A month-by-month review of the 2025/26 Enterprise National League North campaign, reaching the penultimate month of the season!
April began with the best possible result away at local rivals Buxton on Good Friday, regaining the bragging rights having fell to defeat on Boxing Day at the Leasing.com Stadium, a Paul Dawson brace, coupled with strikes from Elliot Osborne and Luke Duffy would secure a 4-2 victory for Macc to take back across the A537, further increasing our advantage in the play-offs to third place.
The squad would then head to Macclesfield District General Hospital to put smiles on the faces of young patients and staff alike, warmly receiving gifts and easter eggs alike, to brighten their Easter weekends.
A brief blip in on-field performances would be experienced shortly after though as the Silkmen weren’t able to repeat the same feat against Chester at the latter end of the Easter weekend, losing 2-0 to a strong Seals side.
Keen not to dwell on the disappointment of the Chester game, Macc then headed for South Wales for their third from final away game of the regular 2025/26 Enterprise National League North season, keen to finalise a place in the play-offs away at Merthyr Town and were able to do just that, defying the odds having been reduced to ten men in the first half after Sam Heathcote was dismissed for a second bookable offence, turning the game on it’s head courtesy of a last-ditch James Edmondson strike to ensure Macc would have a shot at promotion via the play-offs.
Given the Silkmen’s largely continued success, John Rooney was deservedly awarded Manager of the Month for March having guided Macc in to the play-offs and since cemented their place in the top 7.
The Silkmen’s travels would continue to the opposite end of the UK as they headed up to South Shields for what was to be an evening to forget in their penultimate away trip of the regular season, unable to carry the momentum gained from the win at Merthyr, and were put to the sword by the high-flying side from the North East, continuing their charge for the league title.
Macc’s fortunes would go unchanged on their return to the Leasing.com Stadium with defeat to Spennymoor Town, loosening our grip on third place, dropping to fourth with Kidderminster Harriers on the rise and taking the place Macc appeared bound for.
This was addressed in our final home game of the regular season against Southport, ensuring the Silkmen faithful would be treated to a positive final performance ahead of the play-offs, with Isaac Buckley-Ricketts and Lewis Fensome ensuring a 2-1 victory against the Sandgrounders. Ahead of the fixture, Macclesfield FC and Rob Smethurst were honoured to be awarded Freedom of the Town by Macclesfield Town Council, the highest honour that can be bestowed.
With Macc’s final position confirmed as fourth, despite the win against Southport, third was now out of reach, allowing for squad rotation in the final game of the standard season away at Radcliffe, providing starts for those who hadn’t featured recently, and to stake a claim for involvement in our upcoming play-off eliminator against Chester at the Leasing.com Stadium, including a place on the bench and cameo appearance for BTEC programme and Youth Academy graduate Jamie Walker.
Despite the somewhat less urgent feel to the fixture, both sides still clearly wished to end the season on a high with Macc hoping to gather momentum before heading in to the play-offs, though were narrowly beaten by a single goal away at Radcliffe on the final day.
With the 2025/26 campaign nearing an end, all eyes were now firmly fixed on the play-offs and our eliminator fixture against Chester the following Wednesday, with a point to prove, the Silkmen prepared for the battle of Cheshire and deservedly came out on top having fought tooth and nail to get the desired result, a special moment would be provided by Luke Duffy in the dying seconds, whose inswung corner found its way directly in at the near post, lining up a semi-final away at Kidderminster Harriers the following Saturday.
Following the conclusion of the regular season, Vice Captain Lewis Fensome broke the all time appearance record for Macclesfield FC, bringing up 187 stints in a blue shirt, recognised accordingly by the Club at the Player of the Year awards in May.
Results in April:
Buxton FC 2-4 Macclesfield FC
Macclesfield FC 0-2 Chester FC
Merthyr Town 1-2 Macclesfield FC
South Shields 4-1 Macclesfield FC
Macclesfield FC 0-2 Spennymoor Town
Macclesfield FC 2-1 Southport FC
Radcliffe 1-0 Macclesfield FC
Macclesfield FC 2-1 Chester FC
