Macclesfield Town F.C.

|rightarm2=ffff00|shorts2=000000|socks2=ffff00| }} Macclesfield Town Football Club are an English football team. The club were formed in 1874 and are based in the small town of Macclesfield in Cheshire. The team play their home games at the 6,355-capacity Moss Rose stadium. Macclesfield made history when Chris Priest, a Macclesfield player, scored the final goal of the last millennium.

Nicknamed The Silkmen, they are contesting the 2009-10 season in Football League Two. The club was managed by Keith Alexander until his death in March 2010, leaving assistant manager Gary Simpson in temporary charge. Gary Simpson then signed a two year contract as manager on 13 April 2010.'.

History

A football club was first formed in Macclesfield in the mid-1800s, but played rugby union rules. In 1874, the club adopted the rules of the Football Association. Between 1874 and 1940 the club was known by a succession of names, including Macclesfield Football and Athletic Club, Hallifield F.C. and Macclesfield F.C. When competitive football resumed after World War II, Macclesfield Town Football Club Ltd. was formed and the club gained their current name. The club joined the Cheshire County League in 1946-47, playing their first game after reformation on 31 August, 1946, a 2-0 defeat to Buxton. The club's from in the remainder of the 1940s was largely indifferent, with the exception of a Cheshire League Challenge Cup win in 1948. The 1950s proved more successful, with four trophies in as many years from 1951–1954, including the club's first Cheshire League title in 20 years in 1953, though the team's fortunes faded in the latter half of the decade.

Macclesfield progressed through four qualifying rounds to make their first appearance in the FA Cup first round in 1960, but lost 7-2 to Southport. The following season the club won the Cheshire League, beginning an eight year period in which they won three league titles and finished no lower than fifth, and in 1964 won the Cheshire League by a record equalling thirteen point margin. The club reached the FA Cup third round for the first time in 1968, meeting First Division Fulham at Craven Cottage. Macclesfield lost 4-2, but the performance resulted in Macclesfield's Keith Goalen becoming the first ever non-league player to be named Footballer of the Month by the London Evening Standard.

The club were founder members of the Northern Premier League, one of three leagues at the fifth tier of English football, upon its creation in 1968. Macclesfield were champions in each of the first two seasons of the competition, finishing twelve points clear in 1968-69, and by goal average in 1969-70. The 1969-70 season also resulted in a trip to Wembley for the inaugural final of the FA Trophy, a knockout competition for non-league clubs. Macclesfield defeated Telford United 2-0 in front of more than 28,000 spectators to win the competition. A period of decline then followed, despite heroic performances by the great Willie Mailey in goal, and the side's fortunes reached a nadir when the club finished bottom of the Northern Premier League in 1979, a year when the stronger teams from the division formed the national Alliance Premier League (now known as the Conference). The 1980s saw steady rebuilding. The club finished as Northern Premier League runners-up in the 1984-85 season, and two years later Macclesfield's third Northern Premier League title resulted in promotion to the Conference.

Macclesfield finished in mid-table in their first Conference season, and eliminated two League teams, Carlisle and Rotherham from the FA Cup. The club reached the FA Trophy final for the second time in 1989, facing Telford United, the same opponents as Macclesfield's first final nineteen years earlier. However, the team did not match the achievement of their predecessors, losing 1-0. From a high of a fourth place league finish in 1989-90, Macclesfield's final standing diminished each season, and following a struggle against relegation in 1992-93, manager Peter Wragg was sacked, and replaced with former Manchester United midfielder Sammy McIlroy.

McIlroy era

McIlroy took charge at the start of the 1993-94 season, and guided the club to the GM Vauxhall Conference Championship in his second season as manager. However. the club was denied promotion to the Football League because the Moss Rose did not meet league requirements of having a 6,000 total capacity including at least 1,000 seats by the League's deadline of 31 December 1994. Macclesfield won the Conference title again two seasons later in 1996-97, by which time the stadium had been upgraded and they were promoted to Division Three of the Football League in place of Hereford United.

