Mark Yates hails penalty hero Kieran O’Hara as Silkmen advance in Carabao Cup - 7M sport

Mark Yates hails penalty hero Kieran O’Hara as Silkmen advance in Carabao Cup



Posted Wednesday, August 29, 2018 by PA

Mark Yates hails penalty hero Kieran O’Hara as Silkmen advance in Carabao Cup

Macclesfield boss Mark Yates hailed on-loan Manchester United goalkeeper Kieran O’Hara after his shoot-out heroics at Walsall took the Silkmen into the EFL Cup third round for the first time.

O’Hara saved three spot-kicks in the Carabao Cup shoot-out – and one during the game although Walsall striker Andy Cook tucked home the rebound – as Macclesfield won 3-1 on penalties after a 3-3 thriller.

And Yates hopes the confidence created will yield a first League Two victory.

Yates said: “Manchester United think highly of Kieran. We’re delighted that we have managed to get him for the season – hopefully he can use us for experience and we can benefit from his quality.

“He was unlucky with the penalty save he made in normal time. He is a good keeper, he guessed the right way several times and we took some quality penalties.

“To go 3-2 down when you have been two up, it’s so hard to pick yourselves back up. But we did. It just shows the desire and the commitment the squad has got.

“We’ve shown tremendous character and that is going to give us massive belief going into the next few games.

“The players are desperate for us to get our first win in the league and I think this will go some way towards that. If we keep performing like that in our league against teams, we will be fine.”

Macclesfield were 2-0 up inside 25 minutes as Jamie Grimes tucked home after Malachi Napa hit the post and Harry Smith drilled home from 20 yards.

But Walsall turned things around with a 25-yard Kieron Morris rocket, Cook’s penalty rebound and a close-range Josh Gordon strike, only for Tyrone Marsh’s late cross-shot to force penalties.

O’Hara denied Cook, Morris and Luke Leahy in the shoot-out to leave Walsall tasting defeat for the first time this season.

Saddlers boss Dean Keates said: “We are disappointed we have been knocked out. It’s a lottery when it goes to penalties.

“But there were a lot of positives to take out of the game. We’ve come from 2-0 down to take the lead at 3-2.

“We’ve had a lot of possession and we have dominated long periods of the game. We need to make better decisions in the final third. We have to be better with our shot selection.

“And we have to improve our crossing. Our final ball was not up to scratch. We have let three goals in and we don’t want to concede.

“We have countered well. We had some great phases of play in the first-half especially. But the end product wasn’t there.

“The lads are down, they are disappointed because they have lost and it’s something they have not sampled this season. But we’ll pick them up, they’ll be fine for Saturday.”

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