Perhaps, on reflection, my comments were too emotive in the aftermath of the team’s first defeat of the season. Especially given the nature of it – a spectacular goal of the season scissor kick in injury time, worthy of winning any game. And also in light of the Silkmen’s absentees: Matheson, McFayden, Lacey, Dawson, Kay and Dos Santos due to various mitigating circumstances, self-inflicted or otherwise.

This edition of The Silkmen News will analyse how BAD our performance was against Merthyr, and how EXCELLENT the team was after going down to ten men against Scarborough. If you find the analysis of Merthyr too depressing, scroll down and read the good stuff about Scarborough!

Lucky or unlucky?

My original Facebook view stands. This was a desperately poor performance by Macc against a Merthyr Town side who hadn’t won since the opening day of the season (five matches).

The manner of the loss cemented, in my view, that John Rooney’s newly assembled team is struggling to gel and was flattered by its top of the league status coming into this. I’m struggling to understand what the team’s identity is – are we a possession based 4-2-3-1 set-up, do we want to play with conventional wingers and be more attack-minded in a 4-3-3, or we want to utilise the natural width and pace we’ve recruited in the summer to play on the counter?

In reality, only the 3-0 home win over early league leaders Hebburn Town could be described as a deserved victory for Macc in our eight league games so far. A scoreline I previously debated on this website as to whether it was our best ‘result’, or best ‘performance’?

The opening day win over Marine could easily have been a draw. The dramatic 2-1 triumph over Radcliffe was a timely comeback but against a team in wretched form, who lost both of their central defenders to injury in the first-half and were denied by an inspired Christian Dibble. The goalless draw at Spalding was hard-fought against a newly promoted side who came on strong in the final 20 minutes and could have won it.

The 2-1 win against Brackley saw us recover brilliantly from a goal down once more, but arguably only because the visitor’s suffered (deservedly) a red card in first-half injury time just after they had taken the lead following a period of dominance. Finally another 2-1, come-from-behind win at Darlington was achieved against the beleaguered Quakers who had lost their last six matches at home (make that eight now), who hit the post at 1-1.

Luck, or simply getting the rub-of-the-green, was never going to be sustainable. It’s also worth noting that the majority of the teams Macclesfield have played so far are currently in the bottom half of the table.

And so it’s proven with Macc on the wrong end of some misfortune in their last two games – losing to a ‘worldy’ strike at Merthyr, and then having Tom Wilson sent off after 17 minutes against Scarborough on Tuesday, whilst also being denied a strong penalty shout when Elliott Osborne was bundled over in the box (scroll down for analysis of those decisions).

The Silkmen’s response to going a man down against the Seadogs was outstanding – more on that below. Firstly, let’s discuss what went wrong at Merthyr and why the travelling Silkmen faithful were so frustrated by what they witnessed.

Merthyr meltdown – the context

At face value, was the Merthyr setback really that bad and entirely understandable given Rooney’s men are currently walking wounded?

We took the lead through another Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Adan George link-up, with George bundling home (fairly) after the Merthyr keeper failed to claim the left wing cross cleanly. Unfortunately, CBJ tweaked something in his delivery of it and had to be withdrawn for young right back Hassan Ayub, which required Ammar Dyer to switch to left back after 60 minutes.

Did CBJ’s withdrawal have a significant impact on Macclesfield losing the game? It certainly didn’t help and it’s worth noting that Cameron had won 7 of his 8 ground duels prior to going off and Merthyr ruthlessly exploited our left-hand-side thereafter.

Eventual Merthyr match-winner Ellis Watts entered the fray as a substitute on the right wing seven minutes later and led the Silkmen a merry dance for the 25 minutes he was on the field. 33 touches of the ball, 4 shots (3 on target), won 5 out of his 9 duels. 93% pass completion, 2 out of 4 successful dribbles and a crackerjack of a strike to seal the three points against the shellshocked Silkmen.

It would be unfair though to hail Watts as the reason why Merthyr turned the tables. He was simply part of the bigger problem as Merthyr outfought, outpassed and harassed Macc all afternoon:

· Merthyr enjoyed 65% possession, and whilst they are a possession-based side, it’s rare to see Macclesfield dominated on the ball at this level

· Not only were Macc starved of possession, they were careless with it when they did have the ball. Their overall pass completion percentage of 71% was their lowest of the season, lower than v Brackley (76%) and a highest v Spalding (83%)

· Tactically we seemed to have no answer to contain Merthyr or play effectively with and without the ball. The Silkmen only completed 32% of their attempted long balls (53), which invited wave after wave of Merthyr pressure

· Merthyr had 15 shots (6 on target) to Macc’s 12 (5 on target), but 8 of the home side’s attempts came in the last 15 minutes as Rooney failed to stem the tide from the bench

· Apart from George’s goal, the Silkmen created few clear cut chances. George Wilson had a shot well saved by the legs of the keeper in the first half following good work by Adan George and Jonathan Ustabasi. But arguably Fin Shrimpton’s miss from a Luke Duffy counter on 68 minutes was significant. At 2-0, would there have been any way back for the Welshmen?

· Merthyr won 56% of all contested duels. They notably won the midfield battle, forced the Silkmen’s players into mistakes and ran at them frequently (22 dribble attempts compared to 12 from Macc)

· Merthyr forced Macclesfield’s players into more mistakes compared to any other game this season. In total, Macc made 7 errors which directly lead to Merthyr having attempts on goal

· Merthyr really squeezed us on the wings – as highlighted above, Duffy and Ustabasi were harried into mistakes. Ustabasi had a particularly difficult afternoon. In addition to making 2 errors which led to Merthyr shots he was also dribbled past on 3 occasions

· Even Silkmen players who are normally so composed on the ball struggled to retain it. Borthwick-Jackson’s passing accuracy was just 66% when it’s normally in the high 80s / early 90s. CBJ completed only 3 of his 12 attempted long passes.

· George Willson and Elliott Osborne struggled in the engine room. Wilson won only 6 of his 17 duels, and Osborne 3 of 11.

Little could have been done to prevent Merthyr’s winner, although Tom Wilson did have two bites at the cherry to try and clear his lines in the build-up. However, Merthyr’s equaliser WAS preventable. Wilson headed away a corner at the back post and is clearly seen beckoning substitute Matthew Apter to move sideways to put pressure on Merthyr to prevent another attack.

Apter remained where he was, prompting Wilson to abandon his central defensive berth and come out to the wing to try and stop the cross. He wasn’t able to close the gap in time, the cross was swung in from the right and goalscorer Foulston had the run on Danny Elliott and headed into the goal from close range, when ordinarily he would have been competing against the AWOL Wilson.

All in all, Merthyr represented a bad day at the office for many different reasons, but given Macclesfield’s general performances this season it wasn’t a huge surprise. Thankfully, our gallant 0-0 draw against Scarborough was a wonderfully spirited, backs-to-the-wall display for all the right reasons.

Scarborough stalemate

Scarborough at home represented a good opportunity for Macc to return to winning ways, galvanised by the return of captain Paul Dawson following his seven game ban for various misdemeanours. Daws looked accomplished in midfield until an avoidable red card for Tom Wilson after 17 minutes forced the skipper back into central defence to partner Sam Heathcote.

Was Wilson stupid or unfortunate to receive his marching orders? Both for me.

There was no need for Tom to challenge for a ball on halfway with his boot raised so high. Scarborough’s Dom Tear duly ducked into it and hit the deck, giving the trigger-happy referee a decision to make.

Wilson DID make contact, but he appeared to collide with Tear’s shoulder rather than his head, so in that regard he was unfortunate to receive a straight red card. But the chances of the referee’s decision being rescinded look slim, leaving John Rooney with another defensive headache with Cameron Borthwick-Jackson not fully fit after sustaining a strain at Merthyr and Wilson facing a three-match ban.

Macc were also denied a strong shout for a penalty. George Wilson whipped in a ball to the back post which was collected by the onrushing Elliot Osborne, who once again did a fine job filling in at right back. Osborne nudged the ball past the defender, and whilst he was no longer in possession, the Scarborough player’s momentum saw him take Osborne out.

Clear contact was made in the area, Osborne was prevented from challenging for the ball and if that’s not a penalty, what is?

Rooney’s men could easily have let their heads drop, but to their immense credit they picked up the baton and took the fight to Scarborough, displaying bravery, passion, organisation and intelligence to negotiate 75 minutes of football with only ten men. And but for some better finishing from Luke Duffy (notably) and Jon Ustabasi, the Silkmen would have deservedly gained the three points their endeavours so richly deserved.

In the end, Macc were grateful for a point thanks to another top drawer save by Christian Dibble in injury time to divert Mo Fadera’s shot around the post from 12 yards out. How many points has the outstanding Dibble won us already this season in recording his fourth clean sheet?

Scarborough: standout stats

· Macc only had 33% possession, but limited Scarborough to 14 shots and only 3 on target. Most of the away side’s attempts came late on, and they didn’t have a shot of note until the 50^th minute

· The Silkmen created the better chances (11 shots, 7 inside the area, 5 on target), and had the higher xG (expected goals) metric of 0.89 vs 0.84 for Scarborough

· Macc defended resolutely as a team, from Adan George as a loan striker in a revamped 4-4-1 formation to our backline. We won 58% of the contested ground duels and dispossessed Scarborough 11 times

· The above defensive metrics are important because we often turned over possession cheaply – just 71% overall passing accuracy (joint lowest of the season). Fin Shrimpton (60%), Luke Duffy (59%) and Jon Ustabasi (57%) were particularly culpable in that regard

Scarborough: top performers, aka Duracell bunnies

Never have I been so buoyed by a team drawing a game at home. But it was the manner in which Macc rolled their sleeves up which was so invigorating to witness and bodes well for the remainder of the season. Some performances in particular need to be called out.

· George Wilson – what a shift! George has produced some mixed displays in his early Silkmen career, but he is a player who never hides and one you absolutely want in the trenches. And if he can combine his tenacity and passing ability more consistently, Macc will have an excellent midfielder on their books.

Against Scarborough he was everywhere. The tigerish Wilson won 10 out of his 13 duels and made 7 defensive contributions. He also kept the ball better than most with a passing accuracy of 80%, completing 7 out of his 8 attempted long balls, including his diagonal pass for Osborne which could have led to a penalty.

· Jon Ustabasi – I’ve highlighted that Ustabasi can frustrate by giving the ball away cheaply, but he was equally key in keeping Scarborough at bay with a real blood and thunder performance. ‘Basi covered 11.4km up and down the right flank – more than any other player on the pitch on Tuesday, which equates to a distance of just over 7 miles (unsurprisingly, George Wilson was just behind him).

‘Basi tirelessly contested every challenge, winning 10 out of his 13 ground and aerial duels. He also embarked on some lung-bursting runs and two of his three shots were on target. Jon may lack finesse, and it’s fair to say his Silkmen career hasn’t caught fire yet, but if keeps putting in the hard yards like this his fortunes should turn soon

· Ammar Dyer – I singled Dyer out on a previous article, but he was outstanding once more against Scarborough despite playing out of his natural position at left back. The away side tried to exploit their man advantage by targeting Macclesfield’s flanks, predominantly through dangerman Rio Allan who is the National League North’s top scorer on 7 goals. Allan was restricted to only one shot all evening and was dominated by Dyer. So much so, that Allan eventually switched wings in the second half in an attempt to escape and get change out of Elliot Osborne instead.

Ammar won 13 out of his 17 ground duels, made 8 defensive contributions and registered a passing accuracy of 88%. But it was his ball carrying ability which made a huge difference in getting the Silkmen up the pitch and on the front foot. Dyer produced 12 ‘sprints’, more than any other player on the pitch and Scarborough struggled all evening with his athleticism and solid defending.

It almost ended in tears though. An uncharacteristically loose back pass from Ammar let Scarborough in, but thankfully captain fantastic Dawson was there to mop up and avert the danger. It would have been a travesty had a mistake from Dyer led to a defeat.

Tomorrow the Silkmen travel to managerless, bottom-of-the-table Spennymoor Town. It won’t be easy, but if Rooney’s men play with the same passion and diligence they showed against Scarborough, victory is surely achievable. UTS!

In this one a review of the month looking at all the big moments, new players starting to gel, an enviable defensive record, and of course the goal scoring return of the one and only Danny Elliott.

Podcast available on all good platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and many more. Or you can listen through the player above.

We’re activley looking for more contributors to the podcast in particular from people who are under represented within the fan base. Do get in touch if you’re intrested in getting involved. If there’s anything you’d like us to cover in future podcasts then leave us a comment and we’ll get it in for future episodes.

In reality John Rooney is attempting to blood seven new first-team signings, whilst navigating being without club captain Paul Dawson and an injury / absentee list which is already stretching the squad to its limit. Those are the facts, but not withstanding, it’s equally fair to say that Macclesfield FC’s ‘results’ have been better than the ‘performances’ in amassing 16 points from 18.

The bank holiday weekend victories over Darlington and Hebburn were hard fought, but importantly, suggest many positives beyond emerging with the six points.

Hebburn – best performance, or the best result?

Monday’s 3-0 win over early table-toppers Hebburn Town has been understandably lauded as the Silkmen’s most complete performance of the season. Three goals, a clean sheet and a (in the end) comfortable victory over a determined and confident Hebburn side, who arrived in SK11 on the crest of the wave following their promotion last season and impressive start.

It’s interesting though how a scoreline can influence opinions of what was ‘good’. Ironically, from an attacking element I’d label Macclesfield’s display as ‘ruthlessly efficient’, rather than ‘dominant’ or ‘dynamic from a statistical standpoint.

· The 8 shots we had against Hebburn was the fewest we’ve had in the league so far compared to the games against Marine (17), Radcliffe (15), Spalding (17), Brackley (15) and Darlington (12)

· As a consequence, our xG (expected goals) tally against Hebburn (1.32) was also statistically lower compared to our other games: Marine (2.14), Radcliffe (2.94), Spalding (1.65), Brackley (1.99) and Darlington (1.98)

· Versus Hebburn we were much more clinical – 8 shots (7 inside the box), 5 on target and 3 excellently taken goals. A stark contrast to only having 2 shots on target against Darlington and Spalding, and just 1 (Shrimpton’s goal) at Marine

It’s been conveniently forgotten that we didn’t muster a solitary effort until Adan George’s 26^th minute opener on Monday – his first in a Silkmen shirt, following a galloping run and drilled centre from Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, who has done admirably standing in for the sidelined Lincoln McFayden.

George’s relief to get off the mark was visibly evident, but Adan’s goal was welcome for other reasons, too.

· This was just Macclesfield’s fourth goal scored in the first half within our last 15 National League North fixtures (including the play-offs vs Chester and Kidderminster)

· In our last 15 NLN games, the Silkmen have gone behind in 11 of them (6 wins, 5 defeats), including against Darlington, Brackley and Radcliffe this season

Macclesfield’s second goal ten minutes after the break was nicely worked, culminating in Fin Shrimpton’s driving run and cross being flicked goalwards by George and into the net via a Hebburn defender. It was announced as an ‘own goal’ and the video highlights appear to confirm a visiting defender got the final touch.

The cherry on top was an early goal of the season contender from Danny Elliott, who controlled Jonathan Ustabasi’s pass and lashed home an unstoppable volley in injury time to cap a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.

Defensive dominance

The 3-0 reversal was harsh on a Hebburn side who were seldom carved open, rarely under sustained pressure and who contributed to a competitive game outside of the goals. And this is reflected in the areas of the pitch that had the highest concentration of play: 32% in Hebburn’s final third, 38% in the middle part of the pitch and 30% in Macclesfield’s final third.

Whilst they only contributed 7 shots (2 on target), the away side battled hard and posed plenty of questions to our defence. On the deck, Hebburn won 56% of ground duels, but in the air Macc came out on top winning 62% of all aerial duels.

Our defence were outstanding in limiting Hebburn to so few clear cut chances, with Sam Heathcote and Tom Wilson particularly commanding in forming a central defensive brick wall, which for once afforded Christian Dibble a relatively quiet day at the office.