Upon gaining League status, the club turned fully professional. Macclesfield's first League match was a 2-1 win at home to Torquay United. The momentum of the Conference success continued, and in their first League season, Macclesfield finished runners-up in Division Three and were promoted for the second consecutive season, this time to Division Two. It was a memorable year for the club, who were unbeaten at home for the entire season. However, the higher level proved a step too far for the club, who finished the 1998-99 season bottom of Division Two and were relegated. McIlroy soon left to become the Northern Ireland national coach and was replaced by former Manchester United colleague Peter Davenport. A dismal start to the following season cost Davenport his job though, and Gil Prescott took over for the remainder of the season, keeping Macclesfield clear of relegation. David Moss in turn succeeded Prescott as manager and delivered two decent mid-table finishes, but a bad start to the 2003-04 season resulted in his sacking. Club stalwart John Askey succeeded Moss initially on a temporary basis, and earned the job permanently with some promising early results. However, a terrible run of one win in three months meant that Askey's term as manager was short-lived.

Recent years

In March 2004, with relegation to the Conference threatening, Macclesfield turned to the experienced 55-year-old Brian Horton to take charge. Horton, whose previous manager's jobs were with Oxford United, Brighton and Hove Albion, Manchester City, Huddersfield Town and Port Vale, reinvigorated Macclesfield. A finish of fifth for the 2004-05 season resulted in a playoff place, but the team were eliminated in the semi-finals by Lincoln City.

However, 2005-06 proved disappointing with the team failing to build on the previous season's progress, finishing an undistinguished 17th. Horton was sacked by the club in late September 2006, following a dismal start to the season in which Horton failed to secure a win in the twelve games prior to his dismissal, leaving the club bottom of the Football League.

On October 23, 2006, former Manchester United, Inter and England player Paul Ince was confirmed as Macclesfield's new player-manager. He lost his first match in charge 3-2 to Mansfield Town, and it took Macclesfield until twenty games into the season to record their first league win under Ince on December 5, 2006. This was a 1-0 win against Rochdale at the Moss Rose

The team then went on a nine match unbeaten run, which not only gave Paul Ince his first manager of the month award when he was League Two Manager of the Month for December 2006, the Silkmen also earned themselves a cup tie against champions Chelsea F.C. away in the 3rd round of the FA Cup.

Despite their fantastic away support and performance on the day, Macclesfield Town lost 6-1. Most of this was attributed to the decision to send off Macclesfield goalkeeper Tommy Lee, after Shevchenko clearly dived and which replays have shown since to be inconclusive to merit a red card, with many believing that, in the spirit of the FA Cup, a red card was unwarranted.

The game is still talked about on the terraces of the Moss Rose, especially the goal John Murphy scored to level the score in the first half and the save made by defender and captain Dave Morley against Andriy Shevchenko in the second half. True FA Cup magic even if the result proved not to be.

They were then just able to survive after drawing 1-1 with Notts County on the final day of the 2006-07 season, after a poor run of results landed the team back in the relegation zone. This game also saw the last appearance of Paul Ince as a professional footballer.

Following the departure of Paul Ince, who left the club to become MK Dons manager earlier in the month, Ian Brightwell was announced as the new manager on 29 June 2007, with Asa Hartford as his assistant for the 2007-08 season. Macclesfield started the 2007-08 season away with a 1-1 draw to former Premier League club Bradford City and narrowly lost 1-0 to another former Premier League team Leeds United in the first round of the League Cup.

In January 2008, Chairman Rob Bickerton left the club after 7 years of services to join Shrewsbury and was replaced with Club Supporter Mike Rance and ex-player Andy Scott, founder of Bank Fashion Retail stores as Vice-Chairman.

27 February 2008 Keith Alexander was named as manager until the end of the season, replacing Ian Brightwell who left the club immediately with his assistant Asa Hartford. The change was due to a poor run of results, which left the club 1 place and two points above the relegation places. Alexander kept the Silkmen in League 2 following a run of four wins and three draws in nine games and was awarded a new two-year contract.

