Silkmen open player contract negotiations
Who will stay and who will go?
Saturday’s euphoria of Macclesfield FC clinching the Northern Premier League title following victory over Bamber Bridge will live long in the memory. Silkmen fans have been in party mood all week and these celebrations will continue until the end of the season, and beyond.
There’s been widespread acclaim across regional and national media outlets in recognition of Macc’s achievement in winning the NPL with six games to spare. Head Coach Robbie Savage, who has masterminded the Silkmen’s promotion push along with his coaching staff, has waxed lyrical about the club’s success in a series of radio, television and podcast interviews. And in a further boost to every Silkmen fan, Savage has also committed his immediate future to the club.
However, as excitement builds towards next season in the National League North, Savage and the Board face some tough decisions about which players they wish to retain for the next phase of our journey.
Who will stay and who will go?
According to a Silkmen News source, player contract negotiations are already underway and it is hoped that the majority of this season’s squad will remain at the club.
Some of Macclesfield’s summer signings are believed to have had a promotion clause built into their contract which entitles them to an extension for next season. As per the club’s word, these players are expected to receive improved terms based on the same model
IF the above is correct, this will ensure continuity amongst the squad and theoretically lock down some of our best players for next season. But it may also suggest that a proportion of Savage’s playing budget has already been allocated for 2025/26
Macc are facing a fight to hold onto a first-team star who is rumoured to have been offered terms by another club and potentially could leave
Whilst there has been no official confirmation, it is expected that the club will continue with its existing Tuesday and Thursday daytime training model
A final chance for some to impress?
Savage has repeatedly stated he wants to smash the 100 points / 100 goals barrier between now and the end of the season, including eclipsing the NPL’s record 104 points tally.
The gaffer will not be letting his standards or expectations drop. But if he hasn’t made up his mind already, our final games afford him an opportunity to run the rule over some players whom he might be on the fence about. The following six players in particular will be desperate to impress Savage in the hope of featuring prominently in the manager’s plans for next season.
Diego De Girolamo
Signed on loan from Buxton in February until the end of the season, De Girolamo arrived with a stellar CV at Steps 2 and Step 3 having scored 120 goals in 229 appearances for the Bucks at NPL and National League North level. Out of contract with Buxton in the summer, and having seen his first-team opportunities limited due to competition and injury this campaign, Macc were seemingly in pole position to land Diego’s services for the 2025/26 season.
And they still might be, but De Girolamo’s future at Macc seems less certain as he has had to wait patiently for minutes due to the outstanding form of prolific forwards Danny Elliott and D’Mani Mellor. So much so that Diego has been restricted to only four cameos off the bench in the six games he has been available for selection for thus far:
Mickleover 74th minute
Warrington Rylands 72nd minute
Lancaster 76th minute
Bamber Bridge 77th minute
It’s hard to judge De Girolamo on what amounts to an hour of football on the pitch for Macc so far. We KNOW what’s he’s capable of, but we’ve YET to really see it. Against Mickleover his qualities were immediately obvious – strong hold-up play, good link-up and awareness upfront, with a headed assist back across goal to enable Paul Dawson to score Macc’s sixth and final goal from a corner.
But from there, De Girolamo has not really had a sight of goal, or looked like fashioning one, APART from his golden chance against Bamber Bridge. On for Danny Elliott, Diego found himself one-and-one with the keeper but his relatively tame shot was easily saved. Had that gone in, Macc’s promotion celebrations would have began a little sooner and we might have been talking more enthusiastically about De Girolamo’s potential prospects with us for next season.
The on-loan striker will still be hopeful of opening his Silkmen scoring account in our remaining games against Blyth and fellow strugglers Workington, Whitby and Leek. And, who knows, he may be handed starts once Elliott has surpassed the 30 league goals tally and/or Macc have hit the 100 points target. But ultimately, it’s up to De Girolamo to grasp his opportunity when it eventually arrives.
