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Chester City 0 - 0 Macc Town

by Mike Glendinning
7/ 5/2008

MACC Town signed off for the summer with a typical end-of-season game at Chester City.

Chester themselves had nothing to play for, having gained the point they needed for safety against Stockport in midweek, and both sides seemed happy to complete their disappointing campaigns and head for their holidays.

This was Macc’s first virtually meaningless game in years, and manager Keith Alexander took the opportunity to shuffle his pack ahead of his summer dealing.

Andrew Teague played his first game for the Silkmen since his horrific leg-break 18 months ago.

The 22-year-old defender looked composed and assured throughout and even had a spell up front in a bid to nab a late winner.

John Rooney was given his first league start, and he produced the finest moment of a tame game on 15 minutes when he turned to retrieve a half-cleared corner and thundered a drive off the underside of the crossbar.

The hosts had the odd moment, Richie Partridge blazing over the bar on 10 minutes after former Macc striker John Murphy had a shot blocked. As the first half drew to a close, last season’s Stamford Bridge scorer was inches over with a header from James Vaughan’s cross.

The second half was little more than a procession but the 500-plus Macc fans who made the short journey west enjoyed the party anyway. Macc keeper Jonny Brain was a safe pair of hands whenever he was called upon, particularly when Partridge’s goalbound chip needed a solid hand.

That moment aside, neither team mustered any quality and, with Chester’s Paul Rutherford and Andy Mitchell firing off wayward shots, and Rooney, Izak Reid and skipper Jamie Tolley doing the same for Macc, a 0-0 draw was the only outcome this game was ever going to produce.