IT feels like nothing will go right when you're at the foot of the table, but Wrexham found a particularly exotic way to lose at Macclesfield this afternoon. Having led for eighty-five minutes they conceded two goals in injury time, the second time in three years that a 2-0 lead at Moss Rose has ended in a 3-2 defeat.

As if the nature of the winning goal, a mishit cross which found its way in off the far post, wasn't bad enough, the turning point of the game was a controversial red card, incredibly the third poor dismissal the Dragons have suffered against Macclesfield already this season! This time it was Robbie Garrett who was sent from the pitch, and the remaining ten minutes saw Wrexham forced to defend in numbers, allowing Macclesfield to get back into the match having previously been kept at arm's length.

The game started at a brisk pace, a slick pitch allowing both sides to zip the ball around. Macclesfield's eagerness to get the ball into play quickly from set-plays showed that they had been primed to use the well-watered pitch beforehand, and they nearly prospered when a corner was cleared to Terry Dunfield, whose high ball found Dave Morley unmarked at the far post, but off balance he slashed his shot well over.

Wrexham's response was to go ahead. Michael Proctor chased the ball into the box and drew a foul from ex-Wrexham defender Jimmy McNulty. It was a sott penalty to concede as the young defender made a rash challenge under pressure, but a reward for Proctor's willingness to chase lost causes, and the striker needed no second invitation to capitalise; no sooner had the referee pointed to the spot than Proctor had snatched the ball for himself, and he sent the keeper the wrong way as he dispatched it into the bottom right corner from the spot.

Things were looking good as again the 3-5-2 system clicked into place. For a second game in a row Brian Carey's men were on the front foot in an away game, with the defence looking sound and every attack looking likely to trouble a rather nervous Macclesfield defence. Macclesfield keeper Tommy Lee was nearly punished as he dallied with the ball at his feet, Proctor's enthusiasm close to being rewarded again, before he was beaten once more half way through the first half.

This time the breakthrough came as the culmination of a fine move. It began when Chris Llewellyn broke up a Macclesfield attack and played a backpass. Anthony Williams' clearance was flicked on by Neil Roberts to Mark Jones, who set off on a good run down the right before pulling an astute ball into the box, behind the run of Proctor, to Llewellyn who rounded off the move he began with a cool side-foot finish into the same corner Proctor had found earlier.

It looked like plain sailing for Wrexham, their defence had been untroubled and both players who were controversially dismissed against Macclesfield in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy earlier this season had taken revenge by hitting the net! Stormy waters were just round the corner though!

Wrexham attacking threat receded for the remainder of the half as Macclesfield responded well to going two goals down. They pulled a goal back before the break when the dangerous Danny Thomas crossed from the left. Levi Reid got up above Neil Taylor to head the ball into the goalmouth where Martin Gritton headed home.

Macclesfield could have pulled level by the break when Thomas unleashed a twenty-yarder which whistled just wide of the right post, but damage was done when Danny Williams failed to see out the half, limping off to be replaced by Mike Williams just before the break.

Half time speculation centred around whether Wrexham would be able to stand firm in the face of a Macc onslaught without Danny Williams, but as it turned out the assault on their goal never really materialised, while Mike Williams deputised admirably. Macclesfield did come close a couple of times early in the half, both moments of danger coming from fine Kevin McIntyre crosses onto the head of Gritton, but the first was planted just over from fifteen yards and the second was put horribly wide, the striker misjudging badly as the ball skidded off the wet turf six yards out.

Until injury time there would be no further threat to Wrexham's goal, and with Roberts robust up front and Llewellyn's energy impressive as he looked to support the strikers, it seemed much more likley that any goal would come at the other end as Wrexham broke menacingly.

Eifion Williams came on for Proctor and was denied by Lee, who raced out of the box to win a fifty-fifty ball, before the first of two close things for Llewellyn, Garrett doing some typical work in midfield to win the ball and feed the Welshman, who ran the length of the half and fired in a shot which went narrowly wide from the edge of the box.

However, that match-turning red card was about to change everything. It came about inoccuously enough; Garrett chased a short backpass, as was his right, but was beaten to it by Lee, who hoofed it clear. Garrett's momentum carried him into the keeper and although there was clearly no malice in the challenge Lee gripped him round the neck and refused to let go. Garrett struggled and finally extricated himself, before getting involved in a shoving match with the keeper. By now referee Lee Probert. who was in the other half, had stopped play and raced up the pitch to deliver a yellow card to each player. As Garrett had already been booked for a reckless lunge on Adam Murray in the first half, he had to leave the pitch, although a more sensible official might have merely warned both players, not least because Neil Roberts had shoved Morley in the chest in the openeing minute after being fouled and wasn't even spoken to!

The sending-off, the second Probert has administered to a Wrexham player having sent Stephen Roberts off at Bournemouth three years ago, had a huge impact on the balance of the game. Neil Roberts was forced to operate as a midfielder but as the ninety minutes ended Macclesfield were still being kept pretty much at bay; indeed, a third was nearly scored in the ninetieth minute when Jones broke again before slipping a well-timed ball to Llewellyn whose shot across goal from the edge of the box went just wide of the far post.

The rather generous allocation of four minutes of added time began with Macclesfield penning Wrexham in their box though, and the breakthrough came when Jones unnecessarily fouled Thomas on the left flank. McIntyre's resulting free kick was headed firmly past Williams from fiteen yards by Morley and the home fans celebrated an unlikely point.

There was more to come though. With Wrexham stuck in a defensive frame of mind and Macclesfield committed to attack, soon after the restart there was a scramble in the visitors' penalty area, Shaun Pejic's intervention ended the danger in the short term, but it was only a temporary respite, as Thomas picked the ball up on the left flank and swung a cross to the far post. He mishit it, but cruelly his misdirected effort looped over the flapping arm of WIlliams and in off the far post.

It was a cruel conclusion; Wrexham had put in their second good away performance in a row, but those late strikes meant the feelgood factor had disintegrated.

Macclesfield Town: Tommy Lee, Richard Edgehill, Dave Morley, Jimmy McNulty, Kevin McIntyre, Levi Reid (Simon WIles 67), Terry Dunfield, Adam Murray, Danny Thomas, Martin Gritton, Francis Green (Gareth Evans 62).
Subs: Carl Regan, Izak Reid, Jonathan Brain

Wrexham: Anthony Williams, Shaun Pejic, Danny Williams (Mike WIlliams 43), Richard Hope, Simon Spender, Mark Jones, Robbie Garrett, Chris Llewellyn, Neil Taylor, Michael Proctor (Eifion WIlliams 63), Neil Roberts
Subs: Michael Jones, Silvio Spann, Marc Williams

Referee: Lee Probert (Gloucestershire)
Attendance: 2,256
Away: 701

Booked:
Wrexham: Jones (foul on Thomas, 26), Garrett (foul on Murray, 39)
Macclesfield: Lee (foul on Garrett, 80)

Sent Off:
Wrexham: Garrett (second yellow card, foul on Lee, 80)