Huddersfield Town 4 Macclesfield Town 0

Last updated : 13 March 2004 By Footymad Previewer

Huddersfield boss Peter Jackson remains desperate to sign on loan striker Pawel Abbott after the Poland under-21 international helped Town surge into the automatic promotion places for the first time this season.

Preston striker Abbott scored one an made another in what might be his last game for the Terrier's and now the race is on to capture his signature permanently.

The Lancashire outfit have already rejected two bids from Jackson and he faces a test of his negotiating skills if he is to sign Abbott before the transfer deadline.

Jackson said: "Abbott played really well today and at only 21 he is only going to get better as time goes on.

"Cash is still a stumbling block but I have the full backing of my board and hopefully a deal can be sorted out." Abbot was in the thick of the action as Huddersfield gained revenge for a 4-0 mauling at Macclesfield in December.

He set up veteran former Sheffield Wednesday and Tottenham striker Andy Booth for a tap in on 21 minutes and then scored his fourth goal in six highly productive games on loan from Preston just after the break.

Abbott got in front off Macclesfield defender Graham Potter to reach Danny Schofield's byline cross on 47 minutes to direct a downward header past keeper Steve Wilson.

The visitor's misery was completed when Macclesfield old boy Efetobore Sodje added a third with home debutante John McAliskey scoring within a minute of taking to the field.

The Silkman's Chris Priest - who scored one of Macclesfield's goals in the game at Moss Rose - was then sent off in the closing stages for a second bookable offence to compound the second bottom club's comprehensive defeat.

Priest saw red for kicking the ball away after Huddersfield had won a free kick on the edge of the box. Just nine minutes earlier Priest had picked up a yellow card for a trip on Jonathan Worthington and Macclesfield boss John Askey said afterwards that his player had apologised.

"The sending off was just sheer frustration from Priest and he said sorry to me after the game because he knows he should not have kicked the ball away," the boss admitted.

"The only consolation I can take from this defeat is the effort and spirit the team put into their performance but at times we did make it too easy for Huddersfield."