Those Cheeky Cheshire Chaps, the Macc Lads landed at Ninian Park for a Carling Cup gig but their wait to join the Fat B****ards (sorry, Big Boys) in Round Three remains from Beer To Eternity but only just as City needed a Jason Koumas screamer of a free-kick to unconvincingly scrape home 2-1 after trailing at the interval. .
Those Macc Heroes - Al O’Peesha, Baggy Anne, Lucy Lastic, Mary Queen of Pox, Miss Macclesfield, Julie The Schooly, Maid of Ale and Sweaty Betty – must have been excited but ultimately disappointed for literally moments before getting on with their ways. (Sorry,this means nothing if you don’t know the group but it’s the Carling Cup early days, let’s not take it too seriously).
After three hard Championship (it used to be Division One and Division Two, you know) in 8 points producing 7 rewarding and very welcome points, it was an opportunity to rest some (Loovens, Cooper, Jerome had the night off, Alexander and Koumas were on the subs bench) whilst Michael Ricketts, the born again striker, was cup tied. That meant 6 changes and starting call ups to Martyn Margetson. Neil Cox, Neil Ardley, Paul Parry, Alan Lee and Stuart Fleetwood as DJ sent out Margetson. Weston-Purse-Cox-Barker, Ardley-Ledley-Whitley-Parry, Lee-Fleetwood. The bench were taken with Alexander, Darlington, Ferretti, Koumas, Mulryne.
Macclesfield's closest to a household name is Kevin Sandwith, simply because it sounds like sandwich. Managed by Brian Horton, player-assisted by Ian Brightwell, life at the Moss Rose ground will always be lower division football and that's a status they currently have to fight for. Lying 20th in what is now known as League Two, they have had a bad start to the season. Two league wins, one clean sheet and conceding two goals per game, The Silkmen travelled here on the back of a rotten weekend 4-1 home loss to Northampton and have also lost all four league away games. They saved their best for the Carling Cup though in winning 3-2 at Nottingham Forest in Round One, a surprise but not a shock, beating Forest is hardly that these days. They were hoping to make Round Three for the first time ever.
Their side had the sort of names we used to be familiar with not so many moons ago but don't really keep in our minds these days. It was Fettis, Sandwith-Morley-Swailes-Barras. Briscoe-Bullock-McIntrye-Whittaker, Harsley-Miles. They started 4-4-2 but often were 4-5-1 or 5-4-1 with in-from Martin Bullock always making bursts from midfield. Most were lower league journeymen with several clubs to their name, Dan Whitaker the only homegrown product and Danny Swailes at £40,000, the only player who cost a transfer fee.
In honour of their visit, City shut the Bob Bank. In an initiative to be applauded, prices were reduced to £10 (£5 for kids and oap’s) in the Grange End, Canton Stand and Lower Grandstand or £12/£6 in the Upper Grandstand. Each ticket holder was also guaranteed 2 tickets if City get a favourable draw should we get drawn against the reserves of a Premiership big gun in the next round.
Only 3,849 were tempted out including just 24 from Macclesfield and they needed 14 stewards and police in with them, 8 more pitchside in front of them or in the 'no man's land' next to them. The question is why? It was just like the old days ... unfortunately, in the first half especially, so was City's football.
Other silly things I noticed about tonight, the programmes sold out yet again and far too early, how many do we print? And those turning up on the night to a ground not even 20% full, still had to queue out onto Sloper Road to get near ticket office windows. I hope they act quickly on supporter feedback for their sakes. As current Ninian Park obsession is attendances, it’s worth noting that just 2,014 watched Macc’s at home last weekend, that was 25% up on the 1,601 who watched their first match. I wonder what the secret of their success is?