Either way, Diego will not be short of suitors in the close season. Given his proven pedigree in the National League North, and growing familiarity with the Silkmen’s squad and style of play, it would be a shame if this loan move wasn’t made permanent for all concerned.
Dontai Gabidon
A September signing from FC United of Manchester as Savage sought more pace out wide, Gabidon has only made 11 appearances in a Silkmen shirt due to injury and the fierce competition Macc have down both flanks.
Dontai made a promising start to his Macclesfield career – making an excellent defensive interception off the bench against Gainsborough to thwart a dangerous attack, and scoring an exquisite lob against Ashton in the FA Trophy. Take away the euphoria and significance of Laurent Mendy’s blockbuster strike against Bamber Bridge at the weekend, Gabidon’s goal against Ashton showed the highest level of technical skill and execution.
Ashton, City of Liverpool and Curzon Ashton in cup games are Gabidon’s only starts – his remaining eight appearances in the league have arrived off the bench, with his last one being away at Gainsborough after returning from a two month injury absence.
In February, Dontai embarked on a 28-day loan to Warrington Rylands, linking up with his former FC United boss Neil Reynolds. There, he made four appearances (two starts), mainly playing further forward without scoring. For Macclesfield, Gabidon has mainly been deployed at left-wing back, but he has faced stiff competition for a starting berth from Neil Kengni, Brandon Lee, and more recently, Sean Etaluku.
It looks like being a tall order for Gabidon to force his way back into Savage’s thinking as things stand. However, it should be noted that he was only sent out on loan to Rylands for a month, unlike midfielder Elliott Whitehouse whose loan spell at Matlock will last to the end of the season.
Sam Heathcote
The towering centre back has been a valuable squad player this season, operating mainly in defence but occasionally as a makeshift striker. In total, ‘big Sam’ has made 33 appearances, but only 14 of them have been starts.
Heathcote came into the side for our FA Cup qualifying tie at Tadcaster which saw him retain his first-team place for nine games until he was benched following our 3-2 win at Matlock. Thereafter, Heathcote’s first-team appearances have usually arisen due to fellow defenders Tre Pemberton and Paul Dawson being unavailable due to serving suspensions.
The resurgent form of Lewis Fensome and the arrival of Rollin Menayese have relegated Heathcote to our fourth choice centre back behind captain Dawson.
Sam has certainly not let anyone down though, and who can forget his excellent late leveller which rescued a point against Hebburn when he converted his low shot like a seasoned striker. But Heathcote has also excelled in his primary position, too. In both games against FC United of Manchester, Sam made a goaline clearance and a last ditch tackle to help preserve two vital victories. He also atoned for his loose pass out of defence away at Bamber Bridge by miraculously clearing the subsequent shot off the line.
And perhaps there pinpoints Savage’s potential quandary in retaining Heathcote’s services for next season – is he comfortable enough to play out from the back without giving up chances to the opposition by turning over possession? Furthermore, for all Heathcote’s 6’5 frame, does he dominate opposing players as he perhaps ought to in both boxes?
Sam’s future may come down to a number of factors. Savage’s transfer budget, whether he retains Menayese, if he sees Paul Dawson as a defender or midfielder next season, and finally whether the manager opts to play more regularly with three centre backs.
Justin Johnson
Some supporters have speculated that Justin Johnson could be deemed surplus to requirements following an indifferent run of form since the turn of the year. Out-of-sorts and currently out injured, JJ has been a disappointment to some following his summer arrival from Chorley on the back of him being named in the National League North’s team of the year having registered double figures for both goals and assists for the Lancashire side.
But a closer look at JJ’s stats reveals an interesting picture. Johnson has scored 8 goals and 10 assists in 39 appearances for Macc, however it’s the calibre of teams who he has registered them against which is more telling.
Goals against leading NPL sides Ilkeston, Stockton and Worksop in the league and against NLN side South Shields in the FA Cup qualifiers. In addition, Johnson’s assists have come against Worksop (home and away), Hyde, Hebburn and South Shields. JJ’s assist for D’Mani Mellor against Worksop at home showed everything he’s about when at his best – seething pace to keep the ball in play, before embarking on a driving run from the byline into the penalty area and squaring a perfect pass for Mellor to tap home.
