Thirty years ago today, we woke up to the devastating news that Macclesfield Town Chairman Arthur Jones had tragically taken his own life.
Arthur was an incredibly well-respected, decent man who unquestionably poured his heart and soul into our Football Club.
His name is not only eternally woven into the fabric of our Football Club, but is also synonymous with one of the most successful periods in our history.
Joining the Club as a Director in December 1992, Arthur ascended to the role of Chairman less than twelve months later.
Even in those early days, it was clear that Arthur was not content with just watching history write itself. He was a visionary, whose passion was supported by considerable financial backing.
Arthur’s first season at the helm was tumultuous to say the least, as Peter Wragg’s Silkmen side achieved notoriety in the FA Cup by becoming the first non-league side to beat a league team on penalties when they knocked Chesterfield out of the competition, but struggled to make an impact in the Vauxhall Conference.
Relegation from the fifth tier looked a distinct possibility throughout much of the second-half of the season, and this understandably gave rise to much uncertainty within the Boardroom and the terraces alike.
That was only to be alleviated on the final day of the season, when Roy Green’s iconic strike against champions Wycombe Wanderers (coupled with Altrincham’s victory against Farnborough) saw our Conference status preserved in the most dramatic of circumstances.
Silkmen fans celebrate a dramatic final day victory at champions Wycombe Wanderers that preserved our Vauxhall Conference status back in 1993.
The celebratory scenes that followed will never be forgotten by all those lucky enough to have been at Adams Park that day, but shortly after, Arthur and the Macclesfield Town Board of Directors had a heart-wrenching decision to make.
After seven years at the helm, Macclesfield Town would ultimately part ways with Peter Wragg in May 1993, signalling the end of a period that saw the Club claim an unprecedented NPL treble in 1987, appear at Wembley Stadium in the 1989 FA Trophy Final, and become regular FA Cup giantkillers.
But more than all of that, Peter’s departure left a tangible vacuum in the hearts and minds of us all. To say that he was a charismatic figure is probably the world’s biggest understatement, and the Board of Directors knew that whoever followed in his footsteps had to be right – on a multitude of different levels.
The process that followed was concluded by the appointment of former Manchester United and Northern Ireland midfielder, Sammy McIlroy.
After an inauspicious stint at Northwich Victoria, one may have been forgiven for thinking that McIlroy’s appointment represented a gamble – yet Arthur saw something in Sammy which would ultimately change the course of history.
A seventh-place finish, coupled with Drinkwise Cup silverware represented an encouraging first season for McIlroy’s side – yet in the summer of 1994, nobody could have predicted what was to follow.
Arthur had significantly backed McIlroy in the transfer market following his appointment, and in turn, Sammy had quietly gone about his business assembling what we now know to be one of the most feared non-league teams ever seen.
By December 1994, The Silkmen had forged a commanding lead at the top of the Vauxhall Conference, and our 2 – 0 home victory against Woking represented a tenth consecutive win – setting a fifth tier record.
All of a sudden, Macclesfield Town had a very real chance of promotion to the Football League.
Or so we thought…
Despite our successes on the pitch, our main opponent turned out to be the Football League itself.
This was due to the fact that membership was dependent on passing ground regulation requirements by December 31st – a full seven months before a potential debut season within the elite 92 would have commenced.
Kidderminster Harriers had fallen foul of this rule twelve months earlier, and because contractors had experienced issues that delayed the opening of a new cantilever stand covering the Star Lane End by ten weeks, the door to the Football League seemed to be firmly shut.
Yet the story is made even more bizarre with reference to the fact that Chester City had used the Moss Rose for two years between 1990 and 1992.
Within this period, Chester played all their Football League “home” fixtures here in Macclesfield and had even entertained Arsenal in the League Cup at the Moss Rose.
So why couldn’t this mutually beneficial agreement be reciprocated?
Well, according to the Football League, the rules had changed, and Chester was now outside the Macclesfield conurbation.
In essence, the Football League were quite blatantly protecting its membership, and Arthur Jones gallantly took them on.
The issue not only made national news, but through MP Nicolas Winterton, made its way to the Minister of Sport Iain Sproat – who fully supported our case.
Macclesfield Town – GM Vauxhall Conference Champions 1995.
Despite all of this, the Football League remained resolute, and although Macclesfield Town went on to claim the Vauxhall Conference title for the first time in our history, promotion was not forthcoming.
For Arthur, Sammy and everyone associated with the Club, this really was a bittersweet moment.
