Macclesfield had done brilliantly well in the season before that one, almost reaching the play-offs but then falling right at the end. John Askey was now determined to build another strong squad and continue the progression that he has masterminded at a Lancashire club short one funds but rich in spirit and determination. He did lose some of his best players from the previous season as Scott Barrow, Rhys Taylor and Adriano Moke found new clubs. But he still acquired some good quality in the squad as Neill Byrne and Tony Diane bolstered the defence and experienced keeper Shwan Halal was signed up too. It was a rather frustrating start of the season for the Macc as they offered some good moments and hinted at genuine quality in the squad. But there was also feebleness and lack of consistency certainly hampered them. They won only one of the first six games, conceding five goals at Lincoln and collapsing in the last minute against Chester. But a defiant response was produced at the start of September when a top side like Grimsby were beaten 2:0 on the road. The team also claimed another impressive scalp when defeating leaders Forest Green 4:1 at home a couple of weeks later. Striker Kristian Dennis emerged as a surprise key player over the course of the season, having arrived on loan for the season from Stockport in the division below. The young striker had shown little prior to this season to suggest that he was capable of feats like that. Yet he was showing impressive movement in and around the box and even better finishing as the Silkmen finally started to get on a strong run of form. They won four and drew one out of five games in October, conceding just a singe goal during that run. Askey was now seeing the fruits of his work as the team began to gel and gain traction as the season went on. Danny Whitaker was patrolling things in midfield and was aided well by Paul Turnbull and Paul Lewis, while Danny Whitehead turned out to be a really valuable asset to the squad as well. Four more wins on the bounce followed in November, including excellent away wins away at strong sides like Woking and Wrexham. Dennis really hit a purple patch during that time and went on a quite stunning run of 18 goals in 18 games until the start of January. The team looked in good position to challenge for the play-offs and scored a big win at the