Alfreton Town vs Macclesfield
FA Cup
4th Round Qualifying
Saturday
14th October 2023
The Impact Arena
The most comprehensive preview and detailed analysis of the FA Cup 4th Round Qualifying fixture between Alfreton Town and Macclesfield.
Alfreton Town vs Macclesfield: Preview
Alfreton Town form analysis
The Reds began with an entertaining 2-2 home draw against Scunthorpe, coming from behind twice through goals from Wiley and Clackstone. They built on that solid start by holding Banbury United to a goalless away draw in a tight game. Alfreton’s best performance came in a 4-0 home thrashing of Boston as Salmon and Waldock both netted braces in a ruthless attacking display. They followed that up with an excellent 3-1 away win at Blyth Spartans as Waldock, Salmon and Digie scored. Last time out, Alfreton maintained their unbeaten start by drawing 1-1 at home with Warrington courtesy of an own goal from Clarke.
Overall, it’s been an excellent start to the season for Alfreton as they’ve found their scoring touch under Billy Heath after last term’s struggles. Waldock and Salmon have formed a prolific partnership upfront, bagging 6 goals between them already. But maintaining these high performance levels will be crucial now.
Macclesfield form analysis
Macclesfield began their campaign with a 1-1 home draw against Warrington Rylands as they dropped points from a winning position. They responded excellently though by hammering Ashton United 5-0 at home, inspired by an Elliot Osborne hat-trick. Macclesfield built on that momentum by grinding out a 2-0 home win over Stafford Rangers to continue their unbeaten start. They maintained that run with a hard fought 1-1 away draw at Ilkeston Town last time out. In between though, Macclesfield did suffer their first loss of the season away at Radcliffe, edged out 4-3 in a seven goal thriller.
Overall, it’s been a very promising start to life back in the Northern Premier League for Macclesfield after their relegation and reformation in the summer. They’ve showcased their attacking threat, scoring 11 goals in their opening 5 games. But avoiding open games like the loss at Radcliffe is key to any sustained promotion push.
