Macclesfield F.C.

For the previous club founded in 1874, see Macclesfield Town F.C. For the Australian rules football club, see Macclesfield Football Club.

Macclesfield

Full name	Macclesfield Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Silkmen
Founded	13 October 2020;4 years ago (2020-10-13) [1]
Ground	Leasing.com Stadium
Capacity	5,500 (2,095 seated)
Manager	Robbie Savage
League	Northern Premier League Premier Division
2023–24	Northern Premier League Premier Division, 2nd of 21
Website	www.macclesfieldfc.com
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Macclesfield Football Club is an association football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. ^[2] It is a phoenix club of the former Macclesfield Town F.C. founded in 1874, which was wound-up after a High Court ruling on 16 September 2020. ^[3] The club began their first competitive season in the North West Counties Premier Division, the fifth step of the National League system (ninth tier in the English football pyramid), in August 2021, and currently competes in the Northern Premier League following two successive promotions.

History

Macclesfield F.C. is a successor to Macclesfield Town. ^[4] Founded in 1874, Macclesfield Town was liquidated and expelled from the National League in 2020 because of debts of over £500,000. ^[5] Its assets were put up for sale, including the Moss Rose stadium on the Rightmove property website. ^[6] In October 2020, the stadium and all available assets were purchased by Robert Smethurst, the owner of Stockport Town, with the aim of returning professional football to Macclesfield by creating the phoenix club as Macclesfield F.C. ^[7] Smethurst appointed the Welsh former professional footballer Robbie Savage as a member of the board for the new phoenix club with Danny Whitaker as manager. ^[8] He also invested in upgrading the stadium to improve the commercial viability of the new club. ^[9]

In May 2021, it was announced that Macclesfield would be placed in the NWCFL Premier Division for their first season. ^[10] Savage announced that the club would be joining with his foundation to offer free tickets to foundation participants to encourage youth attendance at the club's matches. ^[11] Macclesfield entered the FA Vase for the first time in 2021–22. ^[12]

2021–22 season

On 31 July 2021 Macclesfield played their first competitive match, a 1–0 win at home against Burscough in the NWCFL Premier Division played in front of a restricted capacity sell-out crowd of 2,018; Leon Arnasalam scored the only goal. ^[13] The club's first away match was on 3 August, a 4–4 draw at Winsford United, also in the NWCFL Premier Division, with Tom Clare scoring all four Macclesfield goals. ^[14] On 7 August Macclesfield played their first FA Cup match, beating Burscough 4–0 in the Extra Preliminary Round, but were then knocked out of the FA Cup in the Preliminary Round losing 6–4 at Squires Gate. ^[15]

On 30 August Macclesfield defeated local rivals Congleton Town 1–0 in the NWCFL Premier Division in front of a record crowd of 3,502, James Berry-McNally scoring the only goal. ^[16] The match was suspended for several minutes late in the second half due to crowd trouble. ^[17] It was the first time the neighbouring towns had met in a league match since the 1964–65 season. ^[18]

On 11 September, Macclesfield played in the FA Vase for the first time, losing 3–2 at Northern Counties East League Premier Division side Winterton Rangers in the first qualifying round.

Macclesfield F.C. was featured in a BBC Sport documentary film, Robbie Savage: Making Macclesfield FC, broadcast on 13 November 2021, which followed the launch of the new club following the collapse of Macclesfield Town. ^[19]

Despite a relatively poor run of form at the start of the new year (L2, D1, W2 in January), a run of ten consecutive wins followed, in which 37 goals were scored and only four conceded. ^[20] On 12 March 2022, Macclesfield secured the North West Counties Premier Division title and promotion to the NPL Division One West after a 4–0 win against Ashton Athletic, becoming the first club in England's top nine tiers in 2022 to guarantee promotion. ^[21] Macclesfield finished their league campaign on 2 April, 15 points clear of second-placed Skelmersdale United. ^[22]

2022–23 season

In October 2022, with the club three points clear at the top of the NPL West Division, Danny Whitaker was replaced as Macclesfield manager by David McNabb. ^[23] McNabb stepped down in December 2022, with midfielder Neil Danns being appointed interim manager. ^[24] A 3–1 win against Trafford on 1 April 2023 saw the club crowned champions and achieve back-to-back promotions. ^[25]

2023–24 season

During the summer of 2023, manager Neil Danns left to take up an assistant role at Tranmere Rovers, and his assistant Mark Duffy was named as the new head coach. ^[26] Record goal-scorer James Berry departed for a club record fee to join National League side Chesterfield. ^[27] Luke Duffy joined for a record fee from Warrington Town, ^[28] and John Rooney, Wayne Rooney's younger brother, returned to the Silkmen having started his career with 41 league appearances for Macclesfield Town. ^[29]

