A home tie against a struggling Premier League team should be just about as good as the third round of the FA Cup gets for Macclesfield Town, but boss Gary Simpson won’t be giving Bolton Wanderers the merest thought just yet.
Simpson has far more pressing matters to attend to, namely this Saturday’s game against a team in excellent form, League Two play-off hopefuls Gillingham.
"It would be nice to get back on track in the league," he said. "Carl Tremarco’s available again after suspension so it’ll be nice to have him back , and it gives us another fit body. Gillingham have been on a great run despite having some tough games, and they beat Leyton Orient in their cup game on Saturday.
"The replay against Chelmsford means Ross Draper will be suspended for that so, in some respects, it’s helped us with the league because he’s only going to miss one league game for us."
Even if Macc had already booked their place in the third round, the League Two campaign remains the manager’s priority ahead of next Wednesday’s replay, and a potential rematch with Owen Coyle’s men, who came from behind to win a Carling Cup tie against the Silkmen in August.
"A big draw can be a boost to the players and give them a bit of motivation to win the right to play in that one," continued Simpson. "But we’ve still got to face Chelmsford again and earn the right to be in the next round.
"We got a replay and we know that it’s going to be every bit as much of a battle for us."
Ahead of Tuesday night’s Cheshire Senior Cup quarter-final against Warrington Town, Simpson is looking to get some of his under-cooked first-teamers as much match practice as possible, with Tremarco, Arnaud Mendy, Lewis Chalmers, Dan Gray, Scott Boden and Waide Fairhurst all looking to regain some match-sharpness.
However, midfielder Scott Kay will be out for another six weeks due to a torn thigh ligament. Right-back Elliott Hewitt is still nursing his troublesome groins and should also miss out.
