Neil Young hopes that Marine can add Macclesfield to their list of scalps as they face the Silkmen in the Northern Premier League playoff final.
A place in next season’s National League North is at stake and while the 48-year-old concedes that the Mariners are underdogs for their trip to Cheshire, he doesn’t believe it matters.
Sol Solomon further proved his importance to the club after scoring the only goal of the game against Warrington Rylands in Tuesday’s semi-final. The Jersey forward capped off a brilliant team move, inspired by Owen Robinson’s work down the right, to deny the Blues an opportunity to take on former manager Michael Clegg in Monday’s final.
“Delighted with the result, to get to a playoff final after a long season, Liverpool Senior Cup final and the FA Cup first round, it’s a great achievement,” said Young speaking to Off The Park.
“Eighteen wins in 22, keeping a clean sheet against a very good side who have been in the top two for most of the season so all credit goes to the lads with a big pressure game at home.
“I thought we deserved to win the game, we decided to change the squad tactically, hopefully learning from when we played them not so long ago.
“The lads carried out what we asked them to do brilliantly, I thought we could’ve made better use of the opportunities in the first-half, not in terms of scoring, but if we took another chance or pass we would’ve had better opportunities but we got the goal in the second-half.
“They came on strong in the second-half in the last 10 minutes but we kept the shape, kept the discipline and I don’t remember Bobby (Jones) making that many saves, although I’m sure their goalkeeper didn’t either.”
The Silkmen completed the double over Marine during the season, winning both matches 2-1. Just one point separated the two sides at the end of the league campaign as the Crosby club had added incentive to continue their unbeaten run to earn home advantage over Rylands – while Macclesfield secured second spot after beating Workington.
A capacity crowd is expected with over 1,000 Marine fans making the 55-mile trip to Moss Rose, Young admits that they will be written off as Macclesfield chase a third successive promotion following their rise from the North West Counties Premier Division and Northern Premier League West.
He added: “I think everyone is going to think we’re underdogs, with the size of their squad and the resources – it’s no hidden secret – they’re at home, they’ve got a full house so in terms of what an underdog is, yeah we probably are.
“I don’t see it as underdogs and favourites though, it’s a game of football, we’ve got to be as prepared as we can and treat it like we would any game.
“Over the years, we have knocked some big clubs out of competitions in one-off games and we have to take that into this game. There’s been some big results over the years, we just need to see if we can produce another big one.”
Monday marks the conclusion of another season for Young at Marine. Not many can underestimate the work, change and success both on and off the pitch.
Their FA Cup third round against Tottenham Hotspur is among the highlights from his time in Crosby, but after their campaign fizzled out last year after being on the cusp of playoffs, plus an overhaul within the squad, questions were asked of the Mariners boss and whether they could compete in the league.
Young was blunt in his assessment of the squad following their defeat to Warrington Town last April, in what felt like a sliding doors moment for the Mariners. The club and playing squad was described as ‘not ready’ for promotion but just 13 months on, they are within one win of National League football.
And irrespective of success or failure on Monday, the Marine manager feels that this season has been “unbelievable” and the opportunity to continue building persists.
Young said: “You don’t ever knock promotions back if they present themselves or you work hard enough but sometimes, you have to be prepared on and off the field for the challenge.
“If we get promoted, it’ll be an unbelievable achievement then look at the National League North if we were to get there, if it bears its fruit on Monday but it’s not something we’ll look at, at the moment.
“Irrespective of the league that we’re in next year, we keep moving forward and in my time here, we’re improving all the time on and off the field. The proof is in your results, we’re here to win football matches, we’ve had a good set of results in the FA Cup, FA Trophy, Liverpool Senior Cup, a promotion and the potential of another, it’s all going the right way.
“But it’s still an ongoing process, we’re not going to throw money at it but what we will do is improve and keep doing what we do.”
The reverse fixture in March was the first of Clegg’s in the Moss Road hotseat, after Alex Bruce joined League Two side Salford City as Karl Robinson’s assistant.
Macclesfield booked their place in the final after a 3-1 win over Worksop Town. The commanding performance from the Silkmen followed on from their two-match losing run – although they afforded changes and rested key players against Bamber Bridge and Whitby Town.
The Mariners boss has warned not to look too closely into their last two league defeats and insists they will “give it a right go”.
“I’ve got to look at it differently in the fact it was Michael’s first game there, he’s made changes, he’ll admit himself that he seen some things from his team that he needed to improve on which he’s done,” said Young.
“They’re on a great run of form, don’t let the last two games of the season kid you, they’re a very good team, the players they’ve got available to them but it’s 11 v 11.
“We’ve been here before against teams that are rated higher than you, in terms of the squad etc, we will be prepared as we always have been so we’ve got to bring it all together and have another one of those days – that’s what we got to try.
“Macclesfield will be confident, they’re at home, had a fantastic season themselves but let’s see what Monday bring. We will be prepared and give it a right go, not many people will be giving us a chance but we will be giving it a go.
“The first 20 minutes in game like this away from home are absolutely key. They scored early against us last time, we missed a big chance as well and that’s the big difference in football matches, goals change games.
“We’ve got to try stay in the game, they’re going to fire out of the traps at us, a big crowd behind them but we’ve held our own in a lot of games this season. We’ll be set up the best way we can be. “
[Featured Image: Alun Roberts]
