It was to the Lions’ credit that they first steadied the ship and then began to wrest back control. The best chance fell to Emmett on 60 minutes after Thewlis held the ball up superbly and squared to Emmett on the edge of the box. He shot wide – a little wasteful from that position.

Emmett was replaced by Longbottom and Odunston by new signing Leo Farrell as the Lions went for it. A Johnson near post flick from a Longbottom corner was the closest they came but Max Dearnley tipped over. John Lufudu switched to the left and looked dangerous but couldn’t quite find the killer cross or shot.

As the Lions pressed desperately, Macclesfield broke and TomClare fired home from just outside the area.