Macc Town 1 AFC Telford United 0
Thierry Audel's close-range header bolstered Macc Town's play-off bid as they saw off basement team Telford – just.
Against a side propping up the table Macc were the dominant force in the first half and should have made that count but all they had to show for it was that slender lead, courtesy of Audel.
With 17 minutes on the clock he rose highest to power in Paul Turnbull's wonderfully-measured cross. Just three yards from goal the Frenchman gave Bucks keeper Freddy Hall precious little hope of rescuing his side.
Rather even up to that point, the goal visibly shook Telford's confidence and it showed as Macc pressed on, and it took a brilliant interception from Ian Sharps to prevent Matthew Barnes-Homer from doubling the lead.
The lone striker also came up with a step-over to bamboozle the defence and set up Danny Whitaker for a shot, which whistled inches past the foot of Hall's post.
And Macc's failure to capitalise almost saw them pegged back just before the interval but Audel got in the way of a fierce goalbound effort from Telford's main threat, Tony Gray.
Macc didn't really get out of the blocks in the second half and a better team may have made them pay but with stout defence marshalled by Audel and George Pilkington, and Rhys Taylor in a 'none shall pass' kind of mood, the Bucks' challenge fizzled out about 15 minutes into the half.
In fact Macc should have extended the lead when Barnes-Homer charged onto an awful pass from the Bucks' Godfrey Poku, setting up the dangerous Theo Bailey-Jones, but he couldn't keep his shot low enough to trouble Hall.
Some crosses into the area were headed wide, Pilkington and Alex Grant unable to seal victory and allowing Telford to retain some semblance of hope.
John Askey's substitutions signalled an intent to finish off the Bucks but Chris Holroyd crashed two shots against the defenders and Paul Lewis cleared the bar with a thunderous effort and a quick break ended with Whitaker firing over.
The midfielder also blazed high when Fairhurst again slipped him in. And that wastefulness was almost punished in injury-time when Adam Farell's sweetly-hit volley went beyond Rhys Taylor but also inches past the post.
It was nerve-jangling for sure but Macc held out to move back to third in the table.