On 30 November 2008, Macclesfield were drawn against Premier League giants Everton FC in the third round of the F.A Cup. Everton prevailed by a 1-0 scoreline on January 3, 2009 but Macclesfield were certainly not outclassed and even had their own chances when Nat Brown missed a seemingly simple header in front of the Star Lane End (see Stadium). Leon Osman's terrific strike sealed the game for the Toffees in the first half. The game was greatly appreciated by a capacity crowd of 6,332 at the Moss Rose.

On 3 March 2010, Macclesfield Town announced that manager Keith Alexander had died at the age of 53. Alexander, who suffered a brain aneurysm in November 2003, died after arriving home from the League Two match at Notts County.

On 13 April 2010, Macclesfield Town announced Gary Simpson as manager on a two-year contract..

Stadium

Macclesfield Town play their home games at Moss Rose stadium in the south of the town, and have done so since 1891. Before moving to the Moss Rose, two other grounds were used: Rostrons Field and Victoria Road. The current capacity of the Moss Rose is 6,335, of which 2,599 is seated. One side of the ground consists of a seated grandstand with open air terracing to either side, and the opposite side is the seated Alfred McAlpine Stand. The clubs most vociferous supporters congregate in the Star Lane End, which is a mixture of terracing and seating. Visiting supporters are housed in the open air Silkman End (named after a public house which formerly adjoined the terrace) and part of the McAlpine Stand. The record attendance at the Moss Rose is 7,002 for an FA Cup tie against Spennymoor United in 1968.

Saga of the Silkmen (p. 85) and the News of the World Football Annual both give the record attendance of Moss Rose games involving Macc. Town as 9,003, in the Cheshire Cup tie vs. Winsford United, 14th Feb 1948. The Macclesfield Times (19/2/48) reported that 80 coachloads of supporters had arrived from Winsford. (The record attendance at any match involving the Silkmen, home or away, is the 41,434 at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea, in the FA Cup 3rd round tie, Jan 6th, 2007.)

Euro 96 winners Germany used the Moss Rose as a training base during the championships.

Since the building of the McAlpine Stand, a number of projects to improve the ground have been put forward including a new 'Silkman End' with Fitness Facilities and capacity for 2,500 fans. These plans were dropped due to lack of financial backing. A smaller project to incorporate a roof onto the stand was proposed but no plans have been firmly set.

In September 2007, the Club released a statement for the possibility of relocating to a new Stadium, approximately 1 mile south from the Moss Rose to the proposed 'South Macclesfield Development Area'.. On 14 December, Macclesfield Town released their vision for the new stadium. There is a greater likelihood that this proposal will go ahead, since it is incorporated into Manchester's 2018 World Cup Bid..

A takeover of the club by an un-named individual/consortium recently failed to go through, due to FA sanctions.

Colours and crest

Macclesfield's colours are blue and white; the club have used combinations of these colours since 1947, with the exception of the 1975-76 season, when the team wore tangerine and black as part of a sponsorship deal. Earlier incarnations of the club wore several different colours. The first Macclesfield kit was amber and black stripes, but between 1882 and 1947 the club also used red and white, red, yellow and blue, blue and white, and black and white.

The club crest is based upon the coat of arms of Macclesfield, and features a blue Lion Rampant holding a wheatsheaf.

A new club crest was planned for the start of the 2007-08 season. However, many loyal supporters were not happy with the modern design so the plans were delayed and a re-designed badge was introduced in early 2008, which has won the approval of the majority of fans.

Supporters

Macclesfield Town have a low level of support in comparison with other teams playing at the same level. The club's average attendance was the second lowest in the Football League in 2008-09, ahead of only Accrington Stanley. Reasons for this include the proximity of Macclesfield to cities with large football clubs such as Liverpool and Manchester, and a lack of historical success, as Macclesfield have only been a League club since 1997. There is however a small following in Port Talbot South Wales.

Macclesfield's traditional rivals are Altrincham, a rivalry dating back to when both clubs were in the Cheshire League, and later the Northern Premier League and Conference. As far back as 1911 the Macclesfield and Altrincham teams were engaged in a close tussle for the Manchester League title - won narrowly by the Silkmen. However, the clubs have not shared the same division since the 1996-97 season.