The opening period, from a City viewpoint, was rank awful, the sort of football you could only watch through small gaps in your fingers with hands over your eyes. In fact, it was Macclesfield who were playing the decent football, passing and moving well, keeping the ball down and certainly looking a far better team than the league tables suggest. Cardiff by contrast looked the lower league side, passing was poor often hoofed or aimless, movement akin to the average Darby and Joan tea dance, fans were frustrated and you could understand why many booed them off at the interval.
City. attacking the Canton Stand, could have scored in the opening 30 seconds. They moved the ball quickly down the left then played it smartly across the area to find Neil Ardley free at an angle but he scuffed his shot to Fettis. It was City's best football of that 45 minutes.
On 6 minutes, we were behind to a quality move and goal. Three touches down the right, Weston and Cox looking a little slow to see the danger as Martin Bullock burst between then behind them and rolled an angled shot across Margetson and inside his far post. The Macc 24 celebrated wildly, they could almost be heard saying "yeah, yesss" in the Grandstand.
They almost cheered again on 10 minutes as a simple ball down the middle sent Bullock, a midfielder already on 6 for the season, scampering away again. Margetson saw the danger and charged out, the players both got a foot to the ball but it squirmed away kindly for us.
In fairness, Macclesfield never got as close again but if you weren't a full blue-blooded City fan, you would have enjoyed the way they knocked it about and wondered just who were the basement team and who were the side mid-table in the Championship. It was a sign of City's poor display that some fans were prepared to give them a clap anytime they managed to put two or three passes together.
Jeff Whitley had a curious booking as he clearly won a ball but his trailing leg caught a player challenging with him. Undoubtedly fair but the ref saw the opposing player was injured, he hammed it up to the 'I've been shot' variety, and appeared to react to that in showing yellow. Whitley protested vehemently, he looked wronged to me and walked a tightrope with a couple of second half fouls and a final verbal warning from another annoying, fussy ref. He; s now one card away from our first suspension of the season.
They had chances. Stuart Fleetwood raced away, got past the last man but went a little too wide, his deflected shot was easily pushed away by Fettis. Lee did well with a shot on the turn but his effort lacked real conviction and Fettis got to that as well. The half summed up as the one paced Neil Ardley who either sent over great crosses or bloody awful took a free kick on the edge of the area in added time which was blocked, Purse's follow up went into an empty box at the back of the Canton Stand. Bring on the boos!
H/T: CITY 0 MACCLESFIELD 1
The interval entertainment, in addition to the kids game, was 5 blokes taking a kick from the centre spot trying to hit the goal. One of was Mike Morris, his shiny bald pate under the floodlights having everyone racing back to their cars for their sunglasses. Up stepped the maestro who often gives those of us who know him well a description of his weekly football games and how good he was. So what the effing'ell was that? Like the pub drunk, he staggered up and went in the wrong direction, the ball squirming 25 yards left, it almost rolled to the outside edge of the penalty area. I didn't think anyone could have looked worse than City, take a bow Morris-meister.
While that was going on, I'd like to think Dave Jones gave his players a half-time paint stripping verbal volley that they won't forget in a hurry. Whatever he did/said, it had the desired effect and City returned with a better tempo, some much needed pace and movement and efforts at goal.
Alan Lee had a great opportunity to equalise within 30 seconds of resumption, he wriggled free to meet a good Ardley cross bang in front of goal but confirmed he's really not a fantastic header of the ball by sending it straight to Fettis, either side and it was 1-1.
A couple of minutes later, a free kick 20 yards out and Ardley curled it well over the wall, the keeper looked in trouble but they had placed a man on the line who headed it away. However it was third time lucky as City equalised on 50 minutes.
Ardley was involved again, this time sending over an outswinging high hanging far post ball. Fettis came out but struggled under pressure with Lee and Cox around, he barely got knuckles to the ball and sent it straight to JOE LEDLEY near the penalty spot who took a touch to control and glided it into a net guarded by one defender only. Relief!
