The Silkmen’s return to the Emirates FA Cup is just a day away, and we are continuing to flashback to our previous Second Round Qualifying fixtures as Macclesfield FC.
This time we are flashing back to last season’s clash in the Second Round Qualifying, as the Silkmen welcomed North West Counties side Atherton Laburnum Rovers to the Leasing.com Stadium.
It took a while for them to get going, but goals from Sean Etaluku, Ethan McLeod and D’Mani Mellor saw the Silkmen defeat their lower league opponents.
It was a very even opening period with neither side stamping their authority on the game as they battled hard to find a difference.
The Silkmen were dealt an early injury blow as James Edmondson was forced off with an injury just 12 minutes into the game, with Regan Griffiths entering the fray in his place.
Luke Griffiths was first to rattle Atherton’s cage with a wonderfully executed free kick, which just flew wide of Joe Bickerstaffe’s upright after 20 minutes.
Sean Etaluku was a constant threat throughout the day, beating various Atherton opponents for pace in the wide areas, and delivering dangerous crosses towards Silkmen frontmen Danny Elliott, D’Mani Mellor and Isaac Buckley-Ricketts at the far post, who couldn’t quite convert their respective efforts.
It was Atherton who came closest to an opener on the brink of the break, via Houghton, whose deflected effort resulted in a corner, from which Harvey Sample spun on a dime and forced Dearnley into a reaction save from point blank range.
The Silkmen started the second period brightest and were quickest to make their dominant presence felt as Sean Etaluku’s effort from distance found its way through several bodies and into the far corner, just ten minutes into the second half.
Ethan McLeod scored his first Silkmen goal just six minutes after his introduction with a tidy finish from close range, doubling Macc’s lead after 63 minutes on what was his competitive debut in Macc colours.
The Silkmen had a number of chances to add a third as Luis Lacey went close with a free-kick, whilst Danny Elliott and D’Mani Mellor failed to find the target from pinpoint crosses off the wings.
The third eventually arrived in additional time as D’Mani Mellor found the target from close range to firmly seal the tie in the Silkmen’s favour.
