The Silkmen come toe-to-toe with Hebburn Town once again, this time in our latest Enterprise National League North encounter on Bank Holiday Monday.
There is just one case, as far as we are aware, of a player who has played for the Silkmen and the Hornets in their career.
That player is young Callum West, who burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old in Macclesfield FC colours.
West has had an incredible rise from his first appearance in a Silkmen shirt in the Cheshire Senior Cup to now featuring in Europe.
In October 2021, West was promoted from the Silkmen’s U16 squad to the First Team after a number of eye-catching performances.
The 16-year-old would get his first shot in the Cheshire Senior Cup at the start of December that year as he would make his senior debut against then National League side Stockport County.
West would continue to be given First Team opportunities under Danny Whitaker and Peter Band as the Silkmen looked to make their way up the North West Counties table.
The midfielder would go on to make eight appearances in all competitions for the Silkmen in the 2021/22 season, scoring on one occasion.
That one goal came in a 6-0 demolition of Avro at the Leasing.com Stadium as West got the Silkmen’s third on the day with a brilliant low-driven shot from the edge of the box.
West celebrates getting his first Macclesfield goal against Avro at just 16 years of age.
Still to this day, West is one of the youngest goal scorers in Macclesfield FC’s history, with him being just 16 years old at the time of his goal.
It had been an incredible breakthrough year for West, who was named Young Player of the Year for the 2021/22 season at the Club’s End of Season Awards.
West’s stellar season had caught the eye of some big sides, one of which was Premier League Club Burnley.
The Clarets signed West as part of their Academy U18 Squad in what was a major career move for the youngster.
West spent two years at the then Premier League Club as he continued his development playing in Premier League Two.
He was released from Turf Moor at the end of the 2023/24 season, where he would then go on to be picked up by League One side Barnsley.
West would spend the majority of his spell at Oakwell in the Club’s U21 setup but would get a taste of senior football once again through a series of loan moves.
The first of which would be to Hyde United in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, who at the time were in the same league as the Silkmen.
He joined the Tigers on a one-month loan deal and would feature three times during his short-term loan deal at the Project Solar Stadium.
One of those three appearances would be against the Silkmen as he came off the bench as a late substitute in a 5-2 defeat on New Year’s Day.
West briefly returned to Oakwell before he went on loan again, this time to our opponents today, Hebburn Town, for whom he joined until the end of the season.
West signs for Northern Premier League side Hebburn Town on loan from Barnsley.
The midfielder made five appearances during his loan in the North East, but injury cut short his loan spell with the Hornets.
It was a difficult spell for West at the Hornets, as after a good start to the league season for the newly promoted side, their form dropped off, which saw them finish 14th in the Northern Premier League in their opening season in the seventh tier.
West returned to Barnsley following his loan spell but was released at the end of the season.
At just 19 years of age, West went on to play in the Cymru Premier League and joining Connah’s Quay Nomads under the stewardship of John Disney.
His first season with the Nomads was a positive one, as they qualified for the UEFA Europa Conference League as they finished second behind The New Saints.
West made 21 appearances in his debut season in Wales, where he scored on eight occasions, playing a major role in their midfield.
West pictured with his Connah’s Quay squad ahead of their UEFA Europa Conference League clash with FC Balkani.
He would make his first European appearance in the Conference League Qualifiers as they came up against Kosovan side FC Balkani.
They would get a 0-0 draw at the Essity Stadium in the First Leg of the tie, before falling to a narrow 3-2 defeat in Kosovo, which saw them eliminated at the first hurdle.
It has been a great rise for West in what is still such an early stage of his career, with both the Silkmen and the Hornets playing a big part on his journey.
