You’ve got to Pump It Up . . . Crewe (Home)

Jen Kelly – a.k.a. Cheshire’s Revenge / The Word Nerd – brings ilovemacc her own take on the highs and lows of The Silkmen

When I blogged after the original fixture was suspended by the player strike, we were well and truly playing the waiting game.

Waiting for the EFL axe to fall with our first punishment. Waiting on news of the recently announced sale of the club. Waiting for details of whether the Crewe game would be rearranged or forfeited. Waiting to see if we’d even have a club to call home come 2020. That was over 6 weeks ago and, quite frankly, it still feels like we’re camping out in the waiting room, staring at the walls in the vain hope they’ll tell us something. Anything.

The return of the Good Friday hero

As the fog rolled in across the Pennines last night there was little in the way of hope among the Silkmen masses. With the EFL theft of 6 points we are currently teetering at the edge of the abyss and expecting more bad news from that direction before the season is out. The Amar-Sealey-Whoever deal is allegedly rumbling away in the background behind NDAs and lawyers, but no fan can be blamed for looking on the whole thing with a massive amount of scepticism. And that’s all without rumour after rumour of who is going to jump ship next.

But then….

The news that Danny “Get That Ball Out Of The Mud” Whitehead had returned for a fourth spell knocked me for six. He’s a player I was genuinely gutted to see leave 18 months ago. A player that was a joy to watch throughout his time with us and one that has been up there with my favourite Macc players since I first saw him. It was not the news I was expecting to hear from the club that, for the last 12 months or more, has been solidly in the doom and gloom camp.

He’s also a player that Joe Sealey cited as someone he would bring back when we interviewed him for the Silkchat podcast back in November. But lets leave that rumour mill alone for the time being…

As an added bonus we also welcomed a new keeper to the fold, in the form of 25 year old Jonathan Mitchell on loan from Derby. The fact that anyone would even glance in our direction at the moment is pretty mind blowing, but two people? Amazing.

So many bulbs, so little light…

News of the random travels fast, so I was already aware that we’d drafted in a new set of floodlights ahead of last night’s game. Meandering past the monstrosity on the car park, it was immediately clear from the group of confused looking chaps gathered around the operating panel at the bottom of the floodlights that no-one knew how to work the thing. Brilliant.

There was better news on the team sheet. As well as Whitehead and Mitchell going straight into the team, it was encouraging to see Archibald in the starting 11 after a few weeks on the bench. With the home debut of the new management squad to round it all off, there was plenty to talk about at least.

‘El Cheshico’ started off at a frantic pace, with both teams looking eager to make a mark, albeit for different reasons. Both sets of fans immediately began to stake their claim to being the only team in Cheshire, a high prize indeed. This had the making of a classic derby game.

The play settled down after the first few minutes but Macc were definitely getting the better of the ball. Debutante Mitchell spooned his first kick out of play but soon seemed to find his distribution boots and hoicked the rest straight and true down the field. I mean, not to anyone in particular, but still…

Our first real chance came after about 10 minutes, when O’Keeffe fired in a bullet of a cross from the right. Unfortunately no one in blue was quick enough or brave enough to get on the end of it and it bounced out of harms way. But the boy from Brum had stamped the Silkmen intention on the game early on.

The Silkmen Show

The next to have a go was Connor Kirby, barging his way through a haphazard Crewe defence and setting himself up with a perfect position, only to pop the shot well wide. I’ve been so impressed with Kirby since he came onboard and this was perhaps a demonstration of what his game is lacking; shooting ability. But he is young and he will certainly learn.

Up the other end Crewe had their first go at goal. Mitchell easily caught it and prompted a happy cheer from the SLE, pleased that our newest recruit could at least catch. 

As the first half rolled on, Arthur peppered the goal with some half shots that never looked like a threat. Our first corner went nowhere, hitting Horsfall and causing the horse to fall over. It was at this point that McCourt, who had looked well off his usual pinpoint pace, put himself on the floor for the second time and beckoned to the bench. He was replaced with little Ben Stephens, who had perhaps assumed he wasn’t getting a game this week and was still chilling on the bench in his trackies when McCourt skulked off the pitch.