· Defensive contributions: Heathcote 14, Wilson 9, Dyer 5, CBJ 6

· Recoveries: Heathcote 24, Wilson 12, Dyer 9, CBJ 10

· Aerial duels won vs contested: Heathcote 12 (13), Wilson 5 (6), Dyer 6 (6), CBJ 6 (7)

· Ground duels won vs contested: Heathcote 3 (3), Wilson 1 (2), Dyer 9 (16), CBJ 0 (1)

Combining the above, our back four won 77% of all of their duels, not to mention making a significant number of defensive contributions and ball recoveries. And this came against a table-tipping Hebburn side who had scored in each of their five league games, chalking up 11 goals.

Whilst it was pleasing to score three excellent goals, I don’t think our defence have been given enough credit for how well they performed individually and collectively.

Midfield contributions & playing in the right areas

Our midfield has come under scrutiny so far this season for not quite gelling. New signings Fin Shrimpton and George Wilson have done well in cameos, whilst Elliot Osborne has been searching for his best form.

All three performed strongly against Hebburn. Wilson (George) was involved in the build-up to our first and second goals, playing an accurate crossfield pass into the path of Borthwick-Jackson who served it up on a plate for Adan George to bag. Wilson also showed persistence to regain possession and maintain Macc’s momentum which eventually led to our second.

Shrimpton, whilst typically energetic, looked after the ball better than he has done in previous games and showed strong desire and energy to create our second goal. Finally, this was the most I’ve seen Osborne put himself about in the engine room for a while. And all three of them needed to be against a rugged visiting side.

· Passing accuracy: G Wilson 84%, Shrimpton 86%, Osborne 81%

· All three made more passes in the opposition half compared to their own: G Wilson 35 vs 11, Shrimpton 27 vs 10, Osborne 26 vs 15

· G Wilson: 2 key passes, Shrimpton: 1 assist

· Osborne won 12 of his 16 contested aerial duels

In summary, our midfield were tidy in possession, played more passes, more often in Hebburn’s half and were involved in all three goals, whilst providing solid cover (notably Osborne) to Macclesfield’s defence.

And another thing…in previous articles I’ve banged on that Macclesfield have been making too many passes in the wrong areas, most notably in our defensive third with our central defenders dominating the ball with little penetration.

Bringing in the no-nonsense Tom Wilson, who was magnificent at Darlington and lost a front tooth and sported a black eye for his trouble, appears to have added steel with less faffyness (is that a word?) at the back. Here are our possession and passing stats so far:

WITHOUT Wilson:

· Marine: 59%, 375

· Radcliffe: 71%, 461

· Spalding: 62%, 523

WITH Wilson:

· Brackley: 59%, 436 (but bare in mind Brackley went down to 10 men and latterly 9, so I’d expect our passing stats to be high)

· Darlington: 49%, 333

· Hebburn: 57%, 398

I’m not suggesting that Wilson is responsible for a mentality shift in possession across the whole team, but I believe we’re less ‘pretty’ in central defence and more effective in getting the ball forward into better areas with him in the side.

Dibble: different gravy

I can’t praise our defence against Hebburn without commenting generally on what a colossus Christian Dibble has been in goal since joining from Kidderminster.

· 3 clean sheets in 6 league games – we only managed 8 in the league last season

· 17 saves made, several of them to deny clear goalscoring opportunities

· We’ve conceded 3 goals, but according to xG statistics we should have conceded 6.76. Of course, this could be due to a combination of great goalkeeping or poor finishing! Expected goals (xG) is a metric used to determine how likely a player is to score a chance and to calculate how many goals a team is expected to score in a match

Against Darlington, Dibble’s heroics in the final stages earned us all three points, first spreading himself to keep out a header from point blank range, then diverting a low shot around the post instead of pushing it back out into the danger area with Darlington waiting to convert the rebound.

However, I do think both Dibble and Sam Heathcote need to take responsibility for the shambolic goal we conceded. We got done, once again, by an innocuous ball over the top. Dibble came racing off his line, but Heathcote was closest to the ball and should have taken charge and put it in row z irrespective of whether Dibble gave him the call.

Instead, Heathcote checked his run and tried to shepherd the ball from goalscorer Dylan Stephenson which ended in disaster. Stephenson nipped in (was there a case for handball?) and tapped the ball into the empty net. As I suggested when Dibble came off his line in the opening day win over Marine some you win, some you lose.

Of course, all keeper’s need an element of luck and Dibble got that when Darlington’s Fitzhugh’s curling effort struck the post with the score at 1-1. Overall though, Macclesfield’s keeper has been a superb addition.

George off the mark, Danny is BACK

I gave some love-in to Adan George in my previous article, so I was delighted / relieved / smug when he opened his Silkmen account from close range on Monday. It had been coming.

George was livelier against Brackley, and came close against Darlington – a disallowed goal for offside (correctly, see below), a poor effort over the bar when well placed as well as hitting the post with a deflected shot from Elliott’s cutback.

Adan’s all-round display versus Hebburn was his most effective so far. A poacher’s goal in the six-yard box, combined with persistent harrying and pressing of the visitor’s defence which contributed to two Silkmen openings, plus he was unlucky not to bag a second goal when his near post flick was turned in by a defender. George’s finishing lacks finesse (so far), but his strength, movement and speed are welcome additions to Macclesfield’s attack. Hopefully he can kick on from here.

Danny Elliott’s return to the first-team fold may have been more productive than he and John Rooney could have reasonably anticipated. The Silkmen gaffer has been managing Danny’s return from eight months out injured carefully, and when called upon Macclesfield’s ace marksman duly delivered at Darlington.

A brilliantly taken, first-time shot to stroke the ball in off the post to draw us level. This came from outstanding work by Luke Duffy to thwart three Darlington defenders in midfield before threading a pass to the unmarked Elliott to execute his finish with precision. Danny’s winner was a proper striker’s goal, sliding in from two yards out to covert Ammar Dyer’s pull-back.

AND WHAT A STRIKE from Elliott to seal victory against Hebburn, despatching a powerful volley on his trademark left foot high into the net. Three goals in two games, the Silkmen’s number nine is pushing hard to start. I’ll leave Rooney to ponder the logistics of that one at Merthyr!

Dynamite Dyer

Ammar Dyer has been bright at both ends of the pitch since signing from Telford in the summer and appears to have huge potential. The full-back really came to the fore at Darlington, winning possession in midfield, finding Duffy and then bombing forward to receive the return ball in the box and find Elliott with a perfect cross to fire Macc in front.

Then excellent pressing from Dyer saw him win the ball which eventually found Elliott, whose cutback saw George hit the post. But it was Dyer’s anticipation, tenacity and speed which were instrumental in both of the Silkmen’s chances.

He may not look like it, but Ammar is very tenacious who more often than not wins his battles through timely interventions and a strong leap. For a full-back, his performance numbers really standout in his six games so far.

· Won 52 of 82 ground duels = 63%

· Won 19 of 27 aerial duels = 70%

· Defensive contributions (6 games): 37

· Average passing accuracy = 84%

· Successful dribbles completed: 10 out of 12 = 83%

· Shots: 6 (no goals)

· Assists: 1

Based on the above, I think there’s an argument to say that we need to be getting the ball to Dyer more regularly. He’s a solid defender, good in possession and very capable when running at opposition defenders. With Luke Matheson nearing a return after picking up an injury in pre-season, it’s going to be a fascinating battle for the Silkmen’s right-back spot!

This edition of the newsletter will examine the following themes, so I’ll let you take a view as to whether you want to read on!

· What was ‘wrong’ with our 0-0 draw at Spalding

· Why might Cameron Borthwick-Jackson have been dropped for Brackley

· Would we have beaten Brackley, but for their red card (s)

· Is Jonathan Ustabasi about to kick-on

· Are we failing to recognise Adan George’s qualities

Spalding – a point gained, or two dropped?

I was less than complimentary about our draw away at Spalding, but like anything else, it has to be assessed in overall context. By the end of the 90 minutes the Silkmen were under the cosh, rather than ‘hanging on’, so perhaps emerging with a 0-0 was a ‘good’ point, especially as we followed this up with a home win against Brackley.

The biggest frustration of Macclesfield’s play against the Tulips was our lack of cutting edge in the final third and inability to make their keeper work, despite our various attempts on goal and dominance in possession:

· 17 shots (11 of them inside the box)

· 2 shots on target (a Sam Heathcote header from a corner, and a low drive just inside the area from Elliot Osborne)

· 62% possession

· 523 attempted passes (that’s a huge amount!)

And yet, other than a deflected Fin Shrimpton effort which produced a spectacular sprawling save from Spalding number one, Peter Crook, Macc never looked like scoring. Duffy, Ustabasi, Elliott, Dyer and Osborne all tried their luck in the second half, but only Osborne warmed Crook’s hands.

Afterwards, manager John Rooney lamented his players’ decision making which was a fair assessment of his and supporters’ frustrations. We shot when we should have passed, or retained possession until a better option could support an attack, or sometimes our execution in the final third was simply poor.

The best example of the worst outcome was in the first half when Adan George failed to find an unmarked Jonathan Ustabasi in the six yard box with a simple square pass. George inexplicably overhit it and the chance went begging. I will provide an Adan George ‘love-in’ later on in this article though.

It was Spalding who spurned the game’s two best opportunities which came in the final 20 minutes when the home side stopped paying Macclesfield so much respect. Substitute Cybulski, a centre forward powerhouse, glanced a header inches wide with Dibble beaten, while nippy buzzsaw Jack Roberts blasted over the bar from 12 yards out following a Silkmen defensive catastrophe (see below).

Before then, the Silkmen were fairly comfortable without appearing overly threatening. 523 passes reminded me of the infuriating team we watched before the new year, welded to a 4-2-3-1 formation which lacked creativity and saw us lose tamely away to Chester.

There was far too much sideways and back passing against Spalding and our most potent attacking threats were starved of the ball, and when they did finally receive it, they snatched at their chances. Out of Macclesfield’s 523 passes, 298 (57%) were attempted by our back 5 (goalkeeper and four defenders). And that’s just passes, rather than simply counting touches of the ball (which will be higher).

Borthwick-Jackson and Heathcote made just shy of 200 passes between them! Compare that to George (12), Duffy (26) and Ustabasi (21) and Elliott (4, who replaced George off the bench in the 69^th minute).

Ammar Dyer and Lincoln McFayden, who have impressed as attacking full-backs early into their Silkmen careers, were virtually non-existent in the opposition’s half. We simply didn’t ask enough questions of Spalding and so a draw was a fair result.

Was Borthwick-Jackson unlucky to be dropped for Tom Wilson?

Cameron Borthwick-Jackson has been a calming influence at the back since joining us in January, with his ability to read the game and make some timely defensive interceptions particularly impressive.

CBJ is also comfortable with the ball at his feet, but maybe that’s part of the problem?

Against Spalding, he attempted a whopping 109 passes with an accuracy of 94%, in total having 136 touches of the ball. That might sound impressive on paper, but these stats possibly also highlight CBJ was more of a hindrance than a help towards our attacking impetus.

He was far too pedestrian in getting us up the field, both in terms of thought and movement, preferring to play ‘safe’ passes to Heathcote and Dibble. It was a similar story in the opening day away victory against Marine – solid defensive contribution and high pass completion, whilst also slowing us down and appearing vulnerable against pace.

It’s not just CBJ’s turgid build-up that frustrates me, his lack of mobility (which has yet to be fully exposed this season) is also a concern.

It nearly cost us on two occasions at Spalding. Substitute striker Cybulski almost scored with a header.

In the still above, CBJ has a good starting position to mark the striker as the left wing cross is about to come in (which Dyer failed to cut out).

But look what happens in the next still below.

Cybulski, who didn’t appear the most sprightly of chaps, checked his run and left Borthwick-Jackson flat-footed and sat on his backside as he ended up with a free header on goal. CBJ also got outfoxed by a similarly immobile Jordan Hulme versus Radcliffe,

The second CBJ example I’m going to highlight is much harsher. Here, a sloppy pass from Lincoln McFayden is played behind him and suddenly Spalding are in down the right wing.

But having watched the footage back several times McFayden’s pass, whilst wayward, was hardly struck at a rate of knots – CBJ simply wasn’t nimble enough to react, or to close down Spalding when they got free.

Fortunately, Jack Roberts blazed over when well placed to spare our blushes. McFayden would have carried the can, but CBJ’s lack of speed is alarming.

Rooney elected to drop (or rest, whatever the cap fits!) CBJ and hand summer signing Tom Wilson a debut at centre back alongside Sam Heathcote against Brackley. Wilson is more of a ‘no-nonsense’ defender, by no means uncomfortable on the deck, but not a player who likes to hold onto the ball either.

Did Wilson’s directness benefit us?

I think that might be a stretch to suggest this, but there was certainly less faffing about at the back compared to Spalding. Versus Brackley, Wison (44) and Heathcote (60) attempted 104 passes (compared to 189 from CBJ and Heathcote at Spalding).

Wilson had a strong game – 13 defensive contributions, 22 ball recoveries, 5 out of 8 aerial duels won, with an 86% pass accuracy are impressive numbers. And lets remember, it was Wilson’s long ball down the left wing which was initially collected by Luke Duffy who then found Lincoln McFayden who was scythed down which led to Brackley’s first red card.

Did we get lucky against Brackley?

Suggesting we were ‘lucky’ to beat Brackley feels insulting towards Rooney and the players, but there’s no doubt that Macclesfield got the rub of the green in this fixture. Just as we did (to an extent) when Radcliffe lost both their centre backs to injury in the first half.

Playing against 10 men (and subsequently 9!) is never straightforward, Brackley were a National League side last season who gave an excellent account of themselves in the first half. So much so, that they deservedly took the lead after a concerted spell of pressure.

Macc started brightly – George, Ustabasi and Shrimpton had decent efforts on goal, but from the 23^rd minute onwards we didn’t have a goalscoring attempt until Danny Elliott struck the post five minutes after half-time.

After 30 minutes, Brackley gained a foothold in the game, started to dominate the midfield and physically we struggled to contain them. The visitor’s had a spell of 7 efforts in 15 minutes at the end of the first half, eventually taking the lead with Williams’ hooked effort.

It was a poor goal for Macc to concede which Sam Heathcote may not want to watch back. The Silkmen centre back is competing alongside Brackley striker Campbell to defend against the cross into the box.

Contact between them seems minimal, perhaps a tangling of feet if I’m being charitable to Sam, but even that seems inconclusive on the footage.

Heathcote goes down on the deck like a sack of spuds, the referee allows play to continue and Williams has the run on Dyer and holds him off to finish cooly past Dibble. Heathcote surely has to be stronger in that situation!

In a dramatic end to the half, Brackley’s Coates is given his marching orders just over a minute later. Was it a red card?

I wasn’t certain watching it in ‘real-time’, but replays conclusively revealed that Coates’ tackle was high, dangerous in connecting with McFayden’s ankle which left Macclesfield’s defender requiring lengthy treatment before he hobbled off the pitch, barely able to put any weight on his foot.

The sending off had a significant bearing on the outcome of the game. The 10 men (subsequently reduced to 9 in the 83^rd minute) only had one effort in the second half. In contrast, 11 of Macclesfield’s 15 shots (9 on target, 10 inside the box) came when we had our man advantage.

Prior to the sending off, Brackley were bossing us all over the pitch. The away side won 59% of all ground and aerial duels (56% ground, 61% aerial), they dispossessed Macclesfield on 6 occasions (versus 3 for Brackley) and caught the Silkmen offside 6 times.

Brackley’s holding midfielders, Kai Lissimore (76% passing accuracy) and goalscorer Ewan Williams (77% passing accuracy) were better in possession compared to George Wilson, Elliot Osborne (first half, before he switched to right back in the second), and Fin Shrimpton. Combined, Lissimore and Williams won 18 of their 28 duels and made more defensive contributions than Macclesfield’s midfielders, the latter stat is unsurprising given their backs were against the wall.

The Silkmen did well to keep their heads and eventually find a way to unlock the door, and for that John Rooney’s men deserve praise. Our goals from our perspective (but not from Brackley’s!) were excellent. A peach of a pass from George Wilson and a brilliantly executed finish by Jonathan Ustabasi for the equaliser.

And then a piece of brilliance from Luke Duffy to rob substitute Morris in possession and fire home, albeit Duffy’s strike took a wicked deflection to wrongfoot the keeper and make it 2-1!

10 points, three wins out of four, fourth in the league table is an excellent start. But the element of fortune that we’ve received so far can’t continue.

