Lincoln McFayden - Macc's new left back profiled

Another Fylde promotion winner joins the Silkmen

Hot on the heels of Friday’s acquisition of midfielder George Wilson, another AFC Fylde promotion winner and teammate of Wilson has joined the Silkmen today.

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!