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.[5] 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 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 over the next five seasons a succession of managers including Gil Prescott, David Moss and club stalwart John Askey all took charge of the club without reaching the heights of the McIlroy era.
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, 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. Keith 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. |