Match report: Macclesfield 0 Huddersfield Town 3

Jul 29 2009 by Mel Booth, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

SLICK-LOOKING Town produced an assured display and three cracking goals to defeat League II Macclesfield at Moss Rose last night.

Manager Lee Clark watched his team boss large slices of the contest and take the spoils with three excellently-worked goals.

Impressed by his solid performance against Coventry in the No2 slot, Clark gave Tom Clarke chance to cement a first-team shirt at left-back with Lee Peltier returning after illness.

He also started Andy Butler at centre-back and was rewarded with some excellent challenges from him alongside skipper Peter Clarke.

Town quickly adapted to the wet conditions by pinging the ball around smartly and they put their stamp on the first half with two classically-worked goals.

The first came on 15 minutes after Gary Roberts had switched wings with Anthony Pilkington.

Antony Kay was already pulling the strings and controlling midfield, and it was his perfect chipped pass down the centre which released Pilkington from the left to drill the ball past keeper Jose Vegia.

With Robbie Simpson dangerous with his back to goal and Theo Robinson making some darting runs, Town went close again with a fierce Kay drive, but it was only a taster of what was to come.

Another well-worked move finished with Pilkington showing magnificently quick feet to set up Michael Collins in space and, with the clock ticking onto 27 minutes, he unleashed a 30-yard drive which fizzed into the top corner before Vegia could blink.