Key men pleased to stay on board
MACCLESFIELD TOWN ADAM BURGESS
IT’S been a week of positive news at the Moss Rose with attacker Chris Holroyd and veteran defender George Pilkington among five players to sign extended deals.
Holroyd joined the Silkmen on loan from Preston North End in 2012 but made the move permanent shortly after a five-month stint at Morecambe.
The 28-year-old has extended his time at Macc by another 12 months after netting four times in 40 games during the push towards the playoffs, often finding himself in an unfamiliar wideright role last season.
Holroyd will hope to improve on that total in the coming campaign and go one step further by achieving a top-five finish and he praised manager John Askey’s work so far this summer.
“The manager has done well to keep a core of players that he has wanted to keep. The club has got a bit of stability in terms of the manager and the squad,” he said.
“People seem to keep coming back so that is a big compliment to the manager.”
Holroyd
made
37 appearances in the league last season as well as two in the Cup providing goals and assists along the way.
“Building on the last two seasons, I’ve really enjoyed my time here, I’ve enjoyed working with the manager so it’s very pleasing to get signed up again.”
George Pilkington, who made more appearances than anyone at Macc last season, has also penned a new deal.
He played 44 times for the Silkmen last season and was a pivotal figure in their promotion push.
The 33-year-old has made it clear that he aims to stick with Macclesfield to fight for promotion again next season, despite interest for his signature from other clubs.
“It was an easy decision really, I had interest from elsewhere but my heart is here. Deep down I wasn’t ready to leave.”
The former Everton youth team player is very happy with the way the club operates in comparison to the more financially capable teams in the division and is convinced this is where he wants to play his football before his days in the game become limited.
When asked about the influence of the manager to sign the new deal, Pilkington responded: “He is a big part of how the club plays and he managed to
‘We’ve only got to go one better – it was a shame we didn’t reach the play-offs’
assemble a great team last year with less resources than a lot of the clubs in the division.”
“We’ve only got to go one better, it’s a shame we didn’t make the play-offs.”
Pilkington shared his disappointment in not reaching last season’s play-offs after a disappointing end to the season, especially away from home but he has insisted that this will only fuel the team’s determination to finish in the top five next year or even be promoted automatically. The centre-half is clearly not fazed by the financial backing of other clubs in the division and is confident in the system of development that John Askey has implemented at Moss Rose.
“There is no reason why we can’t compete.
“With a solid home record as recorded last season, added to by some tough away wins and Macc will again be part of the run-in for a promotion place.”