One of the real plus points from last night’s defeat at Macclesfield Town was the performance of youngster Charlie Kirk. The Academy graduate certainly put a shift in at Moss Rose and impressed the coaching staff with his work ethic during the 3-0 defeat.

David Artell was pleased that Kirk kept going to the final stages and that he had a willingness to get into the opposition penalty area. He arguably created our best chance of the game for George Cooper and missed a header himself after meeting a cross from Cooper.

Artell told the club’s official web-site: “One of the main positives was the performance of Charlie. He worked really hard and kept going. We were pleased with that. I am sure when we get the feedback from the GPS; he will probably go through the roof.

“Charlie run about and did his defensive duties as well. That is what we are looking for. He has given it a real go in pre-season. He has worked hard on his fitness and is often at the head of the running. He has to produce those performances on a consistence basis. We know what we can do and like the other young players he has to do consistently.”