Coca Cola League 2

JOHN Miles' dramatic 87th-minute equaliser kept alive Macclesfield's hopes of automatic promotion against Oxford last Wednesday night.

The former Liverpool trainee fired home from 20 yards to earn the Silkmen a vital point from their game in hand at the Kassam Stadium.

And Michael Welch should have to sealed all three points in injury time but the defender shot straight at goalkeeper Chris Tardiff from eight yards.

But Macc would have settled for a draw with three minutes remaining after Paul Wanless had handed the home side a third-minute lead.

The visitors, without a win in four games and badly missing the suspended Jon Parkin, were indebted to keeper Steve Wilson for two fine first-half saves.

It needed another Brian Horton masterstroke to help salvage a point. The Silkmen boss introduced Tony Barras and moved Dave Morley up front as a makeshift centre forward.

And the switch paid dividends when Wanless only half cleared Danny Whitaker's cross and Miles, by far Macc's liveliest player, rifled home from outside the area.

Indeed, Morley's presence should have earned the visitors a penalty when the defender was hauled back inside the penalty area by Mateo Corbo.

'The way Mateo Corbo pulled back David Morley was unbelievable,' said Horton. 'We could not believe we weren't given that penalty. But you have to live with that ­though it's still only two defeats in 13 games, we need to start winning games. We need three points fast.'

Macc suffered the worst possible start when former Manchester City player Lee Bradbury's cross hit Welch, and Wanless struck eight yards from eight-yards out.

Macc responded well and looked dangerous with Miles causing the home side problems with several mazy runs; Matthew Tipton tested Tardiff and Graham Potter went close with a looping header on 23 minutes.

But the Cheshire club had Wilson, who kept his place after his superb display at Scunthorpe, to thank when he denied Tommy Mooney twice in two minutes at the end of the first period.

Macc struggled to create a clear-cut chance after the break, while Argentinian substitute Juan Pablo Raponi twice forced Wilson into smart saves.

At the other end, a Barras header struck Barry Quinn and Tardiff clawed it away, while Morley cleared Steve Basham's free-kick off the line.

But with time running out the bright Miles crashed home the equaliser. 'He was a different class, particularly in the first-half,' added Horton, who will be even happier to see the return of 24-goal hitman Parkin for the trip to Lincoln.

OXFORD: Tardiff, Mackay, Robinson, Hackett, Mooney (Davies 63), Basham (Diaz 83), Bradbury (Raponi 63), Wanless, Corbo, Quinn, Cominelli. Subs (not used): Cox, Molyneaux. Booked: Corbo.

MACCLESFIELD: Wilson, Carragher (Barras 68), Potter, Harsley, Tipton, Miles, Townson, Welch, Morley, McIntyre (Whitaker 69), Swailes. Subs (not used): Fettis, Boyd, MacKenzie. Booked: McIntyre. Star man: John Miles.

Referee: R. Olivier.

Attendance: 4,273.

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