Wheeler's goal delivers a blow to both dressing rooms

The man on loan from QPR netted a hat-trick in midweek against Plymouth for Dons U23s, but his flicked header found the net in the 41st minute after Dons were distinctly second best against the Silkmen at Moss Rose.

With the swing of the game changing from 1-0 to 1-1 at half time, Wheeler said it dealt a psychological blow to the Macclesfield dressing room, while injecting life into Dons' squad at the interval.

"I've been in the opposite dressing room, when you're in the drop zone and it really knocks the wind out of you," he said. "They played really well in the first half, but that goal just before half time, psychologically, delivers a real knock. It was as big for them as it was for us. It was a good time to go in level.

"I've made that run about 60 times in my career and never managed it! It was nice for it to pay off at last, and I'm glad it went in."

Wheeler could have ended the day with four to his name when he forced Macclesfield keeper Kieran O'Hara into three great saves in quick succession, and was slightly disappointed not to have come away with a bigger scoreline.

He said: "The keeper played really well, he made some good saves and on another day we'd have won by a lot more. We had a lot of breakaways too, with a man or two men up and should have done more. We had four or five really good chances on top of the three we scored. It's encouraging to keep creating."