The flip side to Johnson’s attacking prowess is that he is, at times, a liability when defending. Perhaps the main casualty of Savage’s flirtations with five at the back in a wing-back system, Johnson has looked a different player when being asked to fulfil defensive duties. This was never more apparent in the Boxing Day defeat against Leek when he started at right back and looked lost, prompting Savage to hook Johnson at half-time and replace him with Lewis Fensome.
Previously a guaranteed starter, JJ has been in-and-out of the side following the arrival of fellow winger Sean Etaluku in November which has seen him restricted to 8 starts, 8 substitute appearances and 2 as an unused sub. Johnson hasn’t played since starting at Lancaster last month and winning a penalty.
It remains to be seen when he will be fit enough to return, but he was notably walking with a limp before boarding the players’ coach for our recent away trip to Morpeth. While he might delight and frustrate in equal measure, Johnson is what he is – a dangerous, direct, match-winning but frustrating winger who rarely will play 90 minutes. But there’s a lot still to like about JJ at this level.
Brandon Lee
Regarded as one of the best full-backs in the Northern Premier League, Brandon Lee has endured a frustrating 12 months which has seen him sidelined by two long-term injuries which leave doubts over his future at Macclesfield after only 19 appearances this season.
After returning from the bench following five months out against Whitby in August, Brandon started the next five games and looked back to his best – a tenacious tackler, boundless energy up-and-down the pitch from left back and a reliable defender. But a seemingly innocuous (at the time!) injury sustained in the latter stages of the match against South Shields kept the unfortunate Lee out for another three months.
At times, Brandon has impressed since getting back into the team – most notably when producing a lovely assist at Hyde in New Year’s Day 5-2 victory. However for the most part he’s played second fiddle at left-back to the resurgent Neil Kengni who Savage has preferred for his greater attacking intent due to Macc enjoying the lion’s share of possession against NPL sides. Lee’s last start was against Basford on 25 January.
Kengni has had a brilliant season and deserves his place in the team ahead of Lee on merit. But will Brandon’s defensive qualities be better suited against opposition teams in the National League North? It’s also worth noting that for all his notable contributions this season, Kengni can still be shaky on occasions at left-back and has been directly responsible for goals conceded against Ilkeston, Prescot, Hyde, Rylands and Lancaster – all away from home.
But if Lee is to prove he’s worthy of a new contract, it’s imperative that he proves his fitness and soon.
Danny Whitehead
Returning to the Moss for a sixth spell in the Summer, Danny Whitehead is a hugely popular player amongst Silkmen fans having played a key part in Macclesfield Town winning promotion back to the English Football League in 2018.
Sadly, this latest move hasn’t worked out for Danny so far. Originally earmarked for a holding midfield berth in a 5-2-2-1 formation alongside Elliott Whitehouse, Savage reverted to our tried-and-trusted 4-2-3-1 line-up following an unsuccessful road test in pre-season.
An injury to Whitehouse and then to Whitehead in September forced Macclesfield’s boss to re-shape the team’s engine room. In came Blackburn youngster James Edmondson on loan to partner John Rooney in midfield and Whitehead has barely had a look in ever since. Even when Edmondson returned to Ewood Park following the completion of his loan in January, Savage switched Laurent Mendy from defence to midfield with notable success. Mendy has excelled alongside Rooney and has scored in his last two games.
In contrast, Whitehead has made only 24 appearances for the Silkmen, 11 of which have been late-on off the bench. He last started a game for Macc in our first league defeat of the season way back in November at Mickleover. It would appear that Savage doesn’t fancy Danny as a ‘six’ and he’s behind the likes of Rooney, Mellor and Duffy when being considered for an attacking midfield role. Nevertheless, Whitehead’s experience could still be invaluable to the squad and he will be hoping to get an opportunity to show it before the end of the season.
The points record is 104 (twice), not 102.