Hi p45cal, thank you for your post and your demonstrations that your code works. I saw your post with the formulas late last night and had high hopes for using the expression with the [] brackets first thing this morning.
I had to put CSE entered {} around the Excel spreadsheet version of the formula when working on a PC with Excel 2010 earlier this week so had seen this sort of thing before. No idea of course how it applies in VBA.
I usually use a computer with Excel 365.

I must have entered your formulae incorrectly for which I apologise.
That you from keeping me from going down a time consuming blind alley.