Waking up this morning feels bittersweet. Yesterday’s 1-0 win over Stamford saw the Silkmen through to the first round of the FA Cup for the first time since the club was reformed.
Excitement is now building ahead of tomorrow evening’s draw as Macclesfield could land a plum tie (and potential money-spinner) against the likes of Stockport, Luton, Plymouth, Huddersfield and countless other EFL clubs. So far, the Silkmen have won just over £18,000 in FA Cup prize money by seeing off Stamford, Nantwich and Atherton LR and are guaranteed at least another £15,000 by reaching the first round proper, which would increase to £45,000 should we win our tie and advance to the second round.
Paul Dawson’s first half curling effort proved the difference between the two sides, but it could have been more had Danny Elliott, Luke Duffy and D’Mani Mellor not been denied by the woodwork. Macclesfield dominated the ball after the break with most our opportunities falling to man-of-the-match Justin Johnson, but JJ couldn’t put the game to bed.
However, in an emotionally charged week that has seen separate statements released by both owner Robert Smethurst and a collective one by the other members of the Silkmen’s board, it was paramount that John Rooney’s men delivered.
Etaluku heading to Forest Green
Wednesday’s statement from the club’s other shareholders (issued separately to Smethurst’s own statement on the same day) underlined the need for Macclesfield FC to return “to a financial position which is sustainable - both this season and for many more to come”.
You don’t have to be a genius to decipher that this translates to cost-cutting (coaches Nigel Keogh and Peter Band have walked) and potential player sales. On the latter, it appears that Sean Etaluku will be sacrificed to Forest Green as Robbie Savage, not content with poaching Tre Pemberton, Neil Kengni and Laurent Mendy in the summer, prepares to strike again.
Rumours of Etaluku’s impending exit originally surfaced in The Star Lane End Facebook group by an anonymous poster and sadly appear accurate. Etaluku was not named in the Silkmen’s squad against Stamford, but given he was substituted and hobbled off in the 1-0 defeat to Marine last week alarm bells were not unduly ringing for some.
Yet talk on the terraces was rife that Savage has dealt another savage blow to Macclesfield’s promotion-winning team, which is literally being ripped apart before our very eyes in a quite astonishing unravelling from last season’s dizzy heights.
According to trusted Silkmen News sources, Etaluku to Forest Green is a ‘done deal’. The 22-year-old, who celebrated his birthday yesterday, is having a medical today and assuming there are no complications, could be unveiled before Forest Green’s FA Cup fourth round qualifying tie against Worthing tomorrow night. If not, expect an announcement on Tuesday.
As it stands Etaluku hasn’t officially signed, and until the formalities are completed Macclesfield have nothing to confirm through their official channels.
How big a loss is Sean Etaluku?
The Silkmen fought to keep Etaluku by offering him an extended two-year deal which he rejected. And given the player is out of contract (like many others) at the end of this season, Macclesfield have little option but to cash the cheque.
The fee will be undisclosed, but some supporters have speculated that it could be in the region of £50,000 for the flying winger. I’m unable to verify this, but given the Silkmen splashed £30,000 to sign fellow wide player Isaac Buckley-Ricketts in May £50k feels about right for Etaluku’s services.
Undoubtedly Sean will be a loss, and his departure comes at a time when he has recently started to blossom following standout performances against Merthyr, Atherton Laburnum Rovers and Chorley. In a season so far where John Rooney’s men have lacked a cutting edge, Etaluku’s blistering pace and direct play in the final third has been one of the few highlights.
How high is Sean’s ceiling? I’m not entirely sure. After all, this is a player who has flattered to deceive more often than he has delivered since Macclesfield signed him from Barrow almost 12 months ago. Etaluku came to Savage’s attention when he gave the Silkmen an uncomfortable night playing on loan for Matlock and we duly pounced for him days later. Oh, to fondly remember when Macclesfield were the hunters, rather than the hunted in the transfer market.
Sean made 26 appearances last season and displaced Justin Johnson to become a mainstay of the first-team during the promotion run-in, scoring two goals. At times though he struggled to settle and initially looked lost when asked to play an unfamiliar wing-back role when Savage experimented with a back three. To his credit, Etaluku stuck at it and gradually rose to the fore, laying on a number of assists which would actually have been far higher but for some wayward finishing by John Rooney, Danny Elliott and D’Mani Mellor.
Despite an indifferent pre-season Etaluku was named in the starting eleven for the opening day win over Worksop, but was dropped after the 2-1 defeat at Oxford. After two promising performances off the bench against Southport and Alfreton, Rooney restored Sean to the first team where, to his credit, he has flourished due to his boundless energy and ability to leave defenders trailing in his wake.
There’s no doubt that Etaluku is a rough diamond, however his wayward crossing, frustrating preference to cut inside onto his favoured left foot when playing on the right and lack of goals suggest he still has a lot to learn. Both Savage and John McMahon will feel they can unleash Etaluku’s potential in a full-time training set up which has seen former Macclesfield stars Pemberton, Kengni and Mendy easily transition and shine in the National League.
Lightening strikes four times for Savage
The pros and cons of Etaluku’s sale will be overshadowed by the fact that Macclesfield’s loyal fanbase, yet again, are being humiliated by Savage’s brass neck. Beggars can’t always be choosers though, and there is no doubt that the Silkmen need to balance the books after some lavish spending of their own.
Taken in isolation (which is hard based on the current mood), Etaluku’s sale is actually a success in achieving what the club’s board actually wants - to make the club financially sustainable. In this example, we’ve taken a player from the relative wilderness of Matlock, improved some rough edges and sold him at profit less than a year later. That’s the reality of the level that Macclesfield and most other teams in the football league must face.
In Etaluku’s case, how many other teams other than Forest Green would have come knocking to sign a player who has only recently looked the part in the National League North?
At least in Justin Johnson, Isaac Buckley-Ricketts and Josh Kay (who historically has performed out wide), Macclesfield have reinforcements who can fill the void left by Etaluku.
In isolation, with a business hat on, there is logic to Etaluku’s sale, PROVIDING the funds generated are utilised to sign the next Sean Etaluku who can establish himself in the first team and help the club flourish.
But herein lies the frustration and the challenge the new Board has in winning hearts and minds. Etaluku’s sale, at a time when the club is tumbling down the National League North table, is a bitter blow and will be seen as another act of pathetic surrender to Savage’s treachery.
They’ll argue, with some justification, that Tre Pemberton, Neil Kengni and Laurent Mendy, have still to be replaced by a club who had aspirations of challenging for the play-offs at the start of the season, who are now looking anxiously over their shoulders.
And worst of all, this might not be the end of the bad news.
Brilliant read. Thanks Ben. I do look forward to your articles. Shame about Sean, without doubt our most exciting player this season.