Is Ustabasi set to go on a run?

Like many, I’ve been slightly underwhelmed by the start to Jonathan Ustabasi’s Silkmen career. He arrived with a (deserved) reputation as a National League North ‘cheat code’ after tearing up this division for AFC Fylde.

We’re only four games in though and Rooney’s return to a 4-2-3-1 formation where we have struggled to gel in midfield has stifled the impact of our attacking players, so it’s important to cut Ustabasi some slack.

I’m learning about Ustabasi’s strengths and weaknesses with every game. He may not be the conventional, get-to-the-byline winger and cross it in type player I thought he was. His pace and directness means he is capable of that undoubtedly, however, he seems more of an ‘inside forward’ drifting in from both wings. An observation, not a criticism, and I’d be surprised if Ustabasi doesn’t have a major impact in our goals and assists column this season.

And there are signs that he’s starting to find his feet. Against Brackley he had his most efforts on goal so far – 3 shots (all on target). He showed excellent control to bring the ball down from Duffy’s deep cross only to be denied by a close range save, which George Wilson then skied the rebound following up.

The pair redeemed themselves moments later. A delightful crossfield pass from Wilson saw ‘Basi lose his man and produce a deft, cushioned volley to make it 1-1. It was a brilliantly executed finish to put Macclesfield in the ascendency.

What I like about Ustabasi is that he’s getting in some excellent goalscoring positions – I highlighted earlier that Adan George spurned a golden chance to play ‘Basi in at Spalding when he’d taken up a central striking position in the box. He’s got a good eye for goal.

On the flip side, Ustabasi’s passing accuracy can be wayward, he’s not attacking opposing full-backs often enough (just 7 attempted dribbles in 4 games (5 successful), and only 3 accurate crosses from 13 delivered).

So there’s room for improvement, but hopefully the goal against Brackley will have done him the world of good.

Stick with George

Adan George has two problems: he’s not Danny Elliott and he is Adan George. I don’t mean to sound flippant, but when a team hasn’t been firing on all cylinders in the final third a striker who has yet to find the net will always come under scrutiny.

And it’s not simply a case of George missing chances, he’s barely laid a glove on Marine’s, Radcliffe’s and Spalding’s defenders in three largely anonymous outings so far. However, I did think there were clear signs of improvement in his overall game against Brackley, whilst I’d still like to see Adan more involved.

· 7 minutes – strike on goal from Duffy’s pass is deflected and parried by Brackley’s keeper

· 19 minutes – Good strength and power from George to get away from Tomlinson on half way, the central defender (later sent off) has no option but to haul him down to earn his first booking

· 50 minutes – Excellent burst of pace from George to get in front of a Brackley defender to claim a ball he was second favourite to win, then show good awareness to find Elliott who hit the post

· 62 minutes - Used his chest with a neat lay-off for Duffy in the build-up to the Ustabasi saved shot / glaring Wilson miss

You might think I’m clutching at straws in my assessment of George’s ‘improvement’. As per the role he largely performed for Telford – he might be a better impact sub than a starter. But while Danny Elliott is slowly edging towards full fitness, we need Adan to push on.

I think he can and will, hopefully starting with a goal at Darlington at the weekend!

A late brace from Luke Duffy saw Macclesfield FC come from behind and earn a 2-1 victory over a crestfallen Radcliffe side who parted company with manager Bernard Morley 72 hours later following another disappointing defeat at Hereford.

At the time of visiting the Moss Rose, Radcliffe had lost something like 15 out of 16 league games, ironically their only victory being a 1-0 win over a much-changed Silkmen team on the final day of last season.

I feel this context is important when assessing just how well John Rooney’s side have began the 2026/27 campaign, given our other win came against Marine who have also lost their opening three league games. And especially so considering Radcliffe lost both of their centre halves (Tom Davies and Michael Nottingham) to injury inside the opening half hour.

So based on the post-match stats, what can we gleam from the Radcliffe performance?

Lincoln McFayden can be a major threat, and an occasional liability

Let’s begin with the positives. New left back Lincoln McFayden’s two assists were outstanding and laid on a plate for Luke Duffy to convert from close range.

The equaliser, immediately from the restart after Radcliffe had taken a fortuitous lead, showed bravery and composure. Not bravery in terms of flying into a tackle, but the willingness to venture forward and gamble on timing a run to perfection and then having the precision to pick out a teammate in the box.

In the above still, we can see George Wilson on the ball and McFayden drifting forward in the top left of the picture. Wilson’s lofted pass was inch perfect as McFayden stayed onside, then galloped towards the byline and his pull-back was hard and accurate into the path of Duffy who cooly finished. A terrific team goal at a crucial moment.

Lincoln’s second assist was arguably even better. Fin Shrimpton’s ball may not have reached McFayden had Radcliffe substitute Jude Oyibo not showed the brains of a rocking horse in attempting to regain possession. But Oyibo, who had only been on the field for four minutes, lunged in trying to win the ball rather than mark his man. That landed him on his arse and McFayden was then in space and could get his head up and pick his spot.

Make no mistake however, Lincoln still had a lot to do with four Radcliffe defenders in the box. Rather than drill the ball across the face of goal, this time McFayden opted for precision as he bent in a beautiful, quick pass sublimely into the path of Duffy who showed excellent movement and anticipation to guide the ball into the net to earn the Silkmen three points.

With the loss of Neil Kengni (sold) and Brandon Lee (injured), combined with Luis Lacey standing in as a makeshift left-back last season, we needed an upgrade in this area and McFayden has all the qualities to succeed. Against Radcliffe he was exceptional from an attacking aspect:

· 2 assists

· 3 ‘big’ chances created

· 4 ‘key’ passes (a pass which directly lead to a teammate’s shot)

· 7 crosses (4 accurate)

· 2 out of 2 successful dribbles

But at the other end, McFayden does represent a cause for concern which probably explains why he wasn’t retained by former club AFC Fylde. Unfortunately Lincoln has a wrick in him, both in terms of concentration and decision-making.

Against Radcliffe, he was guilty of a weak header which was never going to reach Christian Dibble which led to Rio Clegg almost punishing us with a fiercely-struck half-volley. Minutes before that, a sloppy ball from McFayden eventually resulted in Clegg advancing towards the box only to see his effort blocked.

In total, McFayden conceded possession on 23 occasions (which is a lot!) and was dribbled past twice. I think we may have to accept that the full-back will delight and despair at times this season, but his good qualities outweigh his bad.

Do the Silkmen need a Jordan Hulme type striker?

Some might scotch at my suggestion of recommending a veteran, immobile target-man as the solution to our struggles upfront. But it seems clear that we need another ‘option’ in our forward line who can hold the ball up, play with his back to goal and create chances for others.

Jordan Hulme and the now departed James Gale may be similar in stature, but are chalk and cheese as players and I’d rather have someone like Hulme representing us. Hulme’s performance on Saturday might be best remembered for him missing his one-on-one chance which was excellently saved not once, but twice by Christian Dibble. That aside, Hulme produced an immense performance for Radcliffe which on most days would have won the game for his side.

His modest awarded score of 6.4 out of 10 by Sofascore in no way tells the story of his contribution in this game, which is why you’ve always got to assess the bigger picture when hanging your hat on data alone – it can be an indicator, but can’t be taken as gospel. Let’s look at the veteran striker’s contribution in more detail.

· 14 minutes - Hulme outmuscled McFayden following a cross by Radcliffe’s Afuye, which led to a big chance for Michael Nottingham from point-blank range which needed a superb stop by Dibble’s legs to keep the scoreline blank.

· 34 minutes – a long throw saw Davies beat Shrimpton in the air, Hulme then used his strength to get ahead of Cameron Borthwick-Jackson but couldn’t keep his hooked effort under the bar

· 43 minutes – a heavy pass out from Dibble put George Wilson under pressure. He dallied and Hulme showed aggression and anticipation to regain possession and feed Rio Clegg who blazed over from just outside the box. A let off for Macc.

· 47 minutes – a Radcliffe chance went begging following another vital stop by Dibble, with Hulme heavily involved once more. A long-throw saw Roscoe win his header against Osborne, Hulme then did well to hold the ball up and keep Borthwick-Jackson at bay before laying it off for Roscoe to shoot who saw his effort saved.

· 53 minutes – Hulme should have done better when one-on-one against Dibble. The Silkmen keeper smothered his first attempt, but Hulme should have squared it for Taylor, rather than electing to shoot again from a tight angle which Dibble also saved

· Before Radcliffe scored – Wilson was dispossessed and Hulme showed towering strength to retain the ball and then the vision to release Taylor in the left wing channel who was advancing towards the goal. It didn’t go down as a ‘chance’ per se as Taylor slightly overran the ball and Dibble was able to come out and dive at his feet to snuff out the attack. But Hulme, once more, was at the heart of it.

· 78 minutes – Radcliffe goal. Hulme was instrumental in the visitor’s taking a shock lead. Yet another long-throw into the penalty area saw Hulme control it with his back to goal, flip the ball over his head which bamboozled Borthwick-Jackson and his arrowed shot was beaten away by Dibble, only into the path of Taylor whose effort somehow ricocheted off the 4G surface and looped over everyone into the net

Hulme may not look the part, but if you want an example of a what a good, old-fashioned centre forward’s performance looks like, this is the closest you’re going to get to it. He was directly involved in creating six presentable opportunities for Radcliffe, and on another day might have bagged himself with better composure. And all this from just 30 touches of the ball.

Contrast this with the performance of Hulme’s opposite number, Adan George. I think Adan will prove himself this season, but we as a team and he himself needs to do more to help him. George only touched the ball 23 times, made 1 key pass and had two attempts on goal – volleying over when Duffy’s shot was partially saved, and then failing to head Lacey’s cross on target when his back was facing away from goal. George has promise, and might be a different type of forward to Hulme, but he could learn a lot from the veteran.

Dibble the difference as Radcliffe carve out chances from scraps

John Rooney’s side enjoyed 71% possession against Radcliffe’s 29%, with Macc making 461 passes compared to the away side’s 179.

But worryingly the visitors carved out several openings from their 11 goalscoring attempts, which required Christian Dibble to be at his brilliant best to keep the Silkmen in the game as he made 5 top saves. On another day Hulme (from his one-on-one), Nottingham and Roscoe may have converted and the lofted praise (for me) that some supporters (and Rooney, in fairness) are heaping on our defence may have been given a reality check.

It will be interesting to see how many chances Macc give up when we aren’t able to dominate the ball as much. A combination of Dibble’s brilliance and some poor finishing from Marine, Radcliffe and Spalding are the reason for us registering two clean sheets out of three so far. But the law of averages suggests this can’t continue.

Midfield concerns

I highlighted in my Marine analysis that the balance of our midfield between Elliot Osborne, George Wilson and Fin Shrimpton didn’t seem quite right, yet…

And while as a collective they faired better against Radcliffe (Wilson in particular), it wasn’t a surprise that Osborne made way for Luis Lacey against Spalding on Tuesday (analysis of that game to follow).

Osborne is a tidy and cultured player when allowed to do what he wants. He showed great skill and awareness to win the ball, turn and curl a cracking shot which cannoned off the post from 30 yards which almost gave Macclesfield the lead. I think there’s an argument for playing Osborne in an advanced attacking midfield position – he has excellent intelligence, can pick out a defence splitting pass and his shooting from distance is a genuine threat.

‘Ozzy’ is traditionally seen as a holding, defensive midfielder sitting just in front of the back four, but I wonder how sustainable this might be in the latter stages of his career in the sixth tier of English football? On Saturday, we saw more evidence of Osborne not having the legs or the strength to keep up, on occasions.

On 13 minutes it he was dispossessed by Greenfield who ran forward and shot tamely wide.

Then on 53 minutes Elliot carelessly lost possession when in the ascendency in Radcliffe’s half. It was as if he doubted his ability to carry the ball forward, went to turn back to find a teammate which gave Radcliffe the opportunity to nip in and launch a long ball forward which put Hulme through one-on-one.

Osborne was replaced by Lacey with just under 20 minutes to go who made a good impact off the bench. Luis produced two excellent right-wing crosses for George and Danny Elliott, the latter which was begging to be buried but Elliott couldn’t keep his header down from six yards out. Lacey also had a close-range shot blocked. Sadly, Luis hobbled off after 25 minutes against Spalding so Osborne is likely to be recalled for tomorrow’s game against Brackley, unless Rooney gives Carlos Dos Santos a rare opportunity, assuming Lacey doesn’t make it.

With Paul Dawson and Josh Kay suspended, Osborne could be set for an extended run in midfield but he must do more – just 49 touches vs Radcliffe in comparison to 82 from George Wilson alongside him in the defensive midfield role who had a greater say on proceedings.

Macc ARE creating chances, but could we be creating (and scoring!) more

For all the Silkmen’s attacking prowess on paper – Duffy, Ustabasi, George, Shrimpton and the soon-to-be returning to the starting eleven, Danny Elliott, three goals in three league games represents a modest return thus far.

Of course it’s early days, but does the relatively small sample size suggest we’re about to be banging in goals sooner rather than later?

If John Rooney persists with the current personnel in a 4-2-3-1 formation, I’d argue ‘no’, but there is positive evidence to the contrary based on the Radcliffe data alone (I’m just grouchy after Spalding).

Up until the Chester game (30 December) last season Rooney stuck rigidly to a 4-2-3-1 set-up. That saw us invariably enjoy greater possession but look toothless in attack, far too reliant on the excellent finishing ability of Danny Elliott.

After Christmas, with Elliott injured, Rooney took the handbrake off and switched to a 4-3-3 line-up, playing Luke Duffy further forward on the right wing as Duffy became a revelation in registering 9 goals and 4 assists. As a team, Macclesfield played more directly and got the ball forward far quicker into the likes of Duffy, D’Mani Mellor and Isaac Buckley-Ricketts, supported by Paul Dawson and James Edmondson from midfield.

It’s fair to argue that only Duffy currently remains in the team – Mellor, Buckley-Ricketts and Edmondson have departed, and Dawson (who scored 12 league goals), is suspended for four more games. Maybe that’s why Rooney has opted for a more conservative approach as his revamped midfield understandably takes time to gel?

Whatever the rationale, our defenders are seeing far too much of the ball, we’re scoring fewer goals and not creating as many clear-cut chances. Against Radcliffe we had:

· 71% possession and made 461 passes…

· But out of those 461 passes, 249 (54%), were made by our goalkeeper and back four. In particular, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson made more passes than anyone at 78. Breaking news… CBJ completed OVER 100 passes against Spalding. Whilst we retained possession well, we were often too slow and telegraphed when building from the back.

· Contrast this against our 5-1 hammering of Kidderminster in February, and we only had 40% possession and completed 191 passes. But significantly we had 13 shots, 8 on target and 9 of them were in the penalty area…

· Aside from a couple of tame efforts from Duffy and Ustabasi in the first half, it took us until the 57^th minute to register an effort of significance when Osborne struck the post. But this was a notable IMPROVEMENT on our attacking performance vs Marine (just one shot on target, Shrimpton’s goal).

Versus Radcliffe, we managed 15 shots, 7 on target and an impressive 10 efforts inside the box. Osborne hit the woodwork, Duffy ought to have scored following Ustabasi’s burst and pass, Ammar Dyer might have done better with his shot which was parried from close range, and on another day Danny Elliott would have converted Lacey’s centre. And let’s be fair, regardless of the timings, the Silkmen DID score two brilliant goals thanks to McFayden and Duffy’s superb play.

Width is vital

For me, the key to us hitting the back of the net more regularly is to utilise the pace and strong attacking luxuries we’ve got out wide, which was largely neglected against Spalding. Dyer, McFayden, Duffy and Ustabasi are a real handful, but we need to get the ball to them quicker in the right areas, more regularly.

I’ll analyse the Spalding game in detail when I can, most likely early next week. From an attacking aspect we were disappointing and it will be intriguing to see how we approach tomorrow’s game against Brackley Town, If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading and UTS.

The match stats and maybe even tomorrow’s match highlights will be kind to us. But they shouldn’t shape the narrative that the reality is the Silkmen are yet to click this season against Marine, Radcliffe & Spalding.

