Report and pics of AFC Telford 2 Macclesfield 3

Just three days later, there was little sign of that steely rear guard in the first-half.

The Bucks shipped three soft first half goals before the break, on their way to a slender 3-2 defeat at home to Macclesfield.

Watson made three changes from the starting line-up which battled so brilliantly at the weekend - two of which were enforced.

Jordan Deacey made his competitive debut in midfield, while Sean Cooke and Charlie Barnett were also handed their first starts of the season.

They replaced the suspended duo of Mike Phenix and Godfrey Poku as well as wideman Sean Clancy, who made the bench.

A winding run by Cooke three minutes in earned the Bucks an early free-kick, which had Macclesfield's back four looking decidedly uncomfortable early on.

But the visitors sprung a swift counter attack, with the Bucks' back four in total disarray, allowing Adriano Moke to open the scoring from Waide Fairhurst's low cross.

Macclesfield should have been 2-0 up through Chris Holroyd three minutes later, when a cross into the box deflected into his path.

But he blazed over from around 12 yards out with just goalkeeper Jonathan Hedge to beat, letting the Bucks off the hook.

At the other end, Adam Farrell drilled well over into the Frank Nagington Stand from 25-yards out, albeit after good work from Deacey and Cooke.

And Grogan also failed to test the keeper with an equally ambitious effort, albeit with Deacey again chief among the architects of the move.

The same man made amends a minute later though with a terrific challenge on the edge of the box, as the visitors pressed from a free-kick.

Still the visitors were enjoying the better openings and Paul Lewis should have made Hedge work harder with an innocuous effort which was straight at him.

Telford's Sam Smith did well to swivel on a bobbling pass, drawing a decent stop from goalkeeper Rhys Taylor, as the game approached the 20 minute mark.

The Bucks were looking threatening from set-pieces and Barnett did well to draw a corner-kick soon afterwards with a low drive which was blocked behind.

But it was Macclesfield defender Luke Waterfall who went closest to a leveller when he inexplicably headed the flag-kick towards his own goal, causing Taylor to produce an outstanding close-range save.

Unfortunately, the Bucks were second to the rebound as the chance was cleared.

But Macclesfield could do nothing about Andy Owens' stunning 25-yard equaliser just past the half hour mark.

George Pilkington looked to have cleared another Bucks corner-kick but Owens, who had done well to win the flag-kick, took one touch before drilling an unstoppable half volley into the top corner.

It immediately brought the majority of the crowd, who had been largely subdued before that, to their feet.

And Neill Byrne had Taylor back-peddling with a looping effort which landed just the wrong side of the cross bar.

The momentum was with Telford but the Silkmen went back in front on 37 minutes, when Fairhurst deflected Scott Barrow's fizzing low drive past Hedge.

It was not clear how deliberate that finish was, but there was no question about his second, which arrived six minutes later.

Fairhurst was first to the rebound after Hedge could only parry Paul Turnbull's low shot, having been left in too much space on the edge of the box. It looked a killer blow, and so it proved.

Kristian Platt, who netted a free-kick on Saturday, was not too far away with a 55th minute effort which flew a few yards over at pace.

But Hedge had to be at his most agile to turn a Lewis header away at the far post on the hour.

Owens drew a super save from Taylor with 20 minutes remaining, from a shot on the turn in a crowded box, and Steve Akrigg then saw a strong header touched onto the bar.

Taylor also had to be alert to turn a long-range Owens free-kick away, after it had been allowed to bounce through a crowded box.

And when he was beaten, Farrell was denied on the line by Pilkington's clearance.

Akrigg did give them a lifeline when he headed home from Cooke's searching cross 10 minutes from the end.

And Byrne nodded just wide from a corner with four minutes remaining, but Telford just couldn't quite recover from their first-half showing.