Lady luck is really not shining on Stanley – in fact she has turned her back on the Reds completely.

For the second game running a contentious penalty decision has cost John Coleman’s men vital points in their promotion push and left them down in the dumps with one win in seven games.

Tuesday night’s visit of struggling Macc was one of the games in hand the Reds needed to win and would have expected to especially if they had met Macc when they were originally meant to when Stanley were League Two’s form team back in November.

But that game was postponed and instead they met a Silkmen side still reeling from the shock death of boss Keith Alexander last week and keen on dedicating every point to him in their battle for League Two survival.

A win at Hereford on Saturday meant Town could distance themselves from the threat of relegation but, prior to the match, the visiting players admitted this was the tough one, with the eyes of the football world no longer on them and willing them to win.

And Coleman would have expected his side, after an indifferent spell, to see off Macc, despite drawing with them last month at Moss Rose.

And the Reds should have got three points.

Coleman rang the changes, bringing in Billy Kee and Chris Turner and, although they suffered a blow in the warm-up with Bobby Grant pulling out with a hamstring strain, the Reds should still have had enough to hit top gear and seal the win.

And they had multiple chances to do it but they were denied by Macc keeper Jonny Brain and wayward finishing.

But what incensed Coleman mostly was another penalty decision against his side.

So much so that he put goalscorer Kee up to do his press conference – the Reds boss has rarely missed a post match media interview in his 10 years at the club – which signified how mad he actually was and how he didn’t want to say anything about Newcastle referee Andy Haines and the officials which would get him in trouble.

After Kee had deservedly put Stanley ahead with a 20 yard strike, Macc pressed without really threatening Ian Dunbavin’s goal.

In fact, their only threat had come from one piece of magic from highly-rated midfielder Lee Bell, who had cannoned a 20-yard effort off the crossbar.

Then, with 12 minutes left, wideman Sinclair tried to jink the ball over Phil Edwards close to the by-line and it hit the defender on his body.

It seemed harmless and was certainly not intentional as the ball rolled out for a corner but, like Saturday, the referee consulted his assistant and, like Saturday when the Reds had a goal ruled out, the assistant had the final say, flagging this time to give Macc a penalty.

Edwards protested, the bench was up in arms and it was left to Dunbavin to try and repeat what he had on Saturday and stop a spot kick.

And the keeper almost did, diving the right way with ex-Reds traiLIST Matty Tipton scuffing his penalty but it bounced off the post and into the goal and that got the Silkmen back on level terms.

It was hugely debatable and the problem is that handball in the box is such a grey area and what some referees give, others don’t and that’s what infuriates the managers.

The Reds have conceded 11 spot-kicks this season – four of them given for handballs which can be interpreted either way.

In return, Stanley have been awarded six penalties – two for handballs by the opposition – and, with double the total given against the Reds, it’s no wonder Coleman is scratching his head.

Not that that was game over as the Town keeper Brain had to stop a barrage of Stanley attacks in the dying minutes.

Kee fired wide in a good position, Luke Joyce’s strike was kept out by Brain and, closest of all, Sean McConville somehow only found the Macc keeper from three yards out with 94 minutes on the clock.

And prior to Kee’s opener, Darran Kempson’s thumping header required an instinctive Brain save while Dean Winnard’s header hit the inside of the post and bounced into the keeper’s grateful arms. Edwards also had a header cleared off the line and Symes had a ‘goal’ ruled out for off-side.

And, while furious at officials, Coleman will also be frustrated that his side could not take their chances as they dropped another two points in their bid to stop the season petering out to a mid-table battle rather than a go-getting fight for promotion.

It was left to Kee to sum up the game: "We are bitterly disappointed. We had chances to finish them off and it could have been four or five goals to us. The lads put in a good performance but luck is just not with us at the moment.

"There was no way it was a penalty for their goal – it hit Phil on his back – but nothing is going our way.

"It was a sweet strike for me but there were other chances – I volleyed a few but not very well – then Symesy and Sean have had chances too and we have not taken them. It’s been going on for a few weeks now and it’s starting to get on top of us.

"We have got a point but it feels like a loss."