Key trio turn down offers
MACCLESFIELD Town have suffered setbacks in the last week after three of their key players decided to leave the club for National League rivals.
Captain Andy Halls and defender John McCombe have departed to join Chester, while midfielder Ollie Norburn has signed for Tranmere Rovers.
All three players were offered new deals at the Moss Rose, but they have instead decided turn them down and head else- where. Halls had made over 100 appearances for Macc after arriving in 2013, but he felt the time was right to move on and join Chester.
“I had four great years at Macclesfield but it was time for a change and time for me to get out of my comfort zone,” he told the Chester Chronicle. “I was named captain last season and it was a season that I really enjoyed but I knew I needed to try my luck elsewhere and test myself a bit.
“There wasn’t really the security I was looking for at Macclesfield with some of the things happening behind the scenes and I didn’t get the contract I had hoped. Chester has always struck me as a great club, one that is run really professionally and it is something that I wanted to be a part of.”
Halls came through the youth ranks at Stockport County and spent four years with the team before the defender’s switch to the Silkmen.
As for Norburn, he leaves Macclesfield after spending the past season with the club after joining last summer.
The 24-year-old has now signed a two-year deal with Tranmere, and manager Micky Mellon has revealed he has had his eye on the new recruit for a while.
“Ollie is a player we watched closely last season and I’m pleased we are able to bring him to the club,” he said.
“He fits into the type of player that we want to bring to Tranmere; he’s young, hungry and ambitious and a talented midfield player who has an eye for goal so I believe he is a very good addition to our squad.”
Norburn began his career with Leicester City, before going on to play for the likes of Bristol Rovers, Plymouth Argyle and Guiseley.
Macclesfield have also announced the players that will be leaving the club this summer after they were not offered new deals. Dan Cowan, Scott Flinders, Andy Haworth, Jack Sampson and Chris Sutherland are all set to depart the Moss Rose.
‘There wasn’t really the security I was looking for at Macclesfield’