Huddersfield 19  Macclesfield 18

Hopes of a clean sweep for September were derailed at the spectacular Lockwood Park home of newly promoted Huddersfield in a sometimes scrappy game dominated by the boot in a game that rarely flowed with any consistency.

It could not have started better for the Blues when with barely a minute on the clock and without Huddersfield even touching the ball Macclesfield retained the ball from their kick off to force the way to the Huddersfield line where flanker – Chris Jones – finished with the try duly converted by Ross Winney to give the visitors a 7-0 lead.

However Chris Johnson – who kicked immaculately for Huddersfield all afternoon – hit back with a penalty and almost scored soon after with a drop attempt.

The Blues were guilty of losing possession at vital times as also were the home side but it was Huddersfield who scored the next try when Scrum Half – Damien Clayton – scored a good individual try after 25 minutes although there was a suspicion that Macc players were ‘blocked’ as he made the run.  The conversion went wide but the home side led by 8-7 and went further ahead after Macclesfield Hooker – Peter Allen – was given ten minutes in the bin and Johnson hit over the resultant penalty to make it 11-7.

As half time approached a good Macclesfield threequarter move was clinically finished off by Full Back – Fergus Mulchrone – who linked into the line to score wide out in the corner and although Winney’s conversion was short the Blues took a 12-11 interval lead.

Huddersfield regained the lead with a Johnson penalty just 3 minutes into the second half – a lead that they defended to the end – and this was increased just minutes later when wingman - Alexander Shaw – was put into space on the right to sprint away from the cover to touch down and whilst the conversion went adrift it was 19-12 to the home side.

Josh Fowles made a good run for the Blues and thought he had scored but was pulled back for putting a foot in touch en route to the whitewash but a Winney penalty narrowed the gap after 15 minutes.

The home side had No 8 Nick Sharpe binned for persistent foul play and the resultant Winney penalty narrowed the lead to a single point with 18 minutes still to play.

Both sides could, and perhaps should, have scored in a frantic finish to the game but it was the boot of Johnson that constantly pushed the Blues back.

A penalty awarded to Macclesfield into injury time gave Winney the opportunity to win the game but from close to the half way line his kick struck an upright and fell back into play as the final whistle blew.

Following the game Head Coach – Geoff Wappett – said, “It was a disappointing end to a game we should have put away. It certainly should not have relied on Ross to get that last kick.  Perhaps we wilted under the sun but there was another side out there as well. It was three points lost rather than the one we gained”

Team: Mulchrone, Fowles L, McDermott R, Hughes, Fowles J, Winney, Macey. Devine, Allen, Robinson, Marsh, Lear, Jones, Baines & Smithson.

Replacements : Goodfellow, Keane, Moss, Hewitt, McDermott G