The Silkmen are still searching for an end to the winless run that has now spanned twenty games, but their point from the Cheshire derby keeps hopes of league survival alive.

The game was actually fairly entertaining and under different circumstances could have been described as enjoyable.

Crewe looked a very talented side and carved openings behind the Macclesfield defence time and time again – the returning Veiga had to produce a man-of-the-match performance to deny the Railwaymen the full three points. But there was a general positive feeling. We had perhaps had some luck (a very welcome sight), yet we also showed a bit more fight – the frustration is that if we had played like this against most previous visitors to the Moss we could have been safe already.

As it is the gap to safety remains at three points - combined with a superior goal difference and a stuttering Barnet side, our survival hopes remain alive. But while the gap does not widen, it is also not being closed. One more bad weekend will likely be enough to sink us. In fact with our trip to Bradford (now safe) and Barnet travelling to Southend (still with faint hopes of a top three finish), it seems this weekend could be a case of now or never.

The situation at the bottom has just become even more intriguing as Barnet have made a sudden managerial change, replacing Lawrie Sanchez with Martin Allen. With just three games to go it does seem like a rather panicked decision and certainly Sanchez has a right to be more than a little aggrieved that his club have lost faith in him at this stage.

Barnet will of course be hoping they get that new manager boost – a boost that has not really materialised for the Silkmen. Certainly Brian Horton’s arrival has not seen an upturn in results although he has brought his own approach. Having not led the squad through the turmoil of past seasons he was never going to be as close to the players as Simmo. This has perhaps manifested in a slightly more ruthless style - Colin Daniel was dropped to the bench having been put at fault for Vale’s winner on Monday, while Zac Aley has vanished from the squad having played the Shrewsbury frontline onside for their killer third on Good Friday.

However he does still have to contend with the casualty list, with Matt Smith and George Donnelly both injured the frontline options have been heavily depleted. Fortunately the return of Draper, even half fit, and an improved performance from Ben Mills’ reduced the impact, but the extensive collection of injuries continues to plague us.

With the same resources at his disposal Horton has yet to improve on results and the win column remains untroubled in 2012. Obviously arriving with the team on such a bad run, it was always going to difficult to halt the slide and we will never know if Gary Simpson would have garnered more points if he had been kept on. Not everyone was convinced by the appointment of Horton, but with safety still a possibility he still has time to prove he was the right choice.

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