18th November

Macclesfield Town Silks 0 - 4 Stockport County HNR

Macclesfield second team effectively lost this cup tie in the first 15 minutes when they conceded three goals. The first and third came from good drives, the second was a looping shot over stand-in keeper Sarah Hall. There was little Hall could do about the goals and shortly afterwards made two brave saves to avoid further damage. After this disastrous start the Silks pulled themselves round and gave as good as they got for the reminder of the half. Some good chances were created including a headed flick-on by Janet Bebbington which was met by a powerful drive from Maddy Davidson which brought a good save from the keeper. At half time the score was 0-3 and the Silks knew there was still a chance of retrieving the game if they played to their potential. However, almost straight from the restart their hopes were dashed again as a lapse in defence allowed the visitors to net a fourth. As in the first half Macc continued to press hard but a strong Stockport defence always coped and there were few clear chances on goal. As the minutes passed the outcome of the game became beyond doubt, and although both sides worked hard the match inevitably petered out a little towards the end.

Having played so well the previous week the Silks were disappointed with this result but nevertheless there were excellent performances from Hall, Natalie Richbell, and Hannah Crookes. Macc have the opportunity to show how they can really play when they meet Stockport again in their next league fixture.

Players of the Match: Sarah Hall and Natalie Richbell