Patience key in shaping squad
MACCLESFIELD Town have urged supporters to be patient as they begin to shape the playing squad for their return to the Football League.
So far this summer, the Silkmen have agreed deals with Nathan Blissett, Callum Evans and Tyrone Marsh, who join Elliott Durrell, Jared Hodgkiss and Ryan Lloyd in the squad for next season.
David Fitzpatrick, Keith Lowe, George Pilkington, Scott Wilson, Kieran Kennedy, Mitch Hancox and Danny Whitaker have all been offered new deals.
There have been departures though, most recently Danny Whitehead who has left Macc in order to join National League side Salford City.
Macclesfield are looking to add new players to their title-winning squad, but the club are keen to stress that it will be a long process.
In a statement, the club said: “The football club is in the process of speaking with potential new recruits. John Askey has put forward a number of targets, which are being pursued.
“At this stage, agreement on deals will not happen overnight, so please bear with us as we seek to build the best squad that we can.
“The club is delighted to have made offers to those players being retained, which are substantially higher than their current deals and reflect the achievements of last season.
“The fine tuning of those deals is currently being worked through with each player individually and like the fans, we are keen to finalise these negotiations as quickly as possible. However, the process takes time and we must respect the wishes and privacy of those to whom discussions relate.
“That said, the club is delighted to have now agreed deals with Nathan Blissett, Callum Evans and Tyrone Marsh, who join Elliott Durrell, Jared Hodgkiss and Ryan Lloyd in our squad for next season.
“We were obviously sorry that Danny Whitehead has moved on to Salford City and won’t be enjoying League Two football with us.
“The club made Danny a very strong offer in order to retain his services, but in the circumstances we respect Danny’s decision and of course wish him well for the future, as we did when he left for Wigan Athletic.”
‘Agreement on deals will not happen overnight, so please bear with us’
Meanwhile, Macclesfield have also announced that they will be taking on Stockport County in a preseason match this summer.
The Silkmen are set to head to Edgeley Park to take on their Cheshire neighbours on Saturday 28 July, with kick-off scheduled for 3:00pm.
The two teams met in a friendly last season, where Macc suffered a 5-2 defeat. Ticket details will be announced in the coming weeks.