Blues run themselves into the ground but just come up short in an epic Bank Holiday battle

LEEK Town played their final home league game of the season in the knowledge that their Pitching In Northern Premier League Step 3 status had been secured for next season.

- By Winners Lad

But they were in no mood to coast through the game as they gave runaway champions Macclesfield a real run for their money in front of a bumper crowd of 1,782 with Macclesfield selling out their allocation of 825.

They gave a spirited display before falling to a 2-1 defeat after having to play the last 25 minutes with ten men after the dismissal of Liam Edwards.

The Blues players and staff respectfully formed a guard of honour to welcome champions Macclesfield onto the pitch and as the game started the visitors immediately showed why they had dominated the league taking an early stranglehold of possession with all the players looking comfortable on the ball.

After an even start, the Blues were then stunned by two goals in two minutes by the Silkmen.

The first came after 18 minutes after full back Tre Pemberton had been released down the right on the overlap and his cross had been put behind for a corner.

This was taken quickly to catch Leek unaware and was a rehearsed move as the ball was played low to the edge of the area where the first Macclesfield player dummied the ball to allow it to roll on to Mellor.

His low shot struck the post but Luke Duffy was on hand to put away the rebound.

Then in Macclesfield’s next attack some neat passing opened up space on the left for Kengni and his low left foot cross was expertly fired home at the near post by the league's top scorer Danny Elliott.