Macclesfield’s squad rebuild: what a difference a year makes

One-year anniversary of Rooney appointment / Savage exit

Macclesfield FC’s close-season has (once again) been turbulent off the pitch, but inside the recruitment quarters something quietly impressive is unfolding: purpose, identity and patience.

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.