Eight Months on from that memorable day at Stamford Bridge, this season's FA Cup campaign came to a more abrupt & less glamorous end at Rushden & Diamonds.
The Non-League side earned their place in the next round with a 3-1 victory over a Silkmen side that performed well below par & in truth deserved very little.
Both sides went into the game in confident mood following victories last time out - Macc having beaten Brentford 1-0 on Tuesday and Rushden having won their previous two games 5-0. The Silkmen went in as slight favourites simply due to their League status, although Nene Park hasn't been a happy hunting ground having recorded only one win in five previous attempts.
Ian Brightwell had only one injury to contend with - Richard Edghill was sidelined with a rib injury so was replaced by Carl Regan. The rest of the squad was in good shape & included Jimmy McNulty & Francis Green who had been slight doubts. Green started on the bench alongside defender Sean Hessey who was brought in on loan from Chester this week. Phil Doughty, the second of our new loanee defenders was not included following his move from Blackpool.
Much like last week's game at Mansfield, The Silkmen were slow out of the blocks and found themselves a goal down very early on. Rushden, spurred on by the home fans made a bright start & when Craig McAllister was released down the right flank, he had time to look up and pick out Simeon Jackson who fired the home side ahead. Jackson's burst into the box and neat finish showed why he has already got 11 goals to his name this season.
Macclesfield's first sight of goal came on 12 minutes when an inviting cross by Levi Reid found Martin Gritton, but the striker failed to get any direction on his header which drifted wide.
Rushden looked the brighter and more penetrating side and again came close when McAllister & Jackson combined well once more, but the ball into the box was cleared at the back post by captain Kevin McIntyre.
As the half progressed the Non-League side were the more dominant & looked threatening each time they attacked. In contrast, Macc needlessly conceded possession far to often, and played several high and inaccurate balls forward, giving the Rushden defence very little to worry about.
The Silkmen's only other chance of the half came when Reid again supplied the cross, this time for Gareth Evans who headed narrowly over the cross bar.
It took until the 40th minute for The Silkmen to earn their first corner, which is evidence of the disappointing display in attacking areas - the offensive threat had been non-existent.
As half time approached & the first half moved in stoppage time, Rushden grabbed a second goal. A short corner from the left hand side, was whipped into the box & midfielder John Challinor found space to glance a header into the far post. It was the cruellest of blows on the stroke of half time, as despite the poor half, getting to the break only one goal down would've given Brightwell's team renewed hope. Coming from 2-0 down was going to be a huge ask, but previous games against Accrington & Wrexham proved it is possible.
The start of the second half saw Simon Wiles & Jamie Tolley replace Levi Reid & Terry Dunfield. The swaps were like for like and the formation remained the same. Unfortunately the change in personnel, didn't appear to change the performance as possession was still being given away unnecessarily with a string on misplaced passes. 175 travelling Macc fans made the journey and were located behind the goal - They let their frustration be known at times, but out-sang the subdued Rushden fans throughout.
On 57 minutes, Adam Murray was dispossessed just outside the box & Jackson pounced to make it 3-0 and surely put the game beyond doubt. Jackson was played in by Challinor after he'd capitalised on Murray's error and smashed the ball past Tommy Lee. Lee may feel he could of done better, as the ball appeared to squeeze in at his near post.
Ian Brightwell made his third and final substitution on 63 minutes when Francis Green replaced Danny Thomas and he shuffled his pack into a more attacking 4-3-3 formation. The change seemed to improve the performance as Macc had their best spell of play in the final 20 minutes. Subs Green & Wiles both impressed and were probably the two best players despite their short appearances.
Murray & Green both had shots on goal saved in quick succession, before Evans cleverly beat his man and shot narrowly wide following a good passage of play involving Wiles & Tolley.
On 75 minutes, Macclesfield clawed a goal back which gave everybody hope that a comeback was possible. The impressive Wiles found space on the right before whipping in a superb cross which Martin Gritton headed home. Gritton wasn't given a great deal of supply but his well directed header was further evidence that given the chances he will add to his tally of 7 so far this season.
As the game moved into the final 10 minutes, The Silkmen had a couple of half chances, but the fairytale comeback was not to be - First Gritton raced onto a through ball but Nicholls in the Rushden goal was quick off his line to smother, then a superbly weighted pass from Murray set Green away but after muscling off a defender he fired his shot wide of the near post.
Dreams of another visit to a Premiership ground have gone for another season, but more concerning has to be the hugely disappointing performance against a team from a lower division.
Nick Brooks
