Macclesfield & District F.A. Saturday Cup
Sponsored by Safety Screens Ltd
Semi Final @ Congleton Town FC Saturday 17th April
Club AZ 2 Congleton Athletic 0
Club AZ cruised into the final with something to spare as they overcame a brave Congleton Athletic side at North West Counties side Congleton Town's Booth Street Stadium.
AZ, the cup holders showed their intentions from the first whistle and poured forward with Athletic’s keeper Alex Barwell forced into action early making a fine save in the fourth minute tipping the ball over the bar. Barely two minutes later Harry Wheetman
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| Harry Wheetman, scored AZ's second goal |
saw his curling free kick rattle the bar and it seemed only a matter of time before AZ took the lead. The breakthrough came on thirteen minutes when Wheetman who gave Athletic’s Ian Baddiley a torrid afternoon down the right wing , found Lee Malkin in space six yards out and his instant control and flick made it 1-0.. Wheetman then doubled the lead on twenty six minutes with a trade mark finish but the cup holders failed to add to their tally with Athletic's defenders Matt Tonks and former AZ man Si Carsberg in particularly fine form.
The second half saw AZ become rather complacent. Content to let Congleton have much more of the ball they soaked up the pressure and hit them on the break knowing they would have to concede twice for the tie to go into extra time. Rob Negus was outstanding in the middle of the park for Athletic and battled for every ball but it needed more and AZ were coping comfortably with Matt Woolley and Andy Quigley consistently breaking up possession before Athletic could reach their eighteen yard box .
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| Congleton Athletic's Matt Tonks shadows Club AZ's Duncan Warrinder |
AZ should and could have added to their tally but for some woeful finishing and they will undoubtedly have to improve if they are to lift the cup once again at the Moss Rose where they will face either Boarhound or last saeson’s opponents Congleton Vale who meet in the other semi –final next Saturday.
Macc & District FA Sunday Cup
(sponsored by Gradus Ltd )
Semi –Final @ Congleton Town FC Sunday 18th April
Cheadle Lions 4 Drum & Monkey 0
An astonishing semi-final that was as good as over after the first five minutes as Peter McLoughlan’s side raced into a 3-0 lead. Having beaten their opponent s 5-1 in their East Cheshire Sunday league encounter only ten days earlier the Lions continued their fine form.
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| Brian Matthew goes close for Drum & Monkey |
Perhaps Drum were too eager to avenge that defeat as they commited the first foul of the game after barely seven seconds with the ball still in the centre circle .The resultant free kick lofted high into Drum’s penalty area caused panic and when keeper Chris Fiddler failed to collect Paul Garvey gratefully poked the ball home. Two minutes later it was 2-0 when Andy Simpson scored following a corner on the right hand side . Barely had the celebrations subsided when Lawrence Aspinall made it 3-0 and gave Drum , the cup holders an absolute mountain to climb. They tried hard with Brian Matthews making headway down the wing but they missed Joe Ingham and Rick Tindall in midfield and the strikers Andy Hurst and Scott McGowan were feeding on scraps.
Gary Wood killed the tie eleven minutes into the second half as he raced clear of the Drum defence to confidently slot home for a fine individual effort to make it 4-0.
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| Cheadle Lions' Rick Crawford (red and white ) takes on Jim Ingham |
With the tie as good as over Andy Hurst had a chance to score a consolation goal from the penalty spot but he blasted his penalty high and wide of Andy Cowell ‘s goal to sum up a horrible afternoon for the holders.
Cheadle on the other hand will be brimming with confidence and wont mind who they face from the other semi –final between Pack Horse and Albion Rovers.