On the one side, we had won the Vauxhall Conference almost at a canter but had been denied our rightful promotion thanks to what can only be described as spurious reasons at best.
On the other, nobody could deny the monumental achievement that winning the Conference undeniably represented.
It elicited pride as well as frustration, defiance as well as anger, but most poignantly, an unbreakable unity that would be the catalysing force behind so much of what was to follow.
Led by Arthur, the whole Club was galvanised by the perceived injustice and further financial backing was given to Sammy in a bid to improve the team even further.
The following season saw The Silkmen finish fourth in the Conference, which to some may have seemed a little disappointing, but a second FA Trophy win at Wembley Stadium certainly made up for that!
Sat in the Royal Box, Arthur beamed with joy as he witnessed Neil Howarth lift the Trophy after a 3 – 1 victory over Cheshire rivals Northwich Victoria.
Tony Hemmings – his iconic goal sealed our FA Trophy win back in 1996.
As much as the Trophy win represented another magnificent achievement, there can be no doubt that promotion was the only objective for many in the summer of 1996.
The season started well enough, with four wins from the first five games representing an encouraging return.
Six points from the next four games meant that The Silkmen resided in third spot after our goalless draw against pacesetters Kidderminster Harriers on 14th September; but all of this was soon to become irrelevant.
On 19th September 1996, Chairman Arthur Jones was found dead at his business premises.
Arthur had taken his own life by shooting himself.
The outpouring of emotion that followed can never be put into words, as everyone associated with the Club experienced a numbness that can never be forgotten.
The state of shock that transcended the entire Club affected every single one of us in unimaginable ways.
And yet, just two days later, Neil Howarth led the team onto the pitch to face Bath City as we collectively stood together to honour Arthur.
Basked within a wall of silence, barely a word was said for the full ninety minutes – whether that be on the pitch or in the terraces.
No words would ever have been adequate anyway.
The surrealism of the occasion was overwhelming, and yet 1091 people were emotionally united with the Club through nothing more than their hearts and minds.
The unity that Arthur had done so much to nurture proved to be unbreakable – even in the most tragic of circumstances.
In the days and weeks that followed, the Club faced a severe existential crisis that could easily have seen us fold.
Creditors from Arthur’s businesses began to ask searching questions of the Football Club regarding amounts they were owed on an almost daily basis.
With this in mind, some members of the Board favoured resigning from the Vauxhall Conference and accepting the sanctions that would have been imposed by the football authorities.
Whilst that course of action would have been understandable, it would also have been deeply saddening – especially in light of all that had gone before.
Alan Cash assumed the role of Chairman and together with his Board, sought to defy the odds off the pitch.
Speculation was rife, but Alan set about the unenviable task before him in a quiet and diligent manner.
It was a truly grave situation, but solace was found on the pitch where Sammy’s team were quickly immortalising themselves.
At one stage just after Christmas, Macc were fifteen points behind Kidderminster Harriers, but Arthur’s memory functioned in creating an against-all-odds mentality which knew no bounds.
The deficit was whittled down, and we headed to Kettering Town on 3rd May 1997 knowing that victory would finally seal promotion to the Football League.
Despite Neil Lyne opening the scoring for the hosts, former Manchester United forward Peter Davenport restored parity in the ninth minute.
What was to follow undeniably represented one of the greatest-ever Silkmen performances by a single player, as Chris Byrne struck three times in twenty minutes to effectively end the game as a contest.
The game had been delayed by fifteen minutes to make sure that all the Silkmen fans were safely inside Rockingham Road, and as such, when news came through that Kidderminster had been beaten at Gateshead, McIlroy’s men were confirmed as champions.
Sammy McIlroy celebrates at Rockingham Road with hat-trick hero Chris Byrne and Phil Power.
There were so many heroes on show that day, yet the Silkmen fans greeted the news that they had dreamt about for so long by honouring one man – Arthur Jones.
Over and over again, Arthur’s name was sung with unequivocal pride, and when the final whistle blew, those songs only got louder.
Looking back now, the scenes at Rockingham Road almost felt like we were all in a trance.
Every single person could feel Arthur watching over us that day – with his beaming, infectious smile signalling that WE had collectively done it.
Arthur Jones unquestionably helped to change the narrative surrounding Macclesfield Town forever. His role in inspiring a generation of Silkmen supporters can never be exaggerated and must never be forgotten.
For this, we will forever be grateful.
Thank you, Arthur.