Match stats:

Shots on target: Spalding 1, Macc 4

Shots off target: Spalding 5, Macc 8

Corners: Spalding 4, Macc 5

In context, with the bigger picture in mind, perhaps 7 points out of 9 is all well and good. But I’d be surprised if these three sides aren’t in the bottom eight come the end of the season, and if you’re in agreement with me, you’ve got to put tonight’s ‘result’ in context.

First half

We didn’t get going for 25 mins. John Rooney set us up in a 4-2-3-1 - Luis Lacey (deservedly for me) came in for Elliot Osborne on the right of midfield with Luke Duffy played centrally, Ustabasi on the left and Wilson and Shrimpton as the defensive midfield pairing.

A quick point on Luke Duffy, and I’ll argue this until I’m blue in the face. Yes, he’s talented, yes he can be creative centrally and he’s arguably the only natural ‘number 10 / attacking midfielder’ in the squad.

But here’s the thing. Luke Duffy’s best form for us since January, where he contributed multiple goals and assists are when he has played wide right in a 4-3-3. So if it wasn’t broken, why are we trying to fix it by negating his and (to a lesser extent) Jonathan Ustabasi’s effectiveness?

In fairness, I think the penny dropped for Rooney midway through the first half. Lacey was sacrificed, somewhat harshly, after 26 minutes and I don’t think he had picked up a knock. On came Osborne to partner Wilson in central midfield, Shrimpton was pushed further forward and Duffy switched to right midfield. It was still a 4-2-3-1 set-up, but we suddenly started to dictate play.

The largely ineffective Adan George found the side-netting after a long clearance by Dibble. A promising run from Ustabasi earned a corner which saw Heathcote’s goal bound header cleared. And the generally impressive George Wilson flashed a free-kick centrally narrowly past the post.

Adan George got into a good position in space, but his cross-come shot failed to pick out Ustabasi. My immediate irritation felt he was shooting which is why his pass for Ustabasi was so poor.

Spalding asked a few questions initially, mainly through nippy forward Jack Roberts, but rarely threatened. Macc were largely in control, however we played far too sideways and back between Dibble, Heathcote & Borthwick-Jackson, with full-backs Dyer & McFayden struggling to get any traction.

Second half

Rooney sent the Silkmen out early. I don’t know if this was deliberate, but we certainly began the second half on the front foot. Territorially we dominated until the last ten minutes, yet infuriatingly failed to create a single, clear cut goalscoring opportunity and had to ride our luck as Spalding realised they had nothing to fear late on.

A nicely worked exchange between Duffy and George saw the latter feed Osborne whose fierce drive was turned around the post by Spalding keeper Peter Crook.

Ammar Dyer got in behind for a rare occasion after latching onto Dibble’s long ball but his cross was straight at Crook. And then Duffy’s deep cross to the back post was headed over the bar by Ustabasi.

You couldn’t fault the Silkmen’s application, the tempo was far better after the break, but often our decision making in the final third was not of the standard required. A case in point being when Heathcote found Wilson in space with a beautiful defence splitting ball, only to see Wilson dally in getting his shot off and a promising opening was squandered.

Luke Duffy, finally operating on the right wing in a 4-3-3, flashed a curling effort inches wide with Crook scrambling. And then a lovely ball from Wilson created a good opening for Ustabasi but he couldn’t hit the target.

It was mostly one-way traffic, however Spalding gradually became more threatening. They started to get joy down their right wing as Lincoln McFayden became ragged defensively, A delicious cross saw substitute striker Cybulski glance a header narrowly off target.

Rooney introduced Danny Elliott off the bench for George after 66 minutes and Danny was well involved. Firstly, he shot high over the bar from 25 yards out, but his second effort from Duffy’s lay off was much closer although Crook in goal didn’t need to make a save.

The Silkmen had huffed and puffed all evening without coming close to blowing Spalding’s house down, failing to turn their possession into any real quality. And we were almost made to pay.

A dangerous Spalding centre was turned behind and the Tulips almost scrambled in the resultant corner until Macc desperately hacked it clear. The home side finally believed they could win it and Silkmen supporters had to endure some anxious moments.

McFayden got beat and Spalding’s cross saw an effort hit the side netting. Then a looping centre had Dibble back-pedalling and we were forced to concede a corner which came to nothing. In the end, we were probably relieved to come away with a point given how Spalding were in the ascendancy late on.

Positives

• We looked much better when we finally switched to 4-3-3 and carved out several openings in the second half

• George Wilson was busy and took responsibility to get us going forward whenever he could

• Danny Elliott was lively and looked fit and strong in his 30-minute cameo, even flying into a 50-50 tackle. He should start v Brackley on Saturday

• We’re unbeaten in three league games without finding our stride fully yet as our new signings find their feet

• A second clean sheet in both away games this season

Negatives

• We started too slowly, again. Not an attempt on goal until after 25 minutes

• Too much farting about playing sideways from the back between Heathcote & Borthwick-Jackson stifles our forward momentum

• Our attacking full-backs Dyer & McFayden can be great weapons, but they failed to ask any questions of Spalding despite us dominating the ball

• We need to figure out how to get the best out of Jonathan Ustabasi. He did have a number of efforts on goal, however we’ve not seen him as a flying winger getting to the byline as per his stellar reputation thus far

• The midfield dynamic isn’t working seamlessly and we lack tenacity and urgency. Captain Paul Dawson’s return from suspension can’t come soon enough

• After a promising end to pre-season, Adan George has gone off the boil. He’s been largely anonymous against Radcliffe and tonight. I’m not sure the 4-2-3-1 formation plays to his strengths and he’s been isolated

In this one a review of the Silkmen’s fantastic opening day win away at Marine and a good look at what we might expect for Macc in this new National League North season.

Podcast available on all good platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and many more. Or you can listen through the player above.

We’re activley looking for more contributors to the podcast in particular from people who are under represented within the fan base. Do get in touch if you’re intrested in getting involved. If there’s anything you’d like us to cover in future podcasts then leave us a comment and we’ll get it in for future episodes.

Regular readers will know that I published a match report soon atter the final whistle which captured my immediate thoughts. However, this article will conduct a deep-dive into the game’s key talking points and various data statistics. Some of the stats have surprised me.

We’ll start with the talking points before attempting to make sense of the statistical elements.

Key talking points:

Should Marine’s disallowed goal have stood?

The home side had the ball in the net after just a couple of minutes, but the referee immediately blew to signal that Charlie Jolley had manhandled Christian Dibble to the deck in the build-up. Frustratingly, neither Marine’s or Macclesfield’s match highlights showed the incident so we’ll have to assume there was nothing contentious about the decision.

It happened at the opposite end to where 600+ Silkmen fans were assembled, with visibility further impacted by the blazing sunshine. One partisan Marine supporter did comment on X: “Connor’s disallowed goal early on was harsh, as Dibble said to a few fans behind the goal ‘I was lucky to get away with that.’”

Maybe keep your opinions to yourself Dibbs going forward? ;-)

Should Macc have had a penalty?

Supporters stood near me were convinced the Silkmen should have been awarded a penalty in a dramatic 90-second spell which almost saw Marine score at the other end. Elliot Osborne made a nuisance of himself and the ball ricocheted into the path of Mariners’ defender Drysdale whose arm did connect with the ball.

It’s difficult to tell from the grainy YouTube footage, but looking at the positioning of Drysdale’s arm in the still above it does seem to be elevated unnaturally and there’s no doubt he makes contact with the ball. So for my money, I’m inclined to agree that Macclesfield were unlucky not to be awarded a spot kick.

Dibble to the rescue

After a testing opening to the game, Macclesfield enjoyed a spell of pressure but almost came unstuck. Adan George and Luke Duffy both had attempts blocked when in advanced positions, the loose ball broke to George Wilson who couldn’t make his mind up.

The new midfield signing from Flyde turned into trouble, ended up being pick-pocketed and suddenly we were in danger.

Former Silkmen trialist Jordan Hodkin had the run on both Sam Heathcote and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson approximately 35-40 yards from goal. Christian Dibble came racing off his line which influenced Hodkin to try a chipped effort, but the ball sailed comfortably wide.

Dibble emerged with credit for his rapid response which seemed to panic the inexperienced striker who would have been better trying to round the keeper and steer the ball into the empty net. Goalkeepers are paid to make big decisions in the blink of an eye – on another day maybe Dibble ends up with egg on his face for bolting too early, but credit where it’s due, his quick thinking ultimately paid off.

The Silkmen’s new number one was a calming influence throughout the afternoon, making four saves in total. Notably, Dibble saved a headed effort at the second attempt from a corner before half-time, then produced an excellent sprawling save to divert Fin Sinclair-Smith’s drive around the post in what was a stellar debut from the renowned keeper.

Was Shrimpton’s effort over the line?

Match-winner Fin Shrimpton was at the heart of everything good (and occasionally bad!) from a Macclesfield perspective. His curling effort after a nicely crafted eight-pass move struck the bar and bounced down before Marine eventually cleared their lines.

Was it over the line? The footage, which wasn’t the best, is inconclusive. I’ve slowed it down and zoomed in on numerous occasions but trying to locate the proximity of the ball in relation to white shirts is virtually impossible. Unlike Macc’s penalty shout which wasn’t given, my gut feeling is that the officials made the right call on this particular incident.

Fortunately, it didn’t matter as Fin eventually bagged the winner midway through the second half. More on his performance further down.

Data analysis:

Defences on top

Despite the sweltering conditions, both teams went at it hammer-and-tongue although ultimately both team’s defences came out on top.

Of the 35 attempts on goal (Marine 18, Macc 17), just 5 were on target, and in the Silkmen’s case Shrimpton’s winner was our only effort on target in the entire game. Marine’s backline performed heroically, blocking 10 of our 17 shots. But the Silkmen’s rearguard were also mightily impressive, blocking 7 Marine attempts.

I scored Cameron Borthwick-Jackson just 5 out of 10 for what I felt was an uncharacteristically sloppy performance and to an extent I still stand by that view. He looked sluggish and appears to be carrying extra weight after missing part of pre-season, his short passes were often underhit which put his teammates in trouble on various occasions in the first half. Whilst on other occasions he resorted to aimlessly pumping long balls forward which turned over possession.

Having said that (and I’ll concede I did CBJ a disservice), statistically he was the best defender on the pitch. Marine chucked the kitchen sink at us early on and the Silkmen’s defence magnificently stood firm. Borthwick-Jackson led the charge with 22 defensive contributions (7 interceptions, 14 clearances, 1 blocked shot) and centre back partner Sam Heathcote also impressed with 14 defensive contributions.

But with the ball at their feet, Cameron and Sam struggled with Marine’s players snapping at their heels. CBJ’s passing accuracy of 75% was low by his high standards and he completed only 36% of his long passes, compared to 44% from Heathcote.

We were under the cosh at times, so it’s particularly pleasing to see how well John Rooney’s new full-back signings Ammar Dyer and Lincoln McFayden coped in the lion’s den.

Dyer in particular was a revelation. 12 defensive contributions, whilst he also won 11 out of his 14 ground duels and both his aerial duels. He was also key to getting us up the pitch – successfully completing 3 out of 3 dribbles and he had 2 shots blocked, not to mention making some excellent forays into the final third and it was Dyer who won the corner which led to Shrimpton’s firing us into the lead.

McFayden also defended soundly, although he was more wasteful in possession. Lincoln made 10 defensive contributions, and won 7 of his 9 ground and aerial duels. He showed less ambition than Dyer going forward, however was resolute in denying Marine opportunities down the right flank.

Sloppy midfield

We’ve highlighted how well Christian Dibble and the back four played which was critical to earning the Silkmen an opening day win. They were not helped though by the sloppiness of Elliot Osborne, George Wilson and even match-winner Fin Shrimpton on occasions though.

I really like Osborne when he’s on the ball – he’s an intelligent and accurate passer who was involved in our best attacking moves. It was Ozzy who picked out the run of Dyer which forced the corner ultimately resulting in Shrimpton scoring from. But a lack of mobility and strength off the ball is a concern in games where we can’t automatically dictate the pattern of play, particularly away from home.

Marine’s McAleny drifted past Osborne and curled fractionally wide on 9 minutes. Then midway through the second half, a careless sideways pass from Osborne put the home side into the ascendency which ultimately saw Dibble come to our rescue with a sprawling save. Osborne’s primary job was to be a screening player in front of the back four. He did some things well – 82% passing accuracy and won 5 out of 6 ground duels, but made only 2 defensive contributions beyond that.

I’m not sure whether Osborne and George Wilson are too similar to be effective in tandem, however with Paul Dawson and Josh Kay suspended for 6 and 9 more league games respectively, John Rooney is light on options in the middle of the park. Wilson was slightly more effective at doing the dirty work but still conceded possession on 17 occasions, which almost proved calamitous when Jordan Hodkin was sent clear as we analysed above.

And while Fin Shrimpton deservedly took the man-of-the-match accolade, it’s important that we scrutinise his performance as a whole. At 54%, he had the poorest passing completion of any Silkmen player and unsurprisingly given that stat no one in a blue shirt turned the ball over more than Shrimpton (21 times).

It’s fair to say we saw the best and worse of Shrimpton on Saturday. His loose pass on the stroke of half-time presented a good opportunity to Marine’s Darby which he ought to have done better with. After a shaky start, Shrimpton gradually stamped his authority on the game. He hit the post with an audacious effort, produced a fine finish for his goal and made a vital interception to deflect a Marine shot over the bar. In possession Shrimpton was slack, but out of it he defended effectively – 9 defensive contributions, in addition to making 2 key passes which led to shots from Macclesfield players.

Rooney’s tactical tweak stems the tide

We lined up in a 4-3-3 formation but could barely string a pass together in the opening ten minutes as Marine dominated territorially. Gradually we gained a foothold and started to dictate possession after about half an hour.

Rooney elected to go to 4-2-3-1 with Osborne and Wilson acting as holding midfielders in front of the defence. Luke Duffy and Jonathan Ustabasi dropped back from being more conventional attacking wingers to more defensively-minded wide midfielders and played important parts in helping Macc to eventually get a grip of the game. Shrimpton moved into the attacking midfield / ‘number 10’ position, leaving Adan George as the lone striker.

The tactical switch worked, with only Marine presented opportunities by the occasional sloppy play of our midfielders. Overall, Macc enjoyed 59% possession, made more passes (375 v 237) with greater accuracy (71% to 57%). The whole team defended resolutely, evidenced by Macclesfield making 31 interceptions compared to 19 from Marine.

More to come from Adan George?

Adan George was starved of possession for long periods during this frenetic encounter – just 33 touches of the ball. But when the striker did have it, he looked a threat. George’s well-struck shot in the first half was diverted away from goal by an excellent block from Marine’s Drysdale. Adan also played a delightful ball into the path of Ammar Dyer whose pull-back to Duffy saw him denied by more last ditch defending from Marine.

Rooney’s switch to a 4-2-3-1 line-up did see George drift out of the game for long periods. He did eventually come to life midway through during the second half. It was George’s deft lay-off which led to a presentable opportunity to Ustabasi which the winger blazed over the bar. Adan also attempted a decent long-range strike in the closing stages.

I liked the look of George when he ran the channels, he’s quick and an intelligent passer. If we can provide him with decent service I think he’ll regularly hit the back of the net and contribute assists on top.

Did we deserve the three points?

Few people would have grumbled had the points been shared. But on balance, despite only having one shot on target Macc just about deserved it. We gradually dominated possession and created the better openings (2.14 expected goals vs 1.36), only to be denied by some dogged defending by Marine.

We can and must play better, but in the end found a way to win against stubborn opponents in sapping conditions on a bone-dry pitch.

This is a quick report. We’ll do a follow-up analysis piece once the stats are available, but here are the main takeaways from Macclesfield’s opening day victory in the blazing Merseyside sun.

Marine 0 Macclesfield 1

Shots on target: Marine 4, Macc 1

Shots off target: Marine 4, Macc 6

Corners: Marine 4, Macc 3

First half

The Silkmen were slow out of the traps as Marine placed us under pressure for the opening ten minutes, floating several crosses into the box. Macclesfield’s passing was rushed and careless, and Marine were quicker to the second balls.

The Mariners did have the ball in the net, but the goal was disallowed after Christian Dibble was fouled in the build-up.

At the other end, the Silkmen had a decent penalty appeal on 12 minutes when Adan George’s cross appeared to be deliberately handled in the box, but the referee wasn’t entertaining it.