Both sets of fans could perhaps feel that something was coming as the half wore down. Choruses of “you’re fucking shit” from the SLE were answered with the ever original “you’re going down” from the John Askey terrace, with the words seeming to linger in the fog that little bit longer each time. Kennedy decided he wanted a piece of the action and started screaming instructions across the grass. Most of these were launched in the general direction of Ironside, with Kennedy full-naming him like an angry mother disciplining her errant toddler.

An excellent period of pressure at the very end of the half resulted in sweet reward. After a peach of a pass from Archibald had won another corner, Macc drove forward in numbers. The wonderful Whitehead won the ball back twice to grind out a chance on goal, whipped in from Arthur on the left. The cross sailed past everyone in blue and landed at the feet of the Crewe number 12, Paul Green, who seemed to have a momentary lapse in brain power as he slotted in into his own net. Nice one Paul, you oddball!

Second Half Crew(e), let me hear you…hello?

The sheer delight in the voices of the away fans as they gleefully chanted “you’re shit, ahhhhhh!” at our new boy in nets was rather sweet. The answer from the SLE of some comedy pirate noises warmed my cockles. Football fans are great. Completely weird, but great. 

Crewe had obviously had a rocket up their collective arse during the break and started to show why they are where they are in the table. We still racked up some chances, the most notable perhaps being the complicated free kick that Archibald, Kirby and Whitehead constructed. If the balls of Charlie Kirk hadn’t got in the way of the shot we could’ve doubled our lead. But Crewe were not rolling over and, even though they were certainly not showing great skill on or off the ball, they started to pile on the pressure. 

A cross from the right was tipped over by Mitchell, saving the lead for a few minutes more. With the clock showing more than 30 minutes to go it was like a steam train slowly building up speed, squealing and hissing noisily as it went. Surge after surge of yellow attack rolled down the pitch, cutting through the advancing fog and Silkmen alike. Crewe won a free kick on the right which was dropped in perfectly and would’ve found the net if any of their players had looked up. As the off-form Archibald made way for Cameron with 20+ minutes to go, we all bemoaned the fact that we were going defensive so early. Although with no real goal threat either on or off the pitch it was perhaps the only choice Mark had at his disposal.

The temporary floodlights were folded away as the game entered it’s final stages. I wish I’d gone home with them as our final substitution was completed. Ironside, who had held the ball up well and caused some problems without looking like a real threat, made way for Blyth. A man who, and lets be fair to him, is a complete gimp.*

The writing seemed to be on the wall with that last roll of the dice. Crewe had the upper hand and foot, pinning us back and forcing us to block each ball with every thing we had. Kelleher was incredible as always but he is only one man and, as much as everyone else in blue was putting their body on the line too, the equaliser felt inevitable.

Perhaps it was karma. After all, Crewe should’ve perhaps had a penalty moments before. But as the ball pin-balled around the area and then rolled into the bottom right corner of the net, it felt like 2 points well and truly thrown away. The thickening fog was turned red and the murky air screamed with celebrations from the visitors. Meanwhile every single Macc fan around the ground fell silent, mentally adding the equalising goal to the ever increasing list of things to feel downright shitty about.

The fight continues…

If you’d have offered me a draw against Crewe before the game I’d have snapped your hand off. But there are few things more painful in football than knowing you should’ve, and could’ve, taken all 3 points. Crewe deserved their equaliser but we didn’t deserve to give it to them. As I drove back down London Road feeling utterly robbed I watched the Crewe lads in the car in front celebrate out of the windows, fist-pumping their way home with ‘Pump It Up’ blasting into the night. Rub it in, why don’t you?!

And so we move on. Our depleted squad is starting to fray and I can only speculate what next week will bring. The fight is most certainly still there but, with the threat of yet more punishment from the EFL and games coming thick and fast, I can’t be alone in praying for a footballing miracle?

We welcome the vegans of Forest Green on Saturday. Lets hope that they’re feeling kinder than Crewe were.

#againstallodds https://thewordnerd.home.blog/

*I can’t take the credit for this insult. It was uttered from the mouth of Arnold J Rimmer, originally talking about Dave ‘Cinzano Bianco’ Lister in perhaps the greatest episode of the genius that is Red Dwarf. Watch it, it’ll change your life.

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