Enterprise National League North
Saturday 26th September, 2026
Macclesfield 1 – 0 Harborough Town
(Elliott 20’)
Report – Keeley Potter
Photo – RB Media
Man of the Match – Alex Morris
Attendance – 2831
A frustrating free kick by Danny Elliott made the difference this afternoon as the Bees fell short once more.
Harborough Town were back on the road this weekend, making their longest trip of the season so far. The Bees arrived at the Leasing.com Stadium off the back of a well-fought 1-0 FA Cup victory over Rushall Olympic. There were three significant changes to the side coming up against Macclesfield. Prince Mancinelli returned in his regular midfield position, replacing last weekend’s goalscorer Michael Jacobs. Dempsey Arlott-John was instead named on the bench for Harborough, with Josh Walsh making his first league start, surprisingly on the wing. Finally, Eliot Putman stepped aside for George Carline as Mitch Austin continued to rotate his backline.
The Silkmen were eager to set the pace for the match as they treated kick-off as a set piece. The ball was immediately lofted into the Bees’ half, and Elliot Taylor was involved from the whistle. It was clear this unsettled the travelling team for the first five minutes, as Josh Walsh made sure to track back and support the defence.
Macclesfield were relentlessly firing balls over to their wider players. However, the Bees were able to deal with the danger substantially on most occasions. The first opportunity of the game fell the way of the Silkmen as Danny Elliott ran down the byline and struck towards goal. A close-range save from Taylor granted the Bees possession.
The men in yellow were quick to read Macclesfield’s attempts and began to look threatening on the counterattack. In the 12th minute, Prince Mancinelli played Britt Assombalonga through on goal. His effort certainly beat keeper Dibble; however, it ricocheted off the far post and was cleared soon after.
Although the Cheshire side already had Step 2 experience, there wasn’t much between the two during open play. Both sides juggled possession, and their defensive backlines made crucial challenges. That changed when Macclesfield were awarded a free kick on the edge of the Harborough box.
Danny Elliott, who had scored 61 goals in 86 appearances for the Silkmen, was stood over the ball. His impressive numbers did not go unnoticed as he struck goalwards and his effort slipped underneath Taylor’s grasp. Not the prettiest of goals for the bagsman; however, it gave Macclesfield the lead.
The Bees haven’t won a league match since the 31st of August at home against Marine, but they didn’t let it deflate them. Britt Assombalonga kept the ball up for his wingers to progress,, while Josh Walsh battled down his left flank in an attempt to find a leveller for the Bees.
Play certainly slowed down for the Bees in the closing 15 minutes of the first half. In contrast, the home team were insistent on scoring a second. Heathcote had a soaring chance from 35 yards out. The ball slowly glided towards the roof of the Harborough goal but kept rising and, fortunately, went out for a goal kick.
The first half ended with the Bees trailing at the break. Mitch Austin felt that some changes were necessary as they headed into the second half, 1-0 down.
Three minutes into the second 45, Macclesfield were left with 10 men after a head collision between Connor Kennedy and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson. The former Manchester United man was sidelined after receiving treatment, which gave Harborough an early chance to make an impact.
Manager Mitch Austin wanted to build on that momentum with an expected substitution. Riley O’Sullivan replaced Callum Powell in the 55th minute and immediately made his presence known. O’Sullivan won a free kick on the left-hand side of the field after he was brought down, putting Harborough in a threatening position.
Heading into the back end of the third quarter, the home side were still pushing to double their lead. Elliott was awarded another free-kick on the edge of the box; however, his curling attempt travelled wide of the near post.
Connor Kennedy was brought off in the 66th minute, with Dempsey Arlott- John coming on to replace him. This led to a change in structure for the Bees as Josh Walsh slid back into a more preferred midfield position. These changes were seemingly effective as the Bees began to knock on the Macclesfield door. A good spell from Harborough Town saw another chance fall the way of Assombalonga as he scrambled in the box to retrieve the ball, but Dibble came out the better of the two.
More changes for Harborough Town and a great level of physicality from Riley O’Sullivan gave the Bees some more attempts to fire crosses into the box of blue shirts. Another two substitutions for the Bees were utilised with 76 minutes on the clock, as Josh Walsh came off for Michael Jacobs and Britt Assombalonga was rested for Jutorre Burgess, forcing Riley into a central position.
Man of the Match Alex Morris provided a neat flick into the opposition box in the dying minutes, but a miscommunication between O’Sullivan and Malone left Dibble with the ball. The full-time whistle was blown after five minutes of injury time, and the Bees headed back home with no points to claim.
Harborough Town (4-3-3) Taylor; Carline, McAuley, Morris, Bello; Kelly-Evans, Kennedy (66’), Mancinelli (Malone 80’); Powell (O’Sullivan 55’), Assombalonga (Burgess 76’), Walsh (Jacobs 76’). Subs not used: Dolman, Putman.
Macclesfield (4-3-3) Dibble; Osborne, Borthwick-Jackson, Dawson (Apter 62’), Dyer, Elliott (Kay 72’), Duffy, Heathcote, Chapman (Ustabasi 62’), Wilson, Shrimpton. Subs not used: Cooper, Dos Santos, Parny, Ikpakwu.
Harborough Town return home next week for more FA Cup action. The Beehive welcomes St Albans City in the Emirates FA Cup third round qualifying. The Step 3 side will look to cause an upset, but the Bees never fail to produce some FA Cup magic when called upon.