Their closest rivals in the Football League years have included Stockport County and Shrewsbury Town. A recent encounter of the 2007/08 season saw a big crowd at the Moss Rose witness a fantastic spectacle which was won by the Silkmen 2-1, with goals in the 88th and 91st minutes by then club captain Jamie Tolley against his former club and Franny Green to send the Silkmen fans home delirious.

Famous fans include Stephen Morris of the band New Order, actor Marshall Lancaster, FiveLive commentator Alan Green, famous author Travis Knight and ex-wrestling star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

Honours

• Football League Third Division:
  • Runners Up (1): 1998
• FA Trophy:
  • Winners (2): 1970, 1996
• Football Conference
  • Champions (2): 1995, 1997
• Northern Premier League
  • Champions (3): 1969, 1970, 1987
  • Runners Up (1): 1985
• Northern Premier League Challenge Cup
  • Winners (1): 1987
• Cheshire League
  • Champions (6): 1932, 1933, 1953, 1961, 1964, 1968
  • Runners Up (3): 1934, 1962, 1965
• Cheshire Senior Cup
  • Winners (20): 1890, 1891, 1894, 1896, 1911, 1930, 1935, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1960, 1964, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1983, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2000
  • Runners Up (11): 1895, 1907, 1910, 1936, 1950, 1974, 1977, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1997
• Manchester League
  • Champions (2): 1909, 1911
  • Runners Up (1): 1907
• The Combination:
  • Runners Up (2): 1891, 1896
• Staffordshire Senior Cup
  • Winners (1): 1993, 1996
• Cheshire Premier Cup
  • Runners Up (1): 2009

Current squad

As of 12 November 2009.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	ENG	Jonny Brain
2	MF	ENG	Izak Reid
3	DF	ENG	Carl Tremarco
4	DF	ENG	Sean Hessey
5	DF	ENG	Nat Brown
6	DF	NIR	Paul Morgan
7	MF	ENG	Lee Bell
8	MF	ENG	Ross Draper
9	FW	ENG	Emile Sinclair
10	DF	ENG	Stephen Reed (on loan at Weymouth)
11	FW	ENG	Ben Wright
12	FW	ENG	Kyle Wilson
13	GK	CPV	José Veiga
14	MF	ENG	John Rooney
15	MF	ENG	Paul Bolland

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
16	DF	ENG	Shaun Brisley
17	MF	ENG	Colin Daniel
18	FW	ENG	Kristian Dennis
19	DF	ENG	Matthew Lowe
20	MF	ALG	Hamza Bencherif
22	FW	JAM	Ricky Sappleton
23	FW	WAL	Matthew Tipton
24	FW	ENG	Vinny Mukendi
25	MF	ENG	Michael Thomas
26	MF	ENG	Adam Roberts
28	FW	ENG	Craig Lindfield
30	DF	BEL	François Kompany
31	DF	ENG	James Askey
32	MF	ENG	Adam Duke

Records

Darren Tinson holds the record for Macclesfield League appearances, with 263 between 1997 and 2003..

John Askey holds the overall appearance record for the club in all competitions. His 20 year playing career taking in more than 700 games. John remains at the club and has also managed the Reserves to a League title and currently manages the Youth Team. John was manager of the first team for six months before the arrival of Brian Horton. Steve Wood played for Macclesfield and became a real hero for them during his time played at Macclesfield Town F.C

The most goals scored by a Macclesfield player in a single season is 83, achieved by Albert Valentine in the 1933-34 season.

The record transfer fee paid by the club is the £40,000 paid to Bury for Danny Swailes in 2005, and the record fee received is £300,000 from the sale of Rickie Lambert to Stockport County in 2002.

Sources

• Macclesfield Town at the Football Club History Database
• "Saga of the Silkmen - A History of Macclesfield Town FC"(Carnegie Publishing 2001)

External links

• Macclesfield Town Official Website
• Macclesfield Town F.C. on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results and fixtures
• The Silkmen Supporters Trust website
• TheSilkWeb.co.uk - Twitter page