Macclesfield entered the FA Cup in the first qualifying round. Victories over Whickham, Buxton, and Warrington Rylands secured a place in the fourth qualifying round against Alfreton Town. ^[30] After four defeats in five games, including a 3–1 FA Cup defeat at Alfreton, ^[31] Duffy was sacked as head coach on 27 October 2023, ^[32] and was replaced by Alex Bruce. ^[33] The Silkmen entered the FA Trophy in the third qualifying round; in the fourth round proper they defeated National League opposition Dorking Wanderers 5–0. ^[34] Macclesfield were the only side outside of the National League to reach the semi-finals, but were knocked out of the competition in a 2–1 defeat at Gateshead on 7 April. ^[35]

On 21 February 2024, Bruce stepped down as Macclesfield manager to take up a coaching role at Salford City, ^{[36] [37]} and was replaced by Michael Clegg, previously manager at Warrington Rylands. ^[38] Under Clegg, Macclesfield finished second, qualifying for the NPL play-offs, but lost the play-off final 2–1 to Marine. ^[39] On 17 June 2024, Clegg left his role as manager by mutual consent; ^[40] Robbie Savage was appointed head coach. ^{[41] [42]}

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Period	Kit Manufacturer	Shirt Sponsor
2021–24	Adidas	boohooMAN
2024–		Duck and Cover

Players

Current squad

As of 31 August 2024 ^[43]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK   ENG Max Dearnley — DF   ENG Lewis Fensome — DF   ENG Sam Heathcote — DF   ENG Scott Holding — DF   ENG Brandon Lee — MF   ENG Alex Curran — MF   ENG Paul Dawson — MF   NED Justin Johnson — MF   ENG Tre Pemberton

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF   ENG John Rooney — MF   ENG Elliott Whitehouse — MF   ENG Danny Whitehead — FW   ENG Tom Clare — FW   ENG Danny Elliott — FW   SCO Harry Freedman — FW   IRQ Ali Hayder — FW   ENG Neil Kengni — FW   ENG D'Mani Mellor

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player

Player of the Season Awards

Season	Player	Players' Player	Directors' Player	Ref
2021–22	Neil Danns	Neil Danns	Laurent Mendy	[44]
2022–23	James Berry	James Berry	Luke Murphy	[45]

Management

Team management and coaching staff [46] Role Name Director of Football Robbie Savage First Team Manager Robbie Savage First Team Assistant Manager Vacant First Team Head Coach Paul McGuinness First Team Coach Peter Band Goalkeeping Coach Danny Whiting Physio Merissa Heraldson Head of Recruitment Dan Ternent Strength & Conditioning Coach Nick Smith Kitman Ged Coyne

Club management and staff [2] Role Name Owner Robert Smethurst Director Robbie Savage Head of Finance Rachel Brown Head of Marketing Danny Taylor Head of Business Operations Lindsay Brown Commercial Manager Bob Trafford Club Secretary Patrick Birch Finance and Operations Assistant Eli Warhurst Head Groundsman Ged Coyne

Managerial history

As of 22 September 2024 ^[47]

Image	Name	From	To	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	Win% [nb 1]	Honours
	Danny Whitaker	13 October 2020	29 October 2022	68	48	7	13	171	71	070.59	1 NWCFL Premier Division
	David McNabb	31 October 2022	10 December 2022	9	7	1	1	22	9	077.78
	Neil Danns	13 December 2022	5 May 2023	21	15	5	1	53	16	071.43	1 NPL Division One West
	Mark Duffy	5 May 2023	25 October 2023	18	10	2	6	34	21	055.56
	Neil Baker Peter Band Robbie Savage (interim)	25 October 2023	31 October 2023	2	2	0	0	6	3	100.00
	Alex Bruce	1 November 2023	21 February 2024	22	15	3	4	57	30	068.18
	Michael Clegg	22 February 2024	17 June 2024	16	11	0	5	31	15	068.75
	Robbie Savage	17 June 2024		22	18	2	2	61	20	081.82

Seasons

As of 19 July 2024 ^[47]

Key:	Champions	Runners-up	Promoted	Relegated	Semi-finals

Season	League									FA Cup	Other competitions		Top scorer – League goals in ()		Average attendance (League)
	Division	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Pts	Pos				Name
2021–22	NWCFL Premier Division ↑	40	29	7	4	94	38	94	1st	PR	FA Vase	QR1	Tom Clare	23 (21)	3,390
											NWCFL Challenge Cup	QF
											Cheshire Senior Cup	R2
2022–23	NPL Division One West ↑	38	28	6	4	95	27	90	1st	QR2	FA Trophy	R1	James Berry	33 (24)	3,644 [48]
											Cheshire Senior Cup	QF
2023–24	NPL Premier Division	40	24	5	11	84	47	77	2nd	QR4	FA Trophy	SF	Alex Curran	23 (16)	3,302 [49]
											Cheshire Senior Cup	QF
											League play-offs	RU
2024–25	NPL Premier Division										FA Trophy
											Cheshire Senior Cup

