Macclesfield eventually fell short of a play-off spot but can look back at a magnificent season with a lot of pride in their achievements. The Silkmen were forced to dispense with some big players over the summer due to financial problems and manager, John Askey, was forced into assembling a patched-up squad on the eve of the season kick-off. Everyone expected the Cheshire side to struggle badly at the bottom end of the season but they got off to a decent start, securing a few solid wins that bolstered confidence. Just the one defeat in the opening 11 games certainly brought momentum and belief into the squad, with the likes of Danny Whitaker and Phil Turnbull providing good base in midfield, while Luke Waterfall and George Pilkington were one of the most assured centre-back pairings in the league. The team recovered from a couple of losses in a row in late September to go on another excellent run of form, going nine games without a loss after that. Macclesfield were not playing some spectacular football but were able to get the points by the odd goal more often than not, proving to be one of the most efficient and economical sides in the league. They kept on rising in the table against the odds and moved into the play-off places by late November. The lack of injuries and the fact that the manager can select consistent line-ups aided the strong run of form as there was no let-down in form as the festive schedule arrived. The team continued to defy the odds after the turn of the year and five wins on the spin at the start of 2015 fuelled even a talk of a title challenge. Everyone expect the team to regress to the mean but it was just not happening, the entire squad chipping in with vital contributions to continue securing wins on consistent basis. There were finally signs of fatigue catching up with a rather small squad by late February as a thumping 4:0 loss at Eastleigh any optimistic talk of battle for the top spot. By then, with a very healthy points total, a play-off spot seemed assured. But the team went on a very poor run of two wins in ten games. Players suddenly started to flag, with the goals not coming and confidence starting to wane. It all boiled down to a key game away at direct rivals, Forest Green a couple of weeks before the end of the season. Askey’s men were outplayed on the day in a 3:1 loss and dropped down to sixth, needing other sides to drop points for them to sneak back into the play-off zone. Indeed, Forest Green would draw their last game, at home to Dover, and that meant that Macclesfield would qualify with a win at Torquay. But they managed to get only a 1:1 draw and missed out by a point. It is a hugely deflating completion of a season that offered so much joy to the fans and defied all odds. Askey will rue the missed opportunity as Macclesfield are unlikely to have such a shot at the big time again soon, with the core of the squad likely to leave due to the difficult financial situation.