City were now dominant and Macclesfield although still playing well were unable to make any impression. There were a flurry of Bluebird crosses and corners but nothing coming from them. Andrea Ferretti came on for the final half hour replacing Fleetwood who'd done ok-ish, Ferretti did slightly less.
Parry headed one wide, the best when a quick halfway through sent Lee racing clear but instead of shooting himself, he passed to Whitley who drilled wide. Moments later, in a similar situation, Lee did have a go but did a Mike Morris - maybe that's why he didn't shoot the other time! Macc had one break in the half, Rhys Weston was dummied inside the area but the player hesitated between shooting and finding Bullock charging up at the far post and did neither, thankfully lofting a ball high and wide.
With 15 minutes to go, Koumas was thrown on. You felt his quality may make the difference and it was needed, none of wanted to stay another half-hour for extra-time! The difference came on 80. Ferretti was fouled 25 yards out and central.
Koumas, Ardley and Whitley were all looking at it, it was always going to be Koumas. Macclesfield put a defender on the line near one post, Fettis was covering the other side. It seemed to take an eternity, it went on for so long,, my last (I wish I never said it!) words were, "we're just poncing about, you know this is going to the back of the Grange End". Doh!
Up stepped KOUMAS and smacked the most awesome effort of precision and power. It rose all the way to goal, it really looked as if it sped up on the way and it smashed the top corner of goal. The tall defender on the line couldn't get near it - I think he ducked out of it for fear of losing essential body parts. That's the brilliance of the man and worth the money, the effort and the dross we had to put up with. It was closer distance, nothing will ever compare to it but that's the nearest thing I've seen to THAT John Buchanan goal all those years ago.
It was a goal to win any match, you knew it was game over. Macc had one last fling , a couple of crosses and a corner but City got to them all and rode it out.
So it's 6 unbeaten, 3 straight wins, the quality remains dubious but nobody can argue with the run we're on. Next up is Millwall away Saturday and we'll see what the next round of this cup brings us.
In other great news, The Wurzels lost 3-1 at Forest and remain last but one and looking at the basement. The game is indeed beautiful.
THE COST OF BEING A CITY FAN:
Tickets: £18 - 2 tickets as took my stepson
Programme: Sold Out such was the crowd
Travel: £3
Food/Drink: £11
Total for the game: £32
Total for season so far: £592
Report from FootyMad
A superb free-kick from Jason Koumas spared Cardiff's blushes after the lowly Silkmen had looked to be on their way to a shock victory.
The League Two side had taken the lead in the sixth minute when Martin Bullock beat the offside trap before slotting home.
Joe Ledley levelled five minutes into the second half but it was not until Koumas arrived on the scene that the Bluebirds looked like gaining control.
Cardiff made six changes from the side that beat Palace on Saturday whilst Macclesfield were unchanged despite a shattering 4-1 home defeat by Northampton.
Straight from the kick-off the visitors took the game to the Bluebirds and it was no surprise when Bullock raced on to a long ball out of defence to open the scoring.
Five minutes later Bullock was through once again but Martyn Margetson stretched full length to block the ball on the edge of the area and so avoid an even more embarrassing scoreline.
The first half drew to a close with Cardiff looking more like the basement side after they had been outplayed by a team in 88th position in the League.
Stung by words from manager Dave Jones the Bluebirds started the second half in more positive fashion and Alan Lee had a downward header gathered by Alan Fettis and then a Neal Ardley free-kick was flicked over his own crossbar by David Morley.
City levelled in the 50th minute when Stuart Fleetwood made space down the right and his cross was cleared to Ledley who sent a first-time shot low into the net.
The delicate state of the tie meant that Jones had to bring on Koumas for the last 20 minutes in the hope that he could open up the visitors defence.
Fortunately for the Bluebirds, Koumas was on the field when Andrea Ferretti won a free-kick 20 yards out and in a central position.
The Wales international midfielder, who became a father this week, crashed the free-kick into the roof of the net with the visitors keeper motionless.
External reports
Western Mail