The game sprung to life on 17 minutes. George’s fierce shot was well blocked by defender Drysdale. The ball broke in midfield and George Wilson was beaten to the loose ball. Cameron Borthwick-Jackson dallied and former Silkmen trialist Jordan Hodkin’s chipped effort went narrowly wide of Christian Dibble’s goal.

Macc gradually got a foothold in the game, largely dominating possession from 25 minutes. Ammar Dyer got in behind, his centre found Luke Duffy whose shot was well blocked.

Then on 42 minutes summer signing from Chester Fin Shrimpton hit the bar with a curling effort from the left wing. It will be interesting to see the replay as to whether the ball crossed the line, although in fairness protests from Macclesfield’s players were modest.

Second half

John Rooney’s side started the second half more purposefully. Lincoln McFayden got to the byline but his low cross failed to pick out a blue shirt in the box. Then Jonathan Ustabasi blazed over at the back post from a good position.

Marine responded well and started to ask questions of Macc in wide areas. Then a loose pass by Elliot Osborne let Fin Sinclair-Smith in, but his well-struck drive was tipped around the post by Dibble which proved to be a vital stop by the Silkmen’s new keeper.

Four minutes later Dyer won a rare corner for the away side. Duffy swung it in and Shrimpton at his second attempt rifled the ball into the roof of the net, showing technique, power and accuracy to give Macclesfield the lead. 0-1.

Marine searched for an equaliser, but solid handling by Dibble and defensive headers from Dyer, Heathcote and Duffy saw us hold firm.

The Silkmen rarely threatened a second goal, apart from when George wriggled clear only to be snuffed out in the box and his ambitious effort in injury time sailed wide.

Player ratings

Dibble 7.5 - a clean sheet on his debut. Showed great reflexes to get down low to divert Sinclair-Smith’s shot around the post which proved to be instrumental. Made another smart save from a corner, gathering at the second attempt and an important stop on the stroke of half-time. Spilled one catch, but very solid other than that.

Dyer 7 - grew into the game, got into promising positions in the final third and won the corner which led to Macc’s winner after a burst forward. Sometimes leaves gaps in behind when he does advance up the pitch.

Heathcote 7 - not great in possession in the first half, but very good defensively in the second making several clearances as Marine flung crosses into the area.

Borthwick-Jackson 5 - lackadaisical in and out of possession. Started slowly, placed his teammates under pressure with some ill-judged poor passes and generally looked suspect.

McFayden 6 - didn’t show the same ambition as his opposite full-back Dyer, but was rarely challenged defensively.

Osborne 6 - didn’t get hold of the game in midfield and nearly cost us with a poor pass which needed a smart stop from Dibble to keep it 0-0. In fairness, it was Osborne’s incisive pass into the path of Dyer which saw us win a corner which ultimately led to our winner.

Wilson 5 - disappointing performance after an encouraging pre-season. Slow, sloppy and displayed poor awareness. He’s much better than he showed today.

Shrimpton 8 - great finish and gradually made his mark on the game at both ends after a hurried beginning where he treated the ball like hot potato. Very unlucky not to score in the first half, and it was Shrimpton who made a vital block to deflect Marine’s angled shot behind for a corner. Showed good energy and passion to drag us over the line.

Duffy 7 - started on the right in a 4-3-3 formation, but played an attacking midfield role in a 4-2-3-1 as Rooney switched tactics to try and gain a foothold following a difficult opening. Had some decent efforts blocked, and made some excellent defensive headers from corners.

George 7 - a livewire who fed off scraps. Denied by s fine block in the first half, and increasingly put Marine on the back foot after we took the lead.

Ustabasi 6 - on the periphery. Showed great skill to nutmeg his opposing full-back twice, but failed to build on that. Picked up a needless booking after squaring up to Marine’s right back after he’d shepherded the ball out in the first half.

Subs:

Lacey 7 - on for Osborne after 74 minutes. Floated one teasing cross into the box which just evaded Ustabasi, and made a crunching tackle to win back possession in the final third. Good cameo.

Attendance: 2,145

Having chosen to leave Lynn after being named their Supporters’ Player of the Season, Wilson is believed to have attracted interest from National League and Football League clubs, including Hartlepool, Woking, Tamworth, Colchester, Newport and Barnsley.

But it’s Macclesfield who have moved decisively to capture the defender’s signature, offering him a contract after Wilson impressed in three 45-minute appearances against Cheadle Town, Leek Town and a youthful Wolves X1 at the weekend. Wilson, who turned 25 in May, has looked composed at the back and shown an excellent passing range in his cameo roles for the Silkmen thus far.

A colossal signing

Manager John Rooney desperately needed to add more steel to Macclesfield’s backline following the departures of Rollin Menayese and Lewis Fensome, leaving only Sam Heathcote and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson as recognised centre backs in the squad.

But moreover, the Silkmen conceded 68 goals in 46 league games last season, only the joint 11^th best in the National League North, whilst keeping just 8 clean sheets, the joint 15^th worst in the division. In contrast, King’s Lynn only stayed up on goal difference but still managed to register 13 clean sheets and concede 4 fewer goals than Macclesfield with Wilson as a mainstay at the back.

Released by Sheffield United as a youngster, Wilson worked his way-up the non-league pyramid catching the eye for Hallam, Belper and Stalybridge which earned hm a move to FC Halifax Town in the National League. However, Wilson was restricted to limited opportunities at the Shay and elected to join King’s Lynn for the 2024-25 season as the Linnett’s finished in the play-offs before losing to Chorley in their eliminator.

During his time with King’s Lynn, Wilson has shown to be a commanding, non-nonsense centre back who is also vocal. Good in the air but equally comfortable on the deck with both feet, Tom is proven playing in a back four or in a back three. In other words, he’s exactly what Rooney has been looking for with his best years ahead of him.

Wilson’s whole-hearted aggression should make him popular with Silkmen fans. But he’ll need to channel that appropriately having collected 11 yellow cards last season. And given his 6’5 frame, Wilson should chip in with more goals having only scored once for King’s Lynn.

The Silkmen’s recruitment manifesto delivers again

Apart from that, Wilson ticks nearly every box and should be an excellent addition to Macclesfield’s rearguard which has also been boosted by the signings of goalkeeper Christian Dibble and full-backs Lincoln McFayden and Amar Dyer.

Wilson becomes Macclesfield’s seventh signing of the close season, which has also seen the additions of George Wilson, Fin Shrimpton and Jonathan Ustabasi. Another proven National League North operator, a standout performer at his previous club at the right age with the potential to play higher. John Rooney, Francis Jeffers and Jonathan Bull have played another blinder here in their ‘quality over quantity’ recruitment manifesto.

But don’t take their word for it in isolation. Have a read of the below Kings’ Lynn supporters’ views on Tom Wilson if you need further convincing.

King’s Lynn fans’ views on Tom Wilson

“Don’t blame him (for leaving). He’s off to a higher league for sure”

“He might as well take his 15 bookings with him also”

“Tom, thanks for everything. A one hundred percenter”

“Thanks for everything, Tom. Brilliant player and I’m sure you’ll get a well deserved move up the leagues”

“Great for Lynn. Always gave it everything and will be missed by all”

“Brilliant player for Lynn – one of the best and consistent players to grace The Walks in the last few years. Deserves to play in the Football League”

“Good luck to him. Personally think he’ll go to a National League club. He’s good enough”

“No surprise (he’s leaving) Lynn only just managed to keep him last season”

“Massive blow. Eventually Football League bound”

“Sad news but he’s too good for this level. He’ll get picked up by a bigger club”

“Big loss. Lad’s got a bright future”

“Gutted. If I were Tom I certainly would not be staying – National League or League 2 I would say”

“Very sad but completely understandable. Could easily be playing League football”

“Everyone’s worst fear has become a reality”

“He really f*****g hated losing. Going to be a big miss”

“I’m gutted Tom’s leaving and think he could play National League or even League Two. He was my player of the year and I’m surprised he stayed on last term. I now won’t be buying a season ticket for definite”

“Not surprised. Obviously a talented young lad with ambition”

“Impressive player even though still learning his trade, and consistently one of our best performers”

“Such a good player and such a good teammate to the squad”

“Bloody well deserved (Supporters’ Player of the Season award). He’s been immense at the back”

“Been consistent all season”

“Tom ‘the brick wall’ Wilson. Absolute baller”

Let’s not get too giddy. The Silkmen’s 4-0 friendly victory came against the gallant Cheadle Town who will play in the Midland Football League Premier Division this season – Step 5 of the pyramid, having been moved laterally from the North West Counties League due to geographical allocations.

This fixture was laid on a plate for the Silkmen’s trialists to impress and most of them took their opportunity. Four in the first half (2 centre backs, a winger and a striker), and five in the second half (goalkeeper, centre back, right winger, striker and an attacking midfielder).

Although in total we only saw 8 trialists because the first-half centre back (no.5) remained on the field for 75 minutes before he was replaced by Paul Dawson. This was because Cameron Borthwick-Jackson (who was intended to play) felt a minor niggle in the warm-up and was omitted as a precaution. New winger signing Jonathan Ustabasi was also absent due to attending a pre-arranged personal engagement which the club consented to.

If I’m going to be pedantic, you could argue that only 7 ‘’new’ trialists were on show given that trialist number 11 was possibly / definitely Josh Kay. Josh was largely anonymous playing on the left wing in the first half, but he did last 45 minutes after appearing to sustain a knock in Macc’s opening pre-season win over Hyde. I devoted almost the entirety of my Hyde report to Kay so I’m not going there again.

Hitman Hodkin bags another brace

The talk of the stands was once again dominated by our trialist striker (this time wearing no.18, the photo above is from last week) who many supporters believe to be Jordan Hodkin – a 19-year old released by Crewe Alexandra who had loan spells at Leek, Nantwich Town and Bamber Bridge last season.

The youngster impressed when netting twice against Hyde a week ago – an instinctive hooked finish and then charging down a keeper clearance before tapping in his second.

Yesterday Hodkin showed us different attributes in his locker. A fox-in-the-box as he headed home a Luke Duffy corner from six-yards out to give Macc the lead on nine minutes. The pair linked up again on 31 minutes as Hodkin made it 2-0 with a finish of real promise. Playing on the shoulder as a traditional ‘number 9’, Hodkin waited then timed his run to perfection to latch onto Duffy’s slide-rule pass before cooly finishing under the keeper’s body. A simplistic finish perhaps, but there was much to admire about Hodkin’s movement and striker’s instinct in its execution.

Jordan even had the ball in the net for a third time on 41 minutes, side-footing home after quick build-up from Shrimpton and Matheson but was adjudged offside.

Can he do it on a cold Tuesday night in Scarborough? (cheers fixture computer). That remains to be seen. Hands up. I do recall getting ahead of myself this time last year when proclaiming Carlos Dos Santos as non-league’s Bruno Fernandes after CDS had danced rings around Newcastle Town.

It’s difficult because a) Hodkin looks mustard and b) we’re desperate for a striker as Danny Elliott gradually returns to fitness, but we must temper our enthusiasm given Hodkin’s age and the opposition faced so far.

There’s a lot to like about young Jordan though. His best highlight for me in the two games wasn’t his 4 goals, but the audacious effort he attempted on 21 minutes yesterday. New midfield signing Fin Shrimpton fizzed the ball out to the left flank which asked a lot of Hodkin who was second favourite to get there. Jordan showed desire and strength to win his duel with the Cheadle defender, before looking up and trying to chip the keeper from 25 yards only to see the ball land on the roof of the net. It’s probably a good job it didn’t go in, as you never know who’s watching at these type of games, if you catch my drift!

Other first half highlights

We lined up with two trialist centre halves – an area John Rooney is looking to strengthen given we’ll be without Rollin Menayese and Lewis Fensome for the coming season. No.5 played against Hyde last week and he was quietly impressive once more for the duration of his 75 minute appearance against Cheadle. Neat and tidy in mopping up, reads the game well, and a decent leap for a central defender who probably isn’t the tallest.

His name is Mo. And I know that because the encouragingly vocal Christian Dibble in goal didn’t stop yapping all half. No one was spared from officer Dibble, who also screamed ‘Kaysey’ at the Trialist No.11 who may or may not be Josh Kay ;-).

Back to Mo. Muhamed “Mo” Diomande could be a 20-year-old centre back who was born in Italy. After rising through the youth ranks at Wolves, he joined West Brom where he featured regularly for the Baggies’ U21 side last season. Diomande (if it’s him) was spotted training with Hereford earlier this month, but the fact he’s played both of Macclesfield’s pre-season friendlies to date suggests both parties like the look of each other.

Nailing my colours to the mast, I’m all in on Mo’s centre back partner yesterday called ‘Tom’ (blame Dibble). A colossus of a defender who looked very competent in possession as he sprayed a succession of cross-field balls out to Luke Matheson who had galloped forward from right back. As ever, the trialist’s identity will be kept under the wraps but he appears to have everything we need. Tall, dominant, a talker and handy with the ball. This lad looks like he’s had a brilliant upbringing at a stellar EFL club.

In truth, neither ‘Mo’ or ‘Tom’ were unduly tested by Cheadle, but both look promising for different reasons and I’m eager to see them against Leek on Tuesday night, in addition to against Wolves U21’s next weekend assuming we ask them to stick around.

Half-time: Macclesfield 2 Cheadle Town 0

We lined-up in a 4-3-3 as follows:

Dibble: a barker and an organiser. Love his leadership and organisational skills

Matheson: Luke looked sharp and latched onto several arching passes from the trialist no.16 CB

No.5 (Trialist): no fuss, no frills, but calm and collected. Resembles Marc Guehi in stature

No.16 (Trialist): Big lad, proper centre half, impressive long-range passing

McFayden: got forward and lashed a driven effort wide. Not sure about his one-on-one defending

Dawson: hit the bar with a header from a corner, but needs pre-season to get up-to-speed

Osborne: busy shift in the searing heat from Ozzy

Shrimpton: quietly effective. Every he did offensively and defensively added value

Duffy: two assists, looks razor sharp

Trialist no.18: Jordan Hodkin. See above

Trialist no.11: Josh Kay. Fairly quiet, had one effort wide after a cross deflected onto his head

Sloppy second half

Maybe it was the heat, combined with the raft of changes made at half-time, but Cheadle were the better side after the break as we were slack and sloppy in comparison. Luis Lacey’s central free-kick on 47 minutes went fractionally over the bar, but after that the visitor’s were livelier.

Carlos Dos Santos lost out in the middle of the park as Cheadle burst into the box. Their player went down under pressure and the ref waved away the penalty shouts. Cheadle then got in behind after a slick move but Macclesfied’s trialist goalkeeper was quick off his line and made a smart stop with his legs. Then on 65 minutes, Cheadle should have done better when blazing over an effort from a right wing cross which fell kindly to them.

Hit and miss from the other trialist striker

It was a frustrating spell for our other trialist striker no.9 who was returning from last week and is believed to be former Telford player Adan George. Against Hyde, George showed promise due to his speed and movement off the ball in running the channels. However, versus Cheadle he was largely starved of service as the Silkmen were disjointed in the second half.

When the ball did come to George he was either offside or his control / first touch was slightly off. It’s pre-season, it’s to be expected. But when you’re trying to impress and conscious of being eclipsed again by a 19-year-old kid, his frustration was understandable. He snatched at one chance after Dawson (coming on at centre half) played a ball into the edge of the box, Trialist no.19 laid it off but George speared it high over the bar.

Eventually George was rewarded for his perseverance when he grabbed Macc’s fourth goal on 86 minutes, firing into the bottom corner after the ball broke loose on the right hand edge of the box. To his credit it was a tidy finish at a time when he needed it. Hopefully the goal settles him down as we know from watching him against us for Telford that he is bright in the final third and a decent finisher.

Prior to that, the Silkmen made it 3-0 on 84 minutes thanks to yet another goal from a Trialist (no.19) who caught the eye (pictured below, having an uncanny resemblance to James Edmondson but it wasn’t him). He showed an excellent injection of speed to latch onto a loose square ball from the Cheadle defence, got there ahead of the onrushing keeper to jink the ball over his head and then tap into the empty net.

An excellent reward for his enterprising play throughout the half as his movement across the forward line and positive play caught my eye even before he scored. I don’t know if this lad is a member of our emerging talent squad, or a more experienced trialist, but I hope to see more of this talented player.

