Everyone at Macclesfield FC would like to congratulate John Rooney on an incredibly successful first year in charge of the Silkmen!
On July 1st 2025, an unprecedented change took place at the Leasing.com Stadium, with Rooney taking charge just two days before the beginning of the Silkmen’s pre-season campaign in preparation for their inaugural season in the Enterprise National League North, following the departure of former Manager and Director of Football Robbie Savage.
With just over a month until the beginning of the new season in the sixth tier of English football, then Chairman Rob Smethurst took the swift decision to promote Rooney from player to Manager within hours of Savage’s departure. Having previously discussed the possibility of undertaking the role should the opportunity arise, it was the perfect scenario, albeit sooner than anticipated, for Rooney to take the reins for the 2025/26 campaign.
Immediately hindered by the departure of three impactful players, Laurent Mendy, Tre Pemberton and Neil Kengni, the job was made even more challenging, though was one the new boss relished. Requiring a swift learning curve, Rooney began the mammoth task of building a team to his taste, albeit largely retaining the services of the majority of the previous season’s Northern Premier League record-breaking side, plus the early addition of Isaac Buckley-Ricketts.
It was less than ten days in to his reign that Rooney would take his first pre-arranged non-competitive game as Manager against Mansfield Town in a pre-season friendly, falling to defeat against the EFL League One side, though was able to gain an understanding of what was required ahead of the new campaign.
Rooney quickly made five new signings in the form of Josef Yarney, Regan Griffiths, Ethan McLeod, Carlos Dos Santos and Luke Matheson inbetween further pre-season tests against Newcastle Town, Halifax Town, Connah’s Quay, Barwell and Manchester City U21’s, before recruiting what the man at the helm hails to this day as his best signing, Assistant Manager Francis Jeffers.
John made a further addition to the Goalkeeping department in the form of Joe Nicholson ahead of the season’s successful opener against Worksop Town, from which the Silkmen emerged as 3-1 victors, before drafting in Luis Lacey at full-back ahead of our first trip to Oxford City, which didn’t go as planned, though amends were made three days later with the Gaffer’s first win on the road coming at Southport.
The new regime picked up a further five points from the remaining three games of the opening month in what proved to be a strong start against all odds, also recruiting Luke Griffiths before the close of August.
September and October would prove to be a reality check with difficult results following both at the Leasing.com Stadium and away from home, though would also signal the beginning of what would become a historic Emirates FA Cup run, eventually equaling Macclesfield Town’s previous record progression in the competition. Victories came in the qualifying rounds against Atherton LR, Nantwich Town and Stamford, despite the unexpected departure of Sean Etaluku to Forest Green Rovers. A familiar face to the Silkmen faithful, James Edmondson returned from Blackburn Rovers, whilst a close ally of Rooney, Josh Kay, would also join on loan from Oldham Athletic. Max Woltman also joined following his departure from Oxford United.
Rooney’s Silkmen would see a return to form in the league in November, climbing as high as 8th, flirting with the play-off places, signalling a statement of intent early on in the season, progressing to the Second Round of the Emirates FA Cup following victory on home turf against AFC Totton whilst also juggling a further two competitions in the form of the Isuzu FA Trophy and Cheshire Senior Cup, both of which Rooney would guide his team to the next round in with victories against Prescot Cables and Congleton Town respectively.
December would be the biggest rollercoaster of all for Rooney and all associated with Macclesfield FC, with progression to the Third Round of the Emirates FA Cup having dispatched Slough Town in front of the TNT Sports cameras, before devastatingly losing Ethan McLeod in tragic circumstances after the Silkmen’s win away at Bedford Town. In what John admitted himself was one of the hardest thing he had to do, the Manager rang each and every individual player to make them aware of the news before gathering later that day as a Club to privately mourn his passing.
Unable to shake off the immense feeling of loss, the Silkmen dropped to 15th in the National League North following back-to-back losses against Buxton and Chester over what was a somber festive period, and without doubt the lowest point in the Club’s season and Rooney’s short Managerial career to date.
Finding the motivation to turn around what appeared to be a unrecoverable opening season in charge was one of John’s biggest and most admirable achievements in his entire career as both a manager and player, earning him Manager of the Month for January, experiencing the opposite ends of the emotional scale within weeks of one another, as a day which will live long in the memory of every Macclesfield fan followed, resulting in the biggest ever Emirates FA Cup upset against then competition holders Crystal Palace at the Leasing.com Stadium.
John was accompanied by brother Wayne, along with the World’s press to celebrate the historic achievement, who descended on Macclesfield, recognising the magnificent job John had done to turn the ship around following such a harrowing experience just weeks earlier. With focus turning towards both the league and the oldest competition in England, the Silkmen nobly bowed out of the Isuzu FA Trophy, albeit not for the want of trying following defeat away at Woking in the Fourth Round.
Rooney drafted in further reinforcements in January in the form of Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Kacper Pasiek following the extensive injury suffered by Brandon Lee in the Slough game, Mikey Stone would provide an additional offering in midfield whilst James Gale would bolster Macc’s attacking ranks with the loss of Danny Elliott for the remainder of the 2025/26 season, also through injury.
The momentum gained from the Cup run and fear setting in amongst teams facing Macc would swiftly set in and result in a rapid upturn in form in the National League North, reaching the play-off positions once more by the time our FA Cup Fourth Round tie against Brentford rolled around, again hosted at the Leasing.com Stadium along with the fifth round draw, televised around the globe. Ultimately, the Premier League side would prove too much for Macc on the night, owing only to an own goal from Sam Heathcote under the cosh having been reduced to ten men moments earlier through injury to Lewis Fensome.
Rooney’s men wouldn’t be troubled by the Cup knockout, and instead turn it in to a positive as they would sustain the incredible run of form from February through until the end of the season, winning Manager of the Month for March along the way.
Macc were rocked by the departure of D’Mani Mellor, who headed to Gloucestershire, but were also bolstered by the addition of Rogan Ravenhill, Anjola Popoola, Theo Chapman and Harry McHugh, who would help the side of reach the heights of 3rd and eventually finishing in fourth spot, teeing up a play-off eliminator against Chester, who had taken maximum points from Macc during the season, but with the ultimate aim of promotion now firmly in sight, Macc would come good in the sudden death occasion, progressing to the semi-final deep in to extra-time directly from a Luke Duffy corner.
Kidderminster Harriers would prove to be Macc’s final opponents as they came up short in the semi-final at Aggborough, though Rooney & his squad could be extremely proud of the season they’d had, and were applauded way beyond the final whistle by over a thousand travelling Silkmen fans.
Rooney himself would speak of how proud he was of his group, how much he had learned and enjoyed his first season in charge and now prepares for a second season at the helm and in the National League North having signed a new deal during the off-season to remain in charge for at least another three years.
John has made six new summer signings to date, George Wilson, Lincoln McFayden, Christian Dibble, Fin Shrimpton, Ammar Dyer and Jon Ustabasi, all of whom joined up with the squad as Rooney rallied his squad for the first day of pre-season training yesterday.
Everyone at Macclesfield FC is in awe of what John and his team have achieved in their first twelve months together and are extremely excited for what is to come, starting with the 2026/27 season in the Enterprise National League North.
Congratulations, Roons!
