Jamie Clapham's first goal of the season maintained Notts County's quest for automatic promotion as they beat Macclesfield 1-0 at Meadow Lane.

Having trounced Hereford 5-0 in League Two three days earlier, the Magpies continued their rejuvenation under new manager Steve Cotterill on Tuesday night when John Thompson's looping cross on 19 minutes was headed in by Clapham at the far post.

The Silkmen's goalkeeper Jon Brain was given plenty of headaches early on, saving Craig Westcarr's low drive before Luke Rodgers rattled the underside of the crossbar.

Clapham then broke the deadlock before Westcarr came close again, holding off two defenders only to blaze over.

Macclesfield, who have not won on their travels since October, struggled to get out of first gear and did not test County shot-stopper Kasper Schmeichel until Colin Daniels' snap-shot just before the hour mark.

In a scrappy second period, Macclesfield rarely looked like finding an equaliser and played the last 10 minutes with a man short when Izak Reid limped off with all substitutes used. The defeat stretched struggling Macclesfield's winless run to 10 games.