The Keith Alexander Memorial Trophy will be back at Macc for the next year after John Askey’s Silkmen overpowered their hosts – eventually.

The third summer clash for the prize –in honour of Macc’s much-missed boss – went the way of the visitors, thanks to goals from Chris Holroyd and Connor Jennings.

Head to toe in an very un-Macclesfield red, the visitors seemingly couldn’t pick each other out against a hungry Buxton in their traditional blue strips.

Macc weren’t anything like up  to speed in a first half devoid of action at either end. But once John Askey rang the changes at the break, it took only a few moments for them to secure the trophy with two quick-fire goals.

Rhys Taylor had been busy than his Buxton counterpart, new signing Andy Warrington, and had he not reacted well to halt Lee Morris the hosts would have led on 16 minutes.

Buxton dominated and Macc were grateful that Max Thornhill twice missed his mark and that former – midfielder Derek Niven completed a neat passing move by straying wide of goal.

Macc finally got into second gear five minutes before half-time and it was Holroyd who was the man most likely.

His free-kick from 25 yards wasn’t handled well by Warrington, though the former Rotherham man did enough to bundle it out for a corner. And when the delivery was nodded back across goal by Efe Sodje, Holroyd pounced but got under his snap-shot and sent it over the goal.

The introduction of Jennings and Paul Lewis at the break paid instant dividends for Askey, as the midfielder’s run ended with him slipping Jennings in and when he picked out Holroyd there was no spurning that chance, as he finished calmly to give Macc the lead.

Yet another replacement, familiar face Lewis Chalmers in an unfamiliar spot at right-back, was instrumental in number two.

His long ball was measured beautifully for Jennings who gave Warrington little chance in doubling the lead. Clean through 15 minutes later Jennings came the closest to a third goal but once he’d rounded Warrington the floored keeper stretched a firm hand out and grabbed the ball from off Jennings’ toe.

In the closing stages Danny Andrew struck a post and Warrington managed to tip Danny Rowe’s shot over.

In truth, a third goal was have been harsh on Buxton. And while the deserve credit, Askey was scathing in his players’ substandard first-half showing.

“The players who played in the first half – not all of them but the majority of them – were very lethargic and it wasn’t good enough,” he reflected.

“It doesn’t matter what game you play, if you’re not prepared to run about, head and tackle you’re never going to achieve anything.

“But the ones who came out in the second half came out showed that they want to play and staked their claim to a shirt.

“I thought Paul Lewis showed up really well, he’s a lad who’s come through the youth team, which is pleasing, he looked our best midfielder today.

“It doesn’t matter how old he is, if he’s playing better than everybody else he’ll play.”