The Silkmen ended their clash with Chesterfield U23s on equal terms, Captain Tyler Beck’s penalty leaving the score at 1-1. Macclesfield dominated the first half, creating plenty of opportunities while a back-three defended well to keep the scoreline equal.
Karmarl Nelson and Lucas Carey put in a strong shift to get the ball into the final third throughout the first 45, while Chesterfield’s squad could not match this ability.
Early in the second half, a foul in Macclesfield’s box left Chesterfield with a penalty, but a fantastic save by keeper Luke Trentacost denied them the chance to break ahead.
25 minutes into the second half, a foul at the other end of the pitch left Beck taking a penalty, slotting it in the bottom corner to take the lead.
Moments later, Chesterfield would equalize with 15 minutes to go. This only energized the blues, however, and soon enough Caleb Graves was on goal with the keeper out of sight. But a bad tackle from the opposition left them a man down, and only a free kick from what should have been a goal.
Following the match, Beck said:
“I thought the first half was quite a difficult game, they pressed high and it was quite cagey at times but we did have opportunities to go 1-0 up at the break.”
“I’m delighted [to score a penalty], I’m quite confident with my penalties and I feel like I can put the majority of them away if not all of them.”