Full-time: Macclesfield 4 Cheadle Town 0

We lined-up in a 4-3-3 as follows:

Trialist goalkeeper: not the biggest, but did well and made one excellent reactionary stop

Dyer: gradually improved and likes to dribble and take on his man. Promising.

Trialist No.5: the same Trialist no.5 first half. Not quite as smooth in the second.

Heathcote: Sam’s first pre-season minutes. Good to see him back.

Lacey: tenacious and sharp. He’s come back looking in excellent knick

Wilson: neat, tidy, but want a bit more from him based on the two 45-min spells so far

Trialist no.19: bright, positive, bundle of energy, took his goal superbly. More please

Dos Santos: good last week, slacker this week and made poor decisions

Trialist no.23: I think this may have been one of our academy lads (Fin Foote?). Not overly involved

Trialist no.9: as above. Mixed fortunes, but showed good persistence and took his goal well

Chapman: as per Hyde, saw a decent amount of the ball, but not a lot came off for him

Sub: Dawson on for Trialist no.5. Daws sprayed some nice passes when coming on after 75 minutes. He looked more comfortable at centre back after being given the run around on occasion in midfield in the first-half.

Then the friendlies finally arrive and we remember they lack intensity and have the atmosphere of a library with a pitch in the middle. But for the 393 who attended the Silkmen’s opening friendly win over Hyde there was plenty to talk about and enjoy.

· Three goals (all from Macclesfield’s emerging talent squad)

· Six new signings and a clean sheet for keeper Christian Dibble

· Trialists galore

· Josh Kay ‘undercover’

· Retrospective suspensions

Perhaps the 3-0 scoreline flattered Macclesfield against a Hyde team managed by former Silkmen boss, Michael Clegg. The Northern Premier League visitors went close to taking the lead in the first half only to be denied by the legs of Dibble, and struck the bar when 1-0 down before conceding two late goals.

Trialist 23 and the elephant in the room

Watching ‘Trialist no.23’ enter the field was a bit like seeing your best mate turn up at a fancy dress party wearing sunglasses. No one was fooled. No.23 looked suspiciously like Josh Kay. Maybe. Definitely.

So why the cloak of anonymity?

As per football friendly folklore, the true identities of trialists don’t have to be made public until players have officially signed. Understandably at this time of year clubs prefer to conduct their public scouting under a veil of secrecy.

But in Kay’s case there’s an elephant in the room. The former Silkmen loanee’s sending off after the full-time whistle against Chorley in March prompted an FA investigation due to Kay allegedly biting a Chorley player. But worse, the former Oldham midfielder landed himself in hot water for another incident in Macclesfield’s 2-1 win away at Darlington in March.

The full details of Kay’s charges are listed on the FA’s website as below, published on 3 July.

INCIDENT OF MISCONDUCT - NON-STANDARD CASE -
Mr Joshua Kay, Macclesfield FC

Macclesfield FC vs Chorley FC
National League - North
07 March 2026

Breach of FA Rule E1.1 - It is alleged that following the conclusion of the fixture you acted contrary to the Laws of the Game by biting an opponent.

Plea: Accept by paper hearing

DECISION:
• 8 Match suspension

The Commission imposed a total suspension of eight (8) matches. However, the Members noted the standard on-field sanction for S2 Violent Conduct, and accordingly deducted three (3) matches from the total suspension. The Participant is therefore suspended with immediate effect from all domestic club football until Macclesfield FC have completed five (5) First Team Competitive Matches (Category 3) in approved competitions.
• £700 Fine

INCIDENT OF MISCONDUCT - NON-STANDARD CASE
Mr Joshua Kay, Macclesfield FC

Darlington FC VS Macclesfield FC
National League - North
03 March 2026

Breach of FA Rule E1.1 - It is alleged that in/or around the 18th minute, you acted in an improper manner and/or used violent conduct, contrary to FA Rule E3.1.

Plea: Accept by paper hearing

DECISION:
• 5 Match suspension
• The fine in this charge is reflected in the sanction imposed in the case 69169, with both matters having been considered and determined in their totality.

In plain English

Josh Kay has been handed a five-game ban (reduced from eight) for his transgressions against Chorley and Darlington. The player is suspended until Macclesfield have completed five first-team matches, which effectively takes us until the end of August.

Where the plot lines remain blurred is because Kay is presumably not a Macclesfield FC player currently, otherwise he wouldn’t have been announced as a ‘trialist’. The club may just be allowing Josh to train with us to stay match sharp, who knows?

To add further complications, Kay was withdrawn half an hour into Saturday’s game against Hyde after appearing to sustain an injury, or a ‘niggle’ of some sorts after contesting a ball which resulted in a Macclesfield corner. In frustration, Kay kicked the corner flag and subsequently disappeared down the tunnel after being substituted. Hopefully it was just precautionary for Josh.

Clearly, there’s a talented and hard-working player in Josh Kay who gave us some fine moments on occasion. But sadly there’s also a ticking timebomb in him too. Another ban (this time 5 games) on the back of Kay being sent off three times last season against Marine, Bedford and the aforementioned Chorley. I haven’t done the maths, but through injury and suspension I estimate that Kay was unavailable for around 14 matches last season!

It remains to be seen where Kay will end up next season, but presumably the Silkmen are in pole position if they are prepared to stick with him and vice versa.

A ban for Dawson too?

This is my last moan before we talk about the good stuff from the Hyde friendly! It would appear that captain Paul Dawson will begin the season with a retrospective two-match ban for an incident in Macclesfield’s FA Trophy defeat against Woking way back in January!

INCIDENT OF MISCONDUCT – NON-STANDARD CASE
Mr. Paul Dawson, Player, Macclesfield FC

Macclesfield FC vs Woking FC
FA Challenge Trophy
20 January 2026

Breach of FA Rule E3.1- It is alleged that in/around the tunnel area during half time of the above fixture, you acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour towards the Match Official.

Plea: Admit/Paper

Decision:
- £200 fine
- 2 match suspension

What isn’t clear (at least to me), is whether Dawson has already served this ban last season. But given the date of the FA’s meeting was 30 June when this charge was handed out, I’m assuming not and that Dawson will miss the opening two games of the 2026-27 campaign.

6 new signings – which new boys caught the eye?

On a more positive note, it was great to see all six new signings catch the eye against Hyde. Here’s a brief summary.

· Christian Dibble (goalkeeper) – a vocal leader who was a presence in goal. He was assertive in communicating to the back four and produced a great save with his legs at 0-0 when the first half trialist centre half was caught out by a ball over the top

· Amar Dyer (right back) – quick, positive and keen to get forward to join the attack

· Lincoln McFayden (left back) – rapid and athletic

· George Wilson (midfield) – grew into the first half, appears to take a decent set piece

· Fin Shrimpton (midfield) – energetic, linked play well

· Jonathan Ustabasi (left wing) – menacing, direct with a blistering turn of pace. Likely to be a big fan’s favourite with his crowd pleasing style. Had the ball in the net just after we took the lead, but was adjudged to have committed a foul and the goal was ruled out

Which trialists impressed?

Four trialists stood out in particular. The striker (wearing no.9) in the first half (pictured below) was quick, ran the channels well and played in Theo Chapman for an excellent opening in the first half which Chapman should have converted.

As ever no.9’s identity wasn’t revealed, but some eagle-eyed observers have suggested he is Adan George, a 23-year-old striker who scored 9 league goals for Telford last season, including in the Bucks’ 3-0 win over Macc in March. George is believed to have a contract offer on the table from Telford, but has opted to explore other opportunities.

Trialist no.9 of the first half was eclipsed by the Trialist wearing no.9 of the second half, who bagged two goals and was a constant threat in the penalty area with decent hold-up play.

His first goal was an excellent hooked finish to give Macclesfield the lead on 54 minutes, where he turned and smacked the ball into the roof of the net. His second saw him show a good striker’s instinct to charge down a clearance from Hyde’s keeper and then tap the ball into the empty net.

Some fans have speculated that trialist number 9 could be Jordan Hodkin, a member of the Silkmen’s emerging talent squad who was on Crewe Alexandra’s books as a youngster. If so, Hodkin had spells at Nantwich and Bamber Bridge last season, and on the evidence of Saturday looks an exciting forward prospect.

Macc’s third goal on the stroke of full-time was a beauty scored by the Trialist wearing the no.7 shirt who curled in from 25 yards. The club’s official social media channels have since revealed the player’s identity to be Sam Elliott, one of the standout players in Macclesfield’s youth academy who spent time on loan at Winsford United last season.

And finally, trialist no.5 who played the second half alongside Paul Dawson at centre half produced an assured display. Perhaps not the tallest central defender, however he read the game well, was calm in possession and appeared two-footed.

It will be interesting to see how many of the trialists on view against Hyde return in Saturday’s friendly against Cheadle Town (also at home).

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While boardroom uncertainty swirls following the (temporary) suspension and reinstatement of Rob Smethurst, plus the arrival of Keith Curle as CEO, manager John Rooney and Sporting Director Jonathan Bull are getting on with it.

Between them (and assistant Francis Jeffers) they are assembling a promotion challenging squad with calm, measured intent, arguably the polar opposite of the previous few weeks surrounding them. Six impressive new signings have arrived through the door thus far, with more to follow:

· George Wilson

· Lincoln McFayden

· Christian Dibble

· Fin Shrimpton

· Ammar Dyer

· Jonathan Ustabasi

Recruitment roulette

12 months ago following Robbie Savage’s departure and taking Tre Pemberton, Neil Kengni, Laurent Mendy and John McMahon with him, the Silkmen’s recruitment strategy represented a summer fire drill. Caught unawares, a frantic scramble ensued to assemble a squad from whatever was left on the shelf as Macclesfield were the proverbial rabbit in the headlights, running the rule over multiple trialists, has-beens and never-weres.

Some signings were a success (Luke Matheson), whilst others tanked (Regan Griffiths, Josef Yarney, Max Woltman). Light on numbers and quality in some areas, John Rooney in his first managerial gig was also light on options. Most desirable transfer targets had chosen new clubs prior to Savage joining Forest Green on 1 July.

It didn’t help that the Silkmen board had allowed Savage to spaff most of the 2025-26 playing budget. A significant fee paid to Curzon Ashton to capture Isaac Buckley-Ricketts before he left further restricted Rooney’s ability to reshape a squad he had unexpectedly inherited.

What a difference a year makes. Whilst work remains in progress with much more to do, the Silkmen’s 2026-27 squad rebuild is being shaped by:

· Retainment of key, existing squad members

· Long-tracked transfer targets

· Proven National League North success with a higher ceiling potential

· Athleticism, stamina and pace

· A defined player-profile identify – younger players with re-sale value

Ticking the boxes

Rooney and Bull’s remit for the coming season spans several areas, but some are more pressing than others.

A new number one goalkeeper was a must following the departure of Max Dearnley and loanee Rogan Ravenhill. Few could have expected Christian Dibble, fresh off his play-off promotion triumph with Kidderminster, to walk through the door – a two-time promotion winner and just named in the National League North Team of the Season.

Macclesfield also needed to strengthen in defence. With the exception of Luke Matheson, neither the versatile Lewis Fensome and Luis Lacey can be considered natural full-backs. Whilst not marquee signings (on paper), both Lincoln McFayden and recent recruit Ammar Dyer do fulfil the brief of modern full-backs – quick, tenacious, attack-minded and comfortable in possession.

Dyer in particular is one to watch. On Port Vale’s books as a youngster, the defender is proficient at both right back (where he mostly featured for Telford last season) and left back. After an eyecatching maiden campaign in the National League North, Dyer had attracted interest from EFL clubs so the Silkmen had to hold their nerve. Patience paid off in the end as Dyer believes his immediate future is best served at Macclesfield.

In midfield, the Silkmen needed to strengthen to replace James Edmondson who has returned to Blackburn Rovers following his second loan stint at the Moss Rose. But beyond that, there is a requirement to reduce the overreliance on goals from captain Paul Dawson and add more defensive solidity, ‘legs’ and energy. George Wilson, signed from promotion-winning Fylde, should offer technical ability in the middle of the park combined with a defensive mindset.

Wilson should be complimented by the tenacity, versatility and goal threat of Fin Shrimpton, who joins the Silkmen on the back of being named Chester’s Players’ Player of the Season after registering 9 goals in 39 league appearances.

Striking solutions

Macc’s recruitment has been excellent so far, however there are understandable concerns amongst supporters that we are threadbare in attack.

Star striker Danny Elliott, injured since Boxing Day against Buxton, is expected to gradually ease his way back to training during the course of pre-season. But realistically, Elliott is not anticipated to return to first-team action until September at the earliest. The loss of Elliott and subsequent exit of D’Mani Mellor to Forest Green in February at a time when he and the Silkmen were flying was a pivotal blow to our promotion hopes.

James Gale did his best to plug the gap, but was neither a target man, mobile option or threat in-behind upfront. It will be interesting to see how successful Gale is having signed for promotion-chasing National League Scunthorpe United today.

Isaac Buckley-Ricketts has also left for pastures new having joined Morecambe last week. But in Jonathan Ustabasi, Macclesfield have recruited a flagship replacement. More potent, more reliable and more proven at NLN / National League level than Buckley-Ricketts has ever shown thus far in his career.

Surprisingly allowed to leave Fylde, even at 32 Ustabasi is a flying winger who has been terrorising National League defenders for years with the Coasters and Chorley prior to that. Last season, Ustabasi recorded 16 goals and five assists for Fylde before his season was cut short in March by injury.

Now fit and raring to go, ‘Bashi’ was Rooney’s number one forward target. And it’s little wonder given Ustabasi has plundered 14 goals and 12 assists in 76 National League appearances for Fylde. The winger, who can play on either flank and through the middle, has also bagged 34 goals in 107 games at NLN level and should add a direct and skilful threat to Macclesfield’s forward line.

Ustabasi was one of three main forward targets on Rooney’s shopping list who will be known to Silkmen fans due to their strong NLN pedigree. Another wide player and a more conventional number 9 striker are hoped to be added to the squad soon. Two players who were not on Rooney’s list, contrary to belief or supporter championing, were Kyle Hawley (signed for Radcliffe) and Dylan Mottley-Henry (ex-Chester, signed by newly promoted Hednesford).

Patience is a virtue

While adding to forward options is a priority for most Silkmen supporters, there is a view that Rooney must also strengthen Macclesfield’s central defence despite retaining Sam Heathcote, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Lewis Fensome.

Efforts to sign a towering centre back are being explored, but fans and the club’s recruitment team alike will need to be patient. It’s a hugely competitive market to secure the services of a dominant central defensive leader who is equally competent on the deck.

The Silkmen did make enquiries for Southport captain Tom Moore, a former teammate of Heathcote at Runcorn Linnets. However, Moore attracted interest from both National League and EFL sides, eventually choosing to progress to full-time football with Accrington Stanley penning a two-year deal. If nothing else, the interest in Moore highlights the calibre of players the Silkmen are chasing.

Rooney, Bull and the wider recruitment team have a clear plan to create a sustainable squad with identity, cohesion and longevity, with the intention of avoiding the club’s boom-and-bust approach to transfers. The recent departure of Head of Recruitment Jimmy Holmes after his second spell at Macclesfield is not expected to impact those ambitions.

Holmes had been a peripheral figure in the Silkmen’s latest signings, nor could he be credited for overseeing his former club South Shields’ squad makeover which took them to the brink of promotion last season. According to Shields fans, manager Ian Watson (who has since taken over at Rochdale) was largely responsible for their team’s upturn in performance and didn’t have a close relationship with Holmes, which eventually paved the way for his return to Macclesfield.

Trust the process, even if the ground beneath it shifts

Macclesfield’s recruitment department isn’t simply fixated on building a team to challenge at the top of the National League North, they are building one that can grow and compete in the National League if they are successful.

Whilst supporters understandably become concerned and frustrated at a perceived lack of activity behind the scenes, the club’s recent signings suggest a more measured, profile-driven and sustainable approach to transfers is being undertaken by Rooney and Bull, rather than adopting a scattergun approach that the Silkmen’s rivals Morecambe and Chester appear to be taking. It remains to be seen whether this will result in a winning strategy, but there is clear logic behind it.

