A month-by-month review of the 2025/26 Enterprise National League North campaign, beginning with July!
After a record-breaking 2024/25 season in the Northern Premier League, promoted as Champions with a record 109 points having scored 109 goals, the mood at the Leasing.com Stadium was joyous as the Club looked ahead to it’s inaugural season in the National League North since reforming as Macclesfield FC.
Isaac Buckley-Ricketts was the Silkmen’s first summer signing under then Manager Robbie Savage, making an immediate statement of intent to the rest of Macc’s new league, the full list of contenders within which were confirmed just 48 hours later.
In preparation for taking on the challenge of a division higher, seven pre-season fixtures were announced, each fixture was set to take place in the month of July ahead of the league’s opening weekend in August.
Before the pre-season campaign could begin though, in an unexpected turn of events on July 1st, Manager Robbie Savage left for Forest Green Rovers, requiring swift action to replace the man at the helm, Silkmen player John Rooney took over the managerial reins at the Leasing.com Stadium within hours of Savage’s departure.
Instantly faced with the challenge of losing Laurent Mendy, Tre Pemberton and Neil Kengni, who each followed Savage to Gloucestershire, Rooney set about building his squad for the upcoming 2025/26 season. Josef Yarney was the new Manager’s first addition, signing within five days of his appointment to strengthen Macc’s defensive line.
Mansfield Town were the Silkmen’s first pre-season opponents, who got the better of Macc on their visit to the Leasing.com Stadium. Days later, forward Ethan McLeod became Rooney’s second signing as he began to put his own stamp on the team he’d featured so prominently in last season. Ethan was quickly followed through the door by midfielder Regan Griffiths ahead of Macc’s first victory of pre-season away at Newcastle Town.
A narrow defeat to Halifax was a difficult one to take for Rooney & co. having insisted the Silkmen were the better side for the duration. IFG graduate Carlos Dos Santos signed his first professional deal with the Club prior to a return to winning ways at home to both Connah’s Quay and Barwell, the latter of which earning Luke Matheson a contract with Macclesfield, who became the 5th signing of the summer whilst Dontai Gabidon headed out on loan to Warrington Town.
Francis Jeffers became Rooney’s right hand man on the final day of July in what would prove to be crucial to Macc’s fortunes later in the season, forming what would become a management trio of Rooney, Jeffers and Ant Curran.
Manchester City’s U21’s were also announced as the final visitors to the Leasing.com Stadium in pre-season ahead of the opening day of the league campaign, on which Worksop would be the Silkmen’s opposition for the second successive season.
(Pre-season) Results in July:
Macclesfield FC 0-2 Mansfield Town
Newcastle Town 0-3 Macclesfield FC
Macclesfield FC 0-1 Halifax Town
Macclesfield FC 2-1 Connah’s Quay
Macclesfield FC 2-1 Barwell
Players signed:
Josef Yarney
Ethan McLeod
Carlos Dos Santos
Regan Griffiths
Luke Matheson
