FOOTBALL: Congleton Town FC visited league leaders Macclesfield FC, just losing out on the three points in a heated derby.

A record 3,502 residents were packed in Macc to see the Cheshire East derby between the towns located just nine miles apart.

The Bank Holiday Monday game was a 1-0 loss for Congleton, with Macclesfield's 11-month old club prevailing.

Congleton did well to keep a clean sheet for an hour, and almost scored through a late corner which led to a mistimed Oliver Jepson overhead kick.

The winning goal came in the 56th minute from No. 8 20-year-old midfielder James Berry-McNally.

He cooly linked up with Macclesfield's Tom Clare in a spirited move down the left hand side of the pitch.

James then curled the ball round the left of Congleton keeper David Parton to give Macc the lead.

However, the high numbers and high passion led to clashes between spectators in the second half. Fans of both sides were left injured from incidents in the away terrace.

A small amount of stewards and lack of police presence meant that Macclesfield FC staff had to help stop the scuffles between Macc and Congleton fans. Play was stopped for almost ten minutes.

Director of Football and Under 16's Manager Robbie Savage had to intervene to prevent violence which threatened the end of the game. He bravely stood in the middle of fans who scrapped and threw drinks.

Crowds were not segregated, and Macclesfield FC's owner Rob Smethurst also joined Savage in calming fans sparring Macc and Congy fans.

Congleton Town FC said: "Further to yesterday's NWCFL Premier Division match against Macclesfield FC we would like to publicly and in the strongest possible terms condemn the actions of a minority of spectators."

"The scenes that were witnessed in the closing stages of the game will not be tolerated by anyone at the Club. We are working closely with The Silkmen following their launch of a full investigation."

"Thank you for the travelling fans for your support and also Macclesfield for the hospitality. We wish you the best of luck for the rest of the season."

Cheshire Police kept nobody in custody last night, and no arrests have been made as of publication.

Officers were made aware of disorder at The Moss Rose Football Ground, Macclesfield at around 4.50pm on Monday 30 August.

"Police swiftly attended the scene and a dispersal order was put in place in the area.

"There were no further reports of disorder.

"No arrests have been made at this stage.

"Enquiries in relation to the incident are ongoing and officers are working to identify those responsible."

As a result of Monday's match, Macclesfield and Wythenshawe Town ahead of The Bears in the league by four and one point(s) respectively.

Macclesfield FC added: "Further to yesterday's NWCFL Premier Division match against Congleton Town, we would like to publicly and vehemently condemn the actions of a minority of spectators," they said.

"The scenes that were witnessed in the closing stages of the game will not be tolerated by anyone at the Club and we have launched a full investigation into these, together with Cheshire Police and other external agencies.

"In addition to this, we will also be working closely with our counterparts from Congleton Town and thank them for their assistance with this."

It is expected that an increased steward and police presence will be at the return fixture at Congleton's ground in 2022.

The exact date for the next derby match at the Cheshire Silk 106.9 Stadium on Ivy Gardens has not been confirmed yet.

Security should also improve at Macclesfield's Leasing.com Stadium. Macc fans are calling for segregation to be introduced.

The derby - dubbed 'El Cheshico' by fans - was a sold out affair as Macc got permission from Cheshire East Council to allow more fans in.

It is unclear if this temporary licence will be applied to future fixtures.

It was the biggest attendance for a football game in Macclesfield since 2019.

The tension at yesterday's game against The Bears has made national news across print and broadcast media.

It has overshadowed the great start of the 2021-22 campaign for both Cheshire East clubs.

The Bears have now lost two games on the trot, as they succumbed to a 2-1 loss away to Ashton on Saturday, who coincidentally, are Macclesfield's next opponents.

Congleton's closest league rivals are unbeaten in six league games, and have only lost one competitive game since their formation last year.

Jonathan Beaumont captained Congleton in what was the second largest non-league attendance of the weekend.

It was a mixed mood to end Congleton's amazing August, which included both on and off-the-pitch success.

Congleton Town FC recently raised over £13,000 for Congleton mental health charity Mind Body Sole in the Lee Collins memorial match.

Please sign up for our Friday weekly newsletter containing each week's top 10 Congleton news stories, and one FREE exclusive article.

1800 of you have signed up already.

Simply enter your email address into the shaded box below.

Free from pop-up ads, or unwanted surveys, Congleton Nub News is a quality online newspaper which produces 15-20 stories a week for our town.

You can also find us on Facebook or Twitter.