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It wasn't a vintage performance and we had to battle for the three points, but we showed a very good blend of fighting qualities and high tempo attacking football. In the first half, we recovered from the penalty (I haven't seen it again, but I'm 99% certain that was Deon Burton's hand) and put lot's of pressure on Wednesday. We should have had another goal and they offered nothing in return. In the second half, it was a much tougher fight. They had big spells of possession and the atmosphere was very nervous, although the fans were wonderfully patient and sang their hearts out. The last 10 minutes was tough, the 2 up front were sat in midfield or even defence and Ash and Dougie were pushed deeper and deeper. Despite that, there wasn't the horrid feeling you always had when you sensed a Macclesfield equaliser coming. The players looked fit, calm and composed. They deserve a lot of credit for making tackles, blocks and headers in key positions.
Boaz made one world class save and 2 very good ones. He came and collected and kicked well. He was very comfortable apart from one mental aberration when he came for a ball that we had covered and pole-axed Turner and Burton.
Defensively, we made very few mistakes and no key errors. Dawson earned his redemption with a committed performance. Turner looked happy to have a steadying influence alongside him and played well. He has a problem reading the game though; he has to stretch for too many balls because he's not positioned correctly. He's a bit lightweight too, like an early Leon Cort; Burton pushed him about too often. Ricketts had a strong game at the back and the front. Only once did his fifty pence head show up. He looked full of running and gave great support to Fagan. Come on, if someone told you 5 years ago that we'd play in a wonderful stadium, in Division 2, on Sky against Sheffield Wednesday, with Danny Mills, Nick Barmby and Michael Bridges in the side and a centre forward with 5 goals in 6 starts, you'd have laugh wouldn't you? Mills lead very well; he spoke to those around him and to the referee in a calming manner. He intervened when Dawson tried to chin Lloyd Sam. He went for 5 or 6 headers that he had no chance of winning, but otherwise, he but his head in where it hurts, won tackles and found the energy to charge the length of the pitch in injury time. Lacking some match practice, but full of heart. Can we keep him, Adam?
In the midfield, Doug Livermore and Ash gave as good a performance as you'll see. They passed well, harried, tackled and ran themselves into the ground. I had to make the comment, "Was Ash ever this good before his injury?" He was immense. His passing is certainly better then it's ever been and he gives an incredible amount of encouragement and he gives a telling off when it's deserved. They both drove the team on and Livermore won a lot of ball deep in the Wednesday half. They were ably assisted by Fagan and France, who worked as hard as anyone on the pitch. Fagan was much better at driving beyond defenders, his crossing could have been better though. France causes defenders problems; he's menacing, quick and direct. If he had a killer instinct, he could play at the top level. The midfield got sucked too deep in the last 10, which put us on the back foot, but it's hard to point the finger. They'd covered miles of ground in the previous 85.
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It was a great first home win for Parky. A performance much more like what he promised us. It's amazing what two wins in a week does for confidence and optimism. We have a strong squad with good competition for places. This side can play football and can fight, they don't have an excuse for not pushing on now.
Ratings: Bo 8, Ricketts 7, Dawson 7, Mills 7, Turner 7, Fagan 7, France 8, Livermore 8, Ashbee 8, Bridges 7 (Barmby), Parkin 8.