RELEGATION-haunted Macclesfield shot themselves in the foot yet again with an ill-disciplined display in the 3-1 defeat at Cambridge.

Though manager David Moss laid the blame on Premiership referee Paul Taylor, he will now lose Matty Tipton for the Rushden game in 12 days time and Danny Whitaker for three games beginning with Rushden.

Whitaker's petulant retaliatory kick at Luke Guttridge, was just what the Cambridge midfielder would have been hoping for and underneath Mr Taylor's nose it earned a red card.

But Tipton's throwing away of the ball in the 78th minute when the game was as good as lost was nothing short of dim-witted, ensuring a fifth yellow card.

Moss, however, gave his players full support: "The officials were diabolical. To have two penalties and a red card against a team that has never had a bad physical record was unbelievable.

"As a manager I will no doubt get into trouble for saying this, but I would have officials like those thrown off the list."

Cambridge scored against the run of play in the 27th minute through Paul Wanless.

Tipton was then at his brilliant best in the 42nd minute, harrying Cambridge keeper Shaun Marshall into a mistake and then dancing the ball past him and into the goal from a narrow angle.

But Dave Kitson (70 minutes) and Omer Riza (74 minutes, pen) gave Cambridge the points as the turned up the heat on Macclesfield's defence.

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