It is just over a week since Keith Alexander took over the reigns at the Moss Rose. So seven days in what are his first impressions and thoughts as to the task ahead.

Looking back any further thoughts about the County game?

The most pleasing thing for me was that we looked solid. So to pick up a point after three straight defeats is a start albeit it would have been nice to hang on for all three. I didn't think they looked like scoring but credit to Butcher as it was a great strike. I plucked him out of non-league football whilst I was at Lincoln and he's been doing that sort of thing ever since. So I don't think there was much we could have done about that.

You've mentioned about the need for more goals

We do need to be scoring more goals that is clear as they seem to have dried up in recent weeks. And if I was disappointed with anything on Saturday is that we didn't put their goal under any great pressure once we had taken the lead with a well worked goal. But hopefully that will come as the lads get used to the new way I want them to play.

What is the Keith Alexander system then?

It is either a 4-4-2 playing with two out and out wingers or more often than not I favour a 5-2-3 set up. That requires the two wing backs to get forward and support the midfield and ensure we get some quality ball up to the forwards.

You gave a few youngsters a run out?

An assured debut from Shaun

It is often said that if you are good enough, you are old enough. And I believe in that strongly. I've never been afraid of given the youngsters a go throughout my career and that won't change at Macclesfield. John Askey and Mick Holgate have been doing a great job and from what I have seen there are certainly a few of the lads capable of making the step up. And you only have to look at the Premier League and the ages of some of the stars that players are being given their chances a lot earlier. It's slightly different at League Two level as strength probably has more of a role to play. But I believe that if you are going to make it you have to be knocking on the door by the time you are seventeen or eighteen.

As a new manager, whilst there is lots of free advice, you have to go on what you see on the training pitch. I thought Shaun Brisley was excellent and showed to me he really wanted to play. I think is he probably one of the most aggressive attackers of the ball we have at the club. By that I mean the way they attack the ball going into challenges. You have to stand up for yourself and I thought his performance against County was fully justification for giving him his debut.

As for JJ I had spoken to a few people at Altrincham and knew what he was capable of. The fact he was a left sided player helped as it gave us more balance with Terry Dunfield being suspended.

And what of Brentford this weekend?

Well they will have been stung by the result in the week when they got turned over by my old team Bury. I was going to say it was a bit of a surprise but time and again the results this season have shown that the league is wide open. Anyone can beat anyone on their day and that is why I don't really look too much the league positions of the teams we have to play. All I know is that we will travel down there on Friday confident of taking something from the game. We'll have to make changes with Luke Dimech being suspended but it really is the sharp end of the season now and there is little scope for any drop in our intensity. We need to go out there and earn the right to win.