Of course, there is the lingering fear that boardroom turbulence could derail Macclesfield’s promotion ambitions, the irony being that the recruitment department currently appears the calmest influence of the entire club. And there’s also the future of John Rooney to ponder. Rooney’s growing reputation and clarity of vision mean EFL clubs will continue to take notice whenever managerial vacancies appear.

That’s the tightrope Macclesfield must walk: A purposeful rebuild on the pitch, built for promotion… balanced against potential instability off it, and the risk of losing the architects who designed it.

If the football side can stay insulated from the noise, and equally if the club can hold its nerve and keep faith in the identity Rooney, Jeffers and Bull are establishing, then this squad has every chance of turning a chaotic period into a season of success. Those might be big Ifs, but it’s going to be fascinating to see how things play out.

But does this week’s latest reshuffle with the arrival of Keith Curle as the club’s new Chief Executive Officer further restore parity, or potentially muddy the waters?

Curle’s appointment to, “take overall control of all operational matters and report directly into the Board of Directors”, in addition to his role largely focusing on, “executive governance, commercial sustainability, and growth on and off the pitch”, has been well received by most Silkmen supporters.

Curle handed the keys to the top job

Highly respected in the game as a player representing the likes of Wimbledon, Manchester City and England, in addition to leading QPR to the Premier League as assistant manager, and Northampton Town to promotion to League One as manager, Curle’s track record commands significant respect.

The Board’s decision to allow Curle to immediately assume control for handing all “operational matters” is a strong statement of intent, at face value adding more professionalism and signalling an end to how the club has been run historically.

While Curle has been handed the top job, other members of the Silkmen’s back-office staff have climbed the corporate ladder. Bob Trafford has been promoted to Deputy Chief Executive Officer, a reward for his commercial and sponsorship success, longstanding knowledge of the club and the respect he commands from leading shareholder, Ama Singh. Joining Trafford as part of a new senior management team is Amanda Penney, Lindsay Brown and Rachael Brown.

The seniority of Curle’s appointment would suggest that the desire to bring him to Macclesfield was premeditated, and not as a kneejerk reaction to the recent boardroom unrest. But who knows?

Aside from his impressive footballing CV, what isn’t clear (at least to me) is what qualifies Curle to assume the day-to-day running of a non-league club? Although Wednesday’s statement championing Curle’s credentials reveals he has “operated a successful, hands-on property development portfolio”.

Climbing a ladder, or slithering down a snake?

What isn’t clear is how Curle’s skills and responsibilities will align with some of the other higher profile members of the Silkmen’s hierarchy.

The statement highlights that Curle runs a sports management firm focusing on player recruitment strategy, corporate operations, and contract consultation. It also suggests Curle can: “seamlessly support our recruitment department, mentor the coaching staff, and ensure the sporting infrastructure is built to meet EFL standards”.

Macclesfield’s recruitment is being overseen by Sporting Director Jonathan Bull and Head of Recruitment Jimmy Holmes, in conjunction with manager John Rooney and his assistant Francis Jeffers.

Together, they have made a strong start to the Silkmen’s summer squad rebuild after the recent signings of George Wilson, Lincoln McFayden, Christian Dibble and Fin Shrimpton. However since Shrimpton’s arrival on 30 May, no additional new faces have arrived through the door.

On the subject of Rooney, he last appeared on the club’s social media channel on 18 May, commenting on penning a new long-term contract after guiding the Silkmen to the National League North play-offs and fourth round of the FA Cup.

Such impressive achievements have understandably attracted wider attention as Rooney was linked to the vacant managerial roles at Southend and Rochdale which have since been filled. No doubt other admirers of the Macclesfield FC boss will be keeping a close eye on developments at the Leasing.com stadium.

And what about Rob Smethurst? Is he genuinely able to shape the Silkmen’s ongoing development following constructive and amicable discussions with the rest of the Board, or does Curle’s appointment dilute his influence?

More questions than answers

Despite the club issuing a series of communications in the past month, Curle’s appointment raises a number of questions as we approach the 2026-27 season.

· Was Curle’s appointment discussed and universally agreed by the Board?

· What qualities does Curle possess to run footballing and non-footballing operations?

· Who is in charge of Recruitment?

· What has happened to the 6 players Macclesfield supposedly have lined up to sign?

· When will supporters have clarity as to whether Brandon Lee, James Gale, Isaac Buckley-Ricketts and Harry McHugh are staying or leaving the club?

· When can we next expect to hear from John Rooney?

· Can we ever expect to hear from leading shareholder Ama Singh? If not, why not?

Curle’s appointment could be a masterstroke, particularly if the Board have put their differences to one side. But (relatively) sluggish season ticket sales suggest some supporters remain sceptical about the club’s current trajectory, and want further evidence that everyone is pulling in the same direction for the coming season.

The 23-year-old has been a revelation this year, bagging eight goals in eight games to catapult Chester into the National League North play-offs. The Seals eventually succumbed 2-1 to the Silkmen in the eliminator fixture on 29 April, which saw Shrimpton withdrawn after 31 minutes due to sustaining a knock.

However Shrimpton did star in Chester’s 2-0 victory over Macc in December, producing a fine run and assist for Dylan Mottley-Henry’s opener.

After a slow start to his career at the Deva Stadium, Shrimpton finished the 2025-26 campaign with 9 goals and 2 assists from 39 league appearances (31 starts). The popular Fin thrived playing in an advanced forward role under Chester caretaker boss Connor Rawlinson, having initially struggled to impress former manager Calum McIntyre who left the club at the end of February.

Chester’s loss, Macclesfield’s gain?

The Seals have recently appointed Phil Parkinson as their new permanent manager which has culminated in Shrimpton moving on, much to the disbelief of their supporters. The midfielder was apparently unable to commit to the extended training schedule that Chester’s new management team of Parkinson and Neil Sorvel will be introducing next season.

Which begs the question, how will Shrimpton cope with Macclesfield’s own training regime which is rumoured to be increasing to a hybrid model, comprising three mornings a week (Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday)?

Firstly, the Silkmen hierarchy have yet to confirm that the club will be increasing their training patterns from two to three sessions. And secondly if they are, the round-trip from Shrimpton’s Scunthorpe base to Macclesfield is around 60 miles less in comparison to his previous journey to Chester.

Macclesfield’s midfield makeover

The arrival of Shrimpton is a major boost for Macclesfield’s midfield, which was also strengthened last week by the addition of former Fylde promotion winner, George Wilson. Comfortable playing as a defensive shield in front of the back four, or as a box-to-box midfielder with an eye for goal who can operate as a second striker, Shrimpton’s versatility and energy is something Macclesfield have been crying out for in the engine room.

Former manager Robbie Savage thought he had found those attributes when luring former Seals midfielder Elliott Whitehouse to Macclesfield two seasons ago after Whitehouse had netted nine times in 40 appearances for Chester in the previous campaign. Sadly, the 32-year-old never hit the heights expected of him, and after sustaining a bad injury against Hyde on August bank holiday Whitehouse never played for Macc again and has recently been released.

Notably, Shrimpton is nine years younger than Whitehouse with considerably fewer miles on the clock. Fin began his career at boyhood club Scunthorpe United before enjoying an impressive loan spell at Spennymoor Town during the 2024-25 which prompted Chester to swoop for him 12 months ago. In total, the tenacious Shrimpton has made 101 appearances in the National League North, registering 16 goals.

Universally acclaimed by Scunthorpe, Spennymoor and Chester supporters, manager John Rooney will be delighted to get his fourth key acquisition over the line, following the recent captures of Fylde pair George Wilson and left back Lincoln McFayden, plus keeper Christian Dibble yesterday.

Read on to learn the fans’ views on Shrimpton, which make for encouraging reading!

The view from Chester fans on Fin Shrimpton

“Absolutely gutted he is leaving. Absolutely transformed our season”

“Fair play to the next team you sign for, they’re gonna have one hell of a player. Just try not to come back next year and score against us”

“Player of the season for an obvious reason.”

“Took his chance when it eventually came. Who knows if he had got into the side earlier. We know it wasn’t his fault”

“Great player, gutted he is leaving. If only (Calum) McIntyre had given him more game time we may have finished higher up the league”

“Proper midfielder. Box-to-box and scoring goals”

“Shrimpton leaving is a big blow”

“Losing Shrimpton and keeping Peers. I fear for next season already”

“Big blow losing Shrimpton. Thank you for not losing heart when you were nearly bombed out of the club and for showing everyone what a lot of us saw early on”

“Gutted about Shrimpton. He had some goals in him and could play different positions”

“Didn’t buy it about Shrimpton being unable to commit to the (new training) model. Reality is for all the commendable effort, he just isn’t good enough technically, and you’re not going to last in a Parkinson team without that. If Parkinson really wanted Fin, it was just a case of compensating him for this extra training day. Always maintained it would be (Lewis) Leigh over Shrimpton, which for me is absolutely the right choice”

“Shrimpton is a runner and a good one, but limited technically. Doesn’t strike me as a Parkinson player and Leigh has more potential”

“Lewis Leigh has a shed load more technical ability than Shrimpton”

“(Losing) Shrimpton is disappointing, but I don’t think it’s the end of the world personally. Leigh is probably more a Parky player as others have said. I do think we need more physicality in the midfield though. If Shrimpton was a few inches taller he’d probably be perfect”

“Shrimpton hit the net for Chester 11 times last season, whereas Leigh could only hit the big top behind the Harry Mac. It was clear which one was the better player”

“Shrimpton was exactly the age profile we need. You need players with energy and he has an eye for goal. He’s way ahead of Leigh in what he offers all round. Let’s see who replaces Shrimpton, I suppose, but a big loss in my opinion”

“Jeez, the thought of Weeks and Leigh going sideways and backwards and getting run through in midfield and Tom Peers doing nothing upfront isn’t going to shift those season tickets. Thought we’d seen the last of those three at Macclesfield and the team was going to be built around the likes of Shrimpton and Mottley-Henry. How wrong I was”

“Shrimpton only looked decent because the squad was mediocre at best last season and we had no one else to score goals. Where else is he going to go to in this league? Not good enough for South Shields, so it’s Darlington or Spennymoor”

“I don’t think there was a single Chester fan saying Shrimpton should have been released… until after he got released. The comment above that he only scored goals because we had no-one else to score goals is just ridiculous. By that logic we can also release Dylan Mottley-Henry and just rely on Peers”

“Shrimpton leaving FFS. I’ll wait on renewing my season ticket after this. Has Parkinson really been watching us?”

The view from Scunthorpe fans

“This lad will run through a brick wall for you”

“Brilliant signing for Chester. Lovely lad, works hard…lots of potential”

“Passion, resilience, good looks and quality… and passion and resilience!”

“Oh dear, oh dear. A local lad who has never really been given a chance”

“Poor decision to let him go. Fin was the fight, grit and tough tackling we’ve been missing”

“Good luck Fin, quality player. I think the club will end up regretting this decision”

“Good luck to the lad. It’s more disappointing that the club extended his contract and then didn’t give him a run of games”

“Crazy decision. Deserves to be in the first team all day long”

“Makes sense (to let Shrimpton go). Squad player at best. Take the homegrown blinkers off for those wanting a moan”

“Oh no! What a waste of a local player. Give him the chance to prove himself instead of being on the bench watching!!!! Our loss is their gain”

During the most recent 2025/26 campaign, Dibble made 37 appearances for the Harriers and played a pivotal role in the club’s promotion to the National League, including starring in the play-off final against South Shields FC.

The exuberant keeper joined Kidderminster from Wrexham in January 2023 and has established a reputation for winding up opposition fans and going down ‘injured’ on numerous occasions. But make no mistake, Dibble is an outstanding signing at this level and widely acclaimed to be the best goalkeeper in the National League North for his exceptional shot-stopping ability and raft of clean sheets.

Writing on social media earlier this week, Dibble said: “I honestly don’t know where to start with this one, but after an amazing few years, the time has come for me to move on from Kidderminster Harriers. This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make in my football career, but I feel like it’s the right one for my family and me.”

Christian Dibble is the son of former Man City keeper Andy Dibble and Christian has been commuting from his home in Styal to Kidderminster. Macclesfield’s location, the possible security of a long-term deal combined with the Silkmen’s ambition to join Kidderminster in the National League has been pivotal to his decision.

Dibble becomes Macclesfield’s undisputed number one

Silkmen supporters will be delighted and relieved to have signed such an outstanding goalkeeper who will surely become the club’s undisputed number one. Popular Northern Premier League title winner Max Dearnley began last season in goal, but was replaced between the sticks by Barnsley loanee Rogan Ravenhill in February, who struggled to convince.

Dibble’s pedigree at Step 2 is unrivalled. Last season he kept 16 clean sheets for Kidderminster in the NLN, but his true value was proven after he missed eight games after receiving a sickening injury following a clash of heads with his teammate Joe Foulkes at Radcliffe. Kidderminster only kept one clean sheet after that, conceding 12 goals in the process.

The fit-again Dibble was restored in goal for the Harriers’ final league game against South Shields where he kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win, and he repeated the feat this time two weeks later as Kidderminster beat South Shields 2-0 away in the play-off final.

In the 2024-25 season, Dibble earned a Kidderminster club record after making 21 clean sheets. He was also part of the Harriers’ promotion-winning team of 2023, and kept 15 clean sheets in the 2023-24 campaign which saw Kidderminster relegated back to the NLN.

Dibble joins fellow NLN promotion winners George Wilson and Lincoln McFayden from AFC Fylde to complete a hat-trick of impressive summer signings for the Silkmen as manager John Rooney eyes another promotion tilt next season.

Kidderminster fans’ views on Christian Dibble

“Massive loss. Can’t be understated.”

“A huge shame”

“Not unsurprising, but given a lot of fans are getting restless about a lack of news out of the club, one of our very best players announcing on social media that he is leaving isn’t ideal timing!”

“I’m not sure if I’d be more upset if it’s Barrow or even someone like Macclesfield… Surely he’s got himself a National League club. We don’t know what’s been lined up behind the scenes, but at this moment (Dibble’s departure) is pretty devastating.”

“I’d be surprised if Dibble goes to Macc. Would show a complete lack of ambition on the part of the player having won promotion.”

“Dibble going was to be expected, just had a feeling, but it’s still horrendous news. Massive gloves to fill. The impact he made when he returned (from injury) went to show how KEY HE WAS!”

“Devastating. As good a keeper as you’ll see at this level. Very consistent and reliable.”

“Probably one of the best keepers I’ve seen in 25 years watching the club. A key position, and even in the National League when we got relegated, we knew we didn’t really have to worry about a goalkeeper. Now we most certainly do.”

“Ok… so who follows the king between the sticks??”

“Good keeper, but I must admit, I never liked his gamesmanship.”

“Do you think that was his choice? Going down ‘injured’ etc is all instructions given to him by the coaching team. Winding up the opposition fans is part of the game as well, he takes stick as a keeper and deserves to give it back.”

“Over 150 games and 2 promotions later, we say goodbye to the reliable one in-between our sticks.”

“Going to miss this bloke. Harriers legend.”

“What a brilliant goalkeeper he’s been for Kidderminster Harriers.”

“Great keeper, lovely fella – not quite sure it will be possible to replace him.”

“A massive loss. A really engaging character on and off the pitch.”

“He won’t leave for months. The timewasting c***”

“Been a wonderful servant. Hope Macclesfield enjoy him.”

“Could never understand the criticism he got. Yeah his kicking wasn’t the best, but as a keeper you couldn’t have gotten better at this level.”

“The criticism just showed how little fans understand football beyond Football Manager / FIFA.”

“Big mention for Christian Dibble who was MOTM against South Shields, helping us back to the National League.”

“I’m reminded by the save from a header late on by Christian Dibble. That was something out of the Gordon Banks / David Seaman book. One hand, down low, scooped away.”

“Dibble has done superb at the club since he arrived. Anyone who has seen the first season of ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ will know he wasn’t first choice over there, and had a reputation for being great one minute and shocking the next. Regular first team football has given him such a boost for his confidence though – he was probably the first one on the teamsheet from very early on.”

“Dibbs is a great shot stopper and I always fancied him in one-on-ones, but in my opinion, he never fully commands his penalty area and his distribution is mixed. There are plenty of keepers out there with different attributes.”

