CONTENTED manager Peter Jackson watched his senior side finish pre-season with another win and reflected: "I'm pleased with how we are looking."

Midfield signing Chris Brandon - who looked very lively when sent on as a substitute for the final half hour - scored nine minutes from time to cap another impressive and dominant Town display.

Had it not been for some excellent saves from former Hull goalkeeper Alan Fettis, Brian Horton's League II side would have lost by more, but Town exorcised the Moss Rose ghosts of December 2003 in heading confidently into the new season.

"We kept another clean sheet and it was an excellent workout," said Jackson, who later attended the Blue concert with members of his promotion-winning squad.

"Macclesfield have signed some good players, they've got a lot of experience and they'll do well this season, but we played very well indeed.

"We looked fit and strong and produced some good play and, having completed our final first-team friendly, I'm pleased with how we are looking.

"It was nice to see Chris Brandon on the scoresheet again, I was pleased with the back three, who rarely looked troubled, and Ian Gray had only a couple of saves to make.

"It was solid, just what I wanted, and now we are all ready for the big kick-off this weekend."

Happily, there were no injuries for Town as they impressed on the ground where, last season, they were hammered 4-0 in what proved the lowest point of an ultimately successful campaign.

Steve Yates and Danny Schofield, who has been nursing a groin injury, were replaced on the hour by Brandon and Nathan Clarke and they slotted in very neatly indeed.

Town, in fact, were unlucky to have what looked a perfectly good goal from Tony Carss wiped out for pushing in only the third minute while Junior Mendes, who set up the chance, tormented the Silkmen's defence throughout in a promising pointer for the campaign proper.

While Yates cleared a Tony Barrass effort from near the line and Gray saved brilliantly from Graham Potter's curling free-kick, Andy Booth twice went close before the break and linked cleverly at times with Mendes and Schofield.

The latter should have scored on 57 minutes with a six-yard header but missed the target after a bright build-up involving Mendes and Andy Holdsworth down the right.

Rob Edwards, whose curling shot was denied in the first half, watched Fettis make another excellent stop from Booth's back-post header after 76 minutes.

At that stage it looked like Town, who had gone close through Efe Sodje and Carss when forcing a string of corners, would end up with a draw.

But Brandon had the last laugh, latching onto Carss' pass into the box and slotting the ball right footed under Fettis from a tight angle and in off the far post.

Town: Gray, Holdsworth, Edwards, Mirfin, Yates (Clarke 60), Sodje, Worthington, Carss, Booth, Mendes, Schofield (Brandon 60). Subs not used: Senior, McAliskey, Lloyd, Brown.