Club records

As of 6 May 2024 ^[47]

Attendance

• Highest home attendance (Top 3):

5,329 v Marine, 6 May 2024 – NPL Premier Division play-off final

4,720 v AFC Liverpool, 2 April 2022 – NWCFL Premier Division

4,701 ^[a] v Prescot Cables, 15 April 2023 – NPL Division One West

• Lowest home attendance:

340 v Tranmere Rovers, 5 December 2023 – Cheshire Senior Cup second round

• Highest away attendance (Top 3):

3,031 v Gateshead, 6 April 2024 – FA Trophy semi-final

2,342 v FC United of Manchester, 26 August 2023 – NPL Premier Division

2,024 v Leek Town, 16 August 2022 – NPL Division One West

• Lowest away attendance:

181 v Northwich Victoria, 16 November 2022 – Cheshire Senior Cup first round

Results

• Biggest home win:

7–0 v Tadcaster Albion, 13 September 2022 - FA Trophy first qualifying round

• Heaviest home defeat:

2–5 v Crewe Alexandra, 30 January 2024 – Cheshire Senior Cup quarter-final

• Biggest away win:

0–6 v Vauxhall Motors, 22 February 2022 – NWCFL Premier Division

• Heaviest away defeat:

3–0 v Lancaster City, 22 August 2023 – NPL Premier Division

• Highest scoring draw:

4–4 v Winsford United (A), 3 August 2021 – NWCFL Premier Division

• Highest aggregate score:

(10) 6–4 v Squires Gate (A), 21 August 2021 – FA Cup preliminary round

Player records

• Most appearances (All comps): ^[50]

137 – Laurent Mendy, 31 July 2021 – present

• Goals scored (All comps): ^[51]

53 – James Berry, 7 August 2021 – 22 April 2023

• Goals in a season (All comps):

33 – James Berry, 2022–23

• Goals in a season (League):

24 – James Berry, 2022–23

• Goals scored in a match:

4 – James Berry v Avro (H), 19 March 2022 – NWCFL Premier Division

4 – Tom Clare v Winsford United (A), 3 August 2021 – NWCFL Premier Division

4 – Kane Drummond v Atherton Collieries (H), 21 November 2023 – NPL Premier Division

Cup performances

• Best FA Cup performance:

Fourth qualifying round, 2023–24, 2024–25

• Best FA Trophy performance:

Semi-finals, 2023–24

• Best FA Vase performance:

First qualifying round, 2021–22

• Best Cheshire Senior Cup performance:

Quarter-finals, 2022–23, 2023–24

Honours

League

• NPL Premier Division (level 7)
  • Runners-up: 2023–24
• NPL Division One West (level 8)
  • Champions: 2022–23 ^[52]
• NWCFL Premier Division (level 9)
  • Champions: 2021–22 ^[53]

Notable players

Macclesfield F.C. players who have attained at least one international cap during their career.

• Alex Bruce
• Neil Danns
• Oumar Niasse

See also

For a list of current and former Macclesfield F.C. players with articles on Wikipedia, see Category:Macclesfield F.C. players.