Marauding left-back Lincoln McFayden is Macclesfield’s second new signing and was a valued squad player for Fylde last season as they won the National League North title.

Like Wilson, McFayden struggled to hold down a regular first-team spot in a strong Coasters line-up and has recently been released. However, he appears another promising capture in an area of the pitch where Macc needed to upgrade.

Longserving full-back Brandon Lee sustained two separate injuries during the 2025-26 campaign. The latter resulted in a tear to his anterior cruciate ligament at Slough in the FA Cup in December, which is expected to sideline Lee until November. Whilst versatile deputy Luis Lacey was an able replacement, he was found wanting defensively on occasions and is not a natural left-back.

Both Lee and Lacey remain in negotiations with Macclesfield to resolve their immediate futures following the announcement of the club’s Retained List last week. But regardless of the outcomes of those discussions, Silkmen supporters have long since advocated the need for a talented and specialist left-sided full-back to join our ranks.

Is McFayden the answer?

McFayden signed for Fylde in July 2024, initially on a one-year deal following a successful trial period. He was retained after Fylde’s relegation from the National League and in total made 59 league appearances for the Coasters, registering two goals and six assists.

Last season McFayden made 28 league appearances for Fylde, starting 21 and contributing 4 assists.

Born in Chorley, the 24-year-old McFayden began his career in Preston North End’s academy before being lured to fellow Championship side Swansea City where he was restricted to a solitary League Cup appearance during three seasons. During that time Lincoln was loaned to Welsh Premier club Penybont, making seven appearances and scoring on his debut.

Last season, (like George Wilson) McFayden played his part in helping Fylde to promotion and had a fine game in Fylde’s 5-1 demolition of Macclesfield in November, winning a penalty as he drove into the box and was impeded by James Edmondson. He was also up against Luke Duffy that night and restricted Macc’s chief creator to few openings.

Lincoln started nine of Fylde’s ten opening National League North fixtures, but faced strong competition for the left back position from Liam Brockbank, and latterly the on loan Adam Lewis who joined from Chesterfield.

McFayden’s last start for Fylde came in the 2-1 home win against Telford on 10 March. Thereafter, he was confined to the Coasters’ bench for the remaining nine matches of the season, but did come on in their final two games against Southport and Merthyr.

Lincoln McFayden should prove to be a valuable addition to the Silkmen’s squad and will fancy his chances of establishing himself as Macclesfield’s preferred left-back.

Strengths

• Pace - McFayden outpaced Duffy when chasing a loose ball and is quick off the mark

• Specialist left back, who can also play anywhere on the left-hand side, with good experience. McFayden made 28 league appearances last season, and 31 for Fylde in the season prior when they were relegated from the National League, contributing two league goals and two assists in the 2024-25 campaign

• Comfortable in possession and high passing accuracy. McFayden typically has a passing accuracy of around 78% which is very high, particularly considering the frequency of which he operates past the halfway line

• Attack-minded and plays on the front foot - a quick glance of McFayden’s stats reveals that there were only two league games which he started where Lincoln made more passes in Fylde’s half compared to the opposition’s. McFayden has a good cross on him and made several key passes to create a number of chances for Fylde’s forwards.

  His positional heatmap below illustrates just far McFayden plays up the pitch.

Weaknesses

• Because McFayden typically bombs forward, he can leave space in behind and benefitted from Fylde’s centre backs covering any gaps he left in the full-back area

• Error prone - McFayden can be prone to defensive lapses, allowing the opposition opportunities to get attempts in on goal

• One-on-one defending. Whilst great going forward, McFayden seems less competent when attacked by opposition wingers and can be dribbled past

Two signings down, who’s next?

Both Wilson and McFayden appear strong signings to bolster the Silkmen’s promotion assault in 2026-27.

Manager John Rooney is eyeing further reinforcements to his squad as he closes in on signing players for Macclesfield’s priority positions - goalkeeper, central defender and striker.

One player who seems unlikely to join the Silkmen is Kyle Hawley. The hitman is a free agent after helping to steer Avro to promotion to the Northern Premier League via the play-offs, banging in 25 goals last season and 56 goals in 111 appearances overall.

Linked with Macclesfield strongly on social media, Hawley has caught the eye when being scouted on several occasions.

However according to a Silkmen News source, Macclesfield are not expected to take their interest in Hawley any further at this time as they consider alternative striking options.

Of course things can change quickly in the summer transfer merry go round, so watch this space!

The 25-year-old midfield maestro has just won promotion from the National League North representing AFC Fylde, making over 40 league and cup appearances for the Coasters, registering 6 goals and 3 assists. He was signed on a one-year deal and Fylde had the option to extend, but chose to let him go.

Despite being popular with Fylde supporters, Wilson was restricted to only 15 league starts as he struggled to become first-choice in the champions’ stellar midfield comprising the likes of Danny Mayor, Chris Merrie, Ethan Mitchell, Tom Whelan and Luca Thomas.

Nevertheless, Wilson did start Fylde’s final two league games to help his now former club get over the line, scoring in their 4-0 win over Southport and also impressing in the Coasters’ 4-2 victory at Merthyr which sealed their promotion and return to the National League.

Wilson also started and scored for Fylde against Macclesfield in their 5-1 demolition over us at Mill Farm, waltzing through the Silkmen’s defence in the closing stages and converting from close range, in addition to coming on as a substitute for Fylde in their 4-1 triumph over Macc at the Leasing.com stadium in February.

George Wilson - what can we expect?

A cultured, energetic midfielder who is comfortable in both defensive and attacking roles. Excellent in possession, Wilson achieved a 92% passing accuracy against Macclesfield back in November, scoring a goal, laying on an assist and also creating one big chance for the home side.

Still only 25, George has bags of potential and finished the season strongly. He rarely gives the ball away, has an eye for goal as well as being a creator of chances, either from a central berth or on the right flank.

Wilson joined Fylde from Altrincham (of course!) where he was also surprisingly released after some promising performances, amassing over 50 appearances. George began his career in Blackburn Rovers’ academy, before moving on to Loughborough whilst studying at university.

Wilson then had a stint at third-tear Swedish side Ljungskile, before returning to the UK to play for Coalville Town in the 2022-23 campaign where he attracted attention higher up. In fact, Wilson came off the bench for Coalville during their 1-0 win over Macc in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup.

Whilst a signing which may not automatically set the pulses racing, Wilson looks a shrewd capture. He’s at the right age with importantly the right attributes and a point to prove. He will undoubtedly strengthen Macclesfield’s midfield and increase competition for places.

Read on to discover the positive thoughts from Fylde and Altrincham fans on the Silkmen’s new capture.

AFC Fylde supporters on George Wilson

“Complete player”

“Was fantastic today (against Southport). Proper M.O.M performance”

“Well deserved man-of-the-match. Don’t know how he doesn’t start every week”

“Just unlucky to play in the team with by far the best midfield in the league”

“Wilson would be a first choice starter for anyone else”

“Great lad, top player”

“Class player”

Altrincham supporters on George Wilson

“What a player Fylde have got. Standout game in, game out, and destined for the Football League. Warch him run, tackle, pass and shoot. Never panics”

“Surprised to see George Wilson released after making over 40 apps for Fylde last season… Was surprised when Alty released him last summer…”

“Altrincham should never have let him go. Has so much potential”

“Releasing Wilson is a surprise”

“Disagree about releasing George Wilson. Decent player”

“Very sad and surprised to see George go”

“George had plenty of energy”

“Wilson will be missed”

“Wilson has been missed. Great driving force”

“Amazing goal scored by George. Well deserved, he’s a great asset and works his socks off”

Opinion from non-league football expert, Tom Williams

“A gem that Alty picked up from Coalville, Loughborough uni graduate Wilson is really growing into his own this season. He’s been handed extra minutes and responsibility after an injury to Isaac Marriott, and he’s a player I’m a big fan of. Wilson has really stepped up in Marriott’s absence. An intelligent, well-rounded midfielder”

As of today, just eight players are under contract for the 2026-27 season, with five of these regarded as first-team regulars when available – Paul Dawson, Luke Duffy, Danny Elliott, Luke Matheson and Elliot Osborne. The club remains in discussions with seven players, whilst nine have been released with a further five loanees returning to their parent clubs (full list below).

The Silkmen had an excellent season competing at Step 2 for the first time since the club reformed, finishing fourth in the National League North before losing in the semi-final of the play-offs to the eventually promoted Kidderminster Harriers. However, Macc finished 21 points behind NLN title-winners AFC Fylde and ended a draining campaign with five defeats in eight games.

Less is more?

Despite this, it’s worth reflecting on how well manager John Rooney (who signed a new deal to remain last week along with assistant Francis Jeffers) and his coaching team did to bounce back from a series of significant blows in a topsy-turvy and emotional 11 months. In reality, Macclesfield were always on the back-foot when former boss Robbie Savage bailed to Forest Green, taking five players with him during the course of the season.

In particular, the loss of Tre Pemberton, Laurent Mendy and Neil Kengni, a month before the commencement of pre-season, left Rooney with giant shoes to fill, not to mention a gaping hole in the Silkmen’s midfield due to Rooney’s own decision to retire from playing.

The majority of the Silkmen’s playing budget had already been allocated due to Savage building promotion clauses into several players’ contracts, which were automatically extended by another year as the club romped towards the Northern Premier League title. This, combined with the majority of desirable transfer targets already been fixed up before Pemberton, Mendy and Kengni up sticks to Gloucestershire, left Macc feeding off scraps and running the rule over multiple trialists.

A busy summer ahead

One year on and Macclesfield are in a far stronger position financially and reputationally after a memorable league and FA Cup season. And if rumours are to be believed, Head of Recruitment Jimmy Holmes and Sporting Director Jonathan Bull have been working on signing their priority transfer targets since the turn of this year.

Naturally, the identities on the club’s summer shopping list remains tight lipped. But it is thought that recruiting a new number one goalkeeper, two full-backs, a dominant leader at centre half, two midfielders and a striker are deemed priorities to help the Silkmen mount another promotion bid.

Former loanee Josh Kay, recently released by Oldham, remains admired by the Silkmen hierarchy and it would be no surprise to see him become a permanent Macclesfield player if a deal can be struck.

Who will stay and who will go?

There are few surprises on the Retained List in terms of the players that have been released. Justin Johnson, Danny Whitehead and Rollin Menayese had long since fallen out of favour with Rooney.

Experienced centre half Menayese started 27 league games, but was used sparingly this year after erratic displays against Peterborough Sports, AFC Fylde and South Shields. Wayward winger Johnson last started away at Chester on 30 December before being given an outing at Radcliffe on the final day, whilst fan favourite Max Dearnley was replaced in goal by Barnsley loanee Rogan Ravenhill.

Rooney’s decision to drop Dearnley after some uncharacteristically shaky performances split supporter opinion, not least because Ravenhill also made a series of errors as Macclesfield shipped goals for fun on occasions. It’s academic now, but the latest social media rumour is that Dearnley was benched because he had lined up a move to another club, only for it to subsequently fall through.

There are three sides to every story, but my understanding of the situation is that Dearnley never wanted to leave. Rooney decided to bring in another keeper (Ravenhill), Dearnley only found out about it when the signing was announced, and upon questioning the decision Dearnley was told Ravenhill had been brought in to provide competition. Make of that what you will, but one thing we can all agree on is that this was a sad end to Dearnley’s Silkmen career.

A new number one incoming

What is certain is that Macclesfield will have a new, established number one between the sticks next season, but who will it be? Former Altrincham keeper Ethan Ross has been linked with the club but is not thought to be the Silkmen’s main goalkeeping target. More intriguingly, Kidderminster stopper Christian Dibble is thought to be interesting Macc despite after steering Kiddy to promotion to the National League following a 2-0 win at South Shields at the weekend.

Dibble, the son of former Man City goalkeeper Andy Dibble, was born in Wilmslow and has previously played for Stockport and Wrexham. News of Macclesfield’s interest in Dibble has made its way onto Kidderminster’s supporter forum ‘Harriers Chatter’, so could have legs. No stranger to controversy and known for keeping multiple clean sheets, Christian Dibble would certainly represent a statement signing.

But it’s important to take some rumours with a pinch of salt – last season some Kidderminster fans were adamant that their former star striker Ashley Hemmings was on his way to the Leasing.com stadium. Dibble won’t be shy of suitors if he does decide to leave Kidderminster, with former Harriers manager Adam Murray likely to be keen having abandoned Kidderminster to join Barrow 48 hours on from Saturday’s NLN play-off final.

Currently in negotiations

The list that interests me the most is the one where players remain in active discussions with the club. I expected the trio of Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, James Gale and Harry McHugh to have been given longer deals, particularly considering that (thus far) fringe player Theo Chapman is contracted for the 2026-27 season.

Personally, I’d retain all three, although the jury is very much out on McHugh (just 2 starts coming back from long-term injury at Wigan) and Gale, whose performance levels notably dipped following the sale of D’Mani Mellor.

It is thought that Macclesfield are keen to retain the services of central defender Sam Heathcote who had a fine season. Although Heathcote may be mulling over whether he can juggle his job as a teacher and training three days a week IF the club moves to a hybrid training model (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays), which is another rumour doing the rounds yet to be confirmed.

I’m somewhat surprised to see Luis Lacey and Brandon Lee on this list, but for different reasons. Lacey may divide opinion at left-back but has been well backed by Rooney and is a versatile option in the squad. In contrast whilst Lee can be an outstanding full-back on his day, he’s not been injury free for two-and-a-half seasons and is expected to be sidelined until November after sustaining an ACL injury at Slough in the FA Cup back in December.

Isaac Buckley-Ricketts, Savage’s final signing, also remains locked in talks. The winger has flattered to deceive in a Macclesfield shirt but contributed 7 league goals and 2 assists, in addition to that memorable goal against Palace.

Heathcote, Lee and Buckley-Ricketts are among the players that have gone on a post-season break to Ibiza. Whilst James Gale attended the club’s end of season awards on Sunday.

Signed on the dotted line

Danny Elliott, Paul Dawson and Luke Duffy are stellar signings for next season, although the injured Elliott will be eased back with a potential return earmarked between July and September depending on the striker’s rehabilitation progress.

Club record appearance holder Lewis Fensome has committed to next season which has been well received by most supporters. Fensome made 39 league appearances (23 starts), but only started five games in the league in 2026 following the return from injury of Luke Matheson (who has signed a new deal today). It should be noted that Fensome was an ever present in Macclesfield’s FA Cup run, scoring against Totton and starting both games against Premier League Crystal Palace and Brentford.

There’s also a new deal for promising midfielder Carlos Dos Santos. The prospect impressed at times last season, most notably in the 2-1 wins over Radcliffe and Southport, but was restricted to 3 starts in his 21 league appearances.

Versatile and technical, Dos Santos will be keen for more minutes next season and to nail down his preferred position having featured on the left side of Macclesfield’s defence and midfield, in addition to playing as an attacking midfielder.

Players under contract for the 2026/27 season:

Danny Elliott

Paul Dawson

Luke Duffy

Lewis Fensome

Carlos Dos Santos

Elliot Osborne

Theo Chapman

Luke Matheson

Club remains in discussion with the following players:

Isaac Buckley-Ricketts

Cameron Borthwick-Jackson

James Gale

Sam Heathcote

Brandon Lee

Luis Lacey

Harry McHugh

Players out of contract / released

Justin Johnson

Danny Whitehead

Elliott Whitehouse

Dontai Gabidon

Regan Griffiths

Rollin Menayese

Max Dearnley

Mikey Stone

Tom Clare

Loanees returning to Parent Clubs

Rogan Ravenhill

Josh Kay

James Edmondson

Kacper Pasiek

Anjola Popoola

Play off glory wasn’t to be for Macclesfield in this debut National League North campaign, after high drama against Chester in the quarter final a win against Kidderminster Harriers was a step too far in the semi. Both of those games will be given a good look over, we’ll have reflections across the campaign as a whole, a look back at pre season predictions, and ahead to next season at who John Rooney should be considering to keep to mount another promotion charge with most of the squad out of contract in the summer.

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We’re activley looking for more contributors to the podcast in particular from people who are under represented within the fan base. Do get in touch if you’re intrested in getting involved. If there’s anything you’d like us to cover in future podcasts then leave us a comment and we’ll get it in for future episodes.