It’s coming together
“ We’ll be ready to compete” declares Silkmen boss Askey
JOHN Askey is more eager than ever to get the season going, as he’s had the green light to complete his squad.
Askey took his concerns – that the existing budget simply wouldn’t stretch far enough to put together a competitive squad – to owner Amar Alkadhi.
When he was still needing defenders, wingers, a goalkeeper and a goalgetter, the Macclesfield manager was given the go-ahead by Alkadhi.
“I had a meeting with Amar and I was pleasantly surprised,” said Askey ahead of the Silkmen’s pre-season friendly against Rochdale.
“I told him what I still needed and he said ‘OK, go and sign them then.’ I think he realises that without a bit extra it would have been virtually impossible this season.
“If you can’t get the players you can’t compete and no one would be turning up to watch.”
Askey admits his squad still has some way to go ahead of the first match against Braintree on August 9 but the picture he paints is much rosier than that of a couple of weeks ago.
Rhys Taylor will compete with Ritchie Branagan for the keeper’s jersey after he returned to the Moss Rose on non-contract terms and, with David Gonzalez and Matthew Barnes-Homer still possible signings it’s primarily the defence where Askey’s efforts will be focused this week.
“We’ve done well to get the squad to where it’s at right now but we’re still behind other teams in our preparation and we’ve not been able to have much ballwork or set-pieces together,” he revealed. “But we’re looking a hundred times better than a few weeks ago, we’re more like a team now.
“If we can get these finishing touches to our squad – and we still need experience and height in the defence – we can go into the first game with confidence.
“We’ve got a talented Icelandic lad in, but I can’t pronounce his name, and we might look to the Stoke academy, they may have a few lads who’d be suitable. If we can get a little bit of luck and get off to a good start this time around we should be OK.”