Notes

1. NPL Division One West record.

References

1. "Robbie Savage to join Macclesfield board after Smethurst buys club". theguardian.com. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
2. "Macclesfield FC". Macclesfield FC. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
3. "Macclesfield Town FC wound up in High Court over debts exceeding £500,000". BBC Sport. 16 September 2020. Archived from the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
4. "Government review of football will explore alternative ownership models for clubs". The Independent. 23 April 2021. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
5. "Macclesfield Town expelled from National League after club wound up". Cheshire Live. 29 September 2020. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
6. Powell, Dave (1 October 2020). "Macclesfield Town's 129-year-old Moss Rose home up for sale on Rightmove". Cheshire Live. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
7. Scapens, Alex (7 October 2020). "Footballing future in Macclesfield given boost as the Silkmen are bought". Cheshire Live. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
8. "Macclesfield FC: Robert Smethurst takes over club as Robbie Savage joins board". BBC Sport. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
9. Whelan, Dan (14 October 2020). "Macc plots stadium improvements after takeover". Place North West. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
10. "Macclesfield FC: Reformed club to join North West Counties Premier Division next season". BBC Sport. 18 May 2021. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
11. "Robbie Savage launches foundation to give children free access to grassroots football". ITV. 27 April 2021. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
12. "The Buildbase FA Vase Season 2021–22" (.ashx). The Football Association. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
13. Line-ups: Macclesfield 1–0 Burscough, NWCFL website. Retrieved: 4 August 2021.
14. Line-ups: Winsford United 4–4 Macclesfield, NWCFL website. Retrieved: 4 August 2021.
15. Line-ups: Squires Gate 6–4 Macclesfield, NWCFL website. Retrieved: 9 September 2021.
16. Lineups: Macclesfield 1–0 Congleton Town, NWCFL website. Retrieved: 9 September 2021.
17. Robbie Savage bravely steps in to break up fight at Macclesfield game, Daily Mirror (30 August 2021). Retrieved: 9 September 2021.
18. Silkmen Archives. Retrieved: 9 September 2021.
19. Golby, Joel (13 November 2021). "Robbie Savage: Making Macclesfield FC – this would be touching TV … if football's court jester would shut up". Guardian. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
20. "NWCFL Club pages: Macclesfield FC" . Retrieved 16 March 2022.
21. "Macclesfield crowned champions in first season". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
22. "NWCFL League Table". NWCFL. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
23. Gordon, James (31 October 2022). "Macclesfield Unveil New Manager". NPL News. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
24. Barnes, Dan (13 December 2022). "Ex-Bolton Wanderers man Neil Danns named interim boss at Macclesfield". The Bolton News. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
25. "Macclesfield Secure West Division". www.thenpl.co.uk. 1 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
26. Macclesfield: "NEIL DANNS DEPARTS TO JOIN LEAGUE 2 SIDE TRANMERE ROVERS AS ASSISTANT MANAGER"
27. "JAMES BERRY JOINS CHESTERFIELD FC FOR A CLUB RECORD FEE". Macclesfield FC. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
28. "LUKE DUFFY JOINS THE SILKMEN FOR A CLUB RECORD SIGNING FEE". Macclesfield FC. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
29. "MACCLESFIELD FC AGREES TERMS WITH MIDFIELDER JOHN ROONEY". Macclesfield FC. 31 August 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
30. Bates, Kallum (1 October 2023). "Match Report: Warrington Rylands". Macclesfield FC. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
31. "REPORT: Alfreton Town 3-1 Macclesfield FC". Alfreton Town F.C. 15 October 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
32. Hall, Danny (26 October 2023). "Sheffield United favourite sacked by seventh-tier side as owner presses panic button after two promotions". Sheffield Star. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
33. "Alex Bruce: Macclesfield appoint former Hull defender as manager". BBC Sport. 30 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
34. Elliott, Sam (13 January 2024). "FA Trophy Trauma And Big Points Won On Thrilling Day". Vanorama National League. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
35. Manning, Jonny (7 April 2024). "FA Trophy final a fantastic reward after hard season, Gateshead boss says". BBC News. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
36. "CLUB STATEMENT: ALEX BRUCE". macclesfieldfc.com. 21 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
37. "Alex Bruce: Macclesfield boss leaves for position at English Football League club". BBC Sport. 21 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
38. "Michael Clegg to leave Warrington Rylands to join Macclesfield". Warrington Guardian. 22 February 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
39. Gordon, James (6 May 2024). "Marine Triumph In NPL Play-Off Final". NPL. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
40. "Club statement: Michael Clegg". Macclesfield F.C. 17 June 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
41. "Robbie Savage named as Silkmen head coach". Macclesfield F.C. 17 June 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
42. "Macclesfield appoint Savage as head coach". BBC Sport. 18 June 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
43. "Men's First Team". Macclesfield FC Official Website. Macclesfield FC. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
44. "Awards Night: Winners at a Glance". 10 April 2022.
45. "Awards Night: Winners at a Glance". 24 April 2023.
46. Macclesfield NWCFL.com. Retrieved: 15 November 2021.
47. "Macclesfield FC Archives - Unofficial Fan Account". Macclesfield FC Archives, Unofficial Fan Account.
48. Attendance Tables. Northern Premier League. Retrieved: 21 April 2023
49. "Northern Premier League - Premier Division | Average Attendances | Home Matches | Football Web Pages".
50. "Player Appearances". Macclesfield FC Archives, Unofficial Fan Account.
51. "Goalscorers". Macclesfield FC Archives, Unofficial Fan Account.
52. "Macclesfield Secure West Division". www.thenpl.co.uk. 1 April 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
53. "Macclesfield FC: Silkmen crowned champions in first season". BBC Sport. 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.

1. Win% is rounded to two decimal places

External links

• Official website

53°14′34″N02°07′38″W / 53.24278°N 2.12722°W / 53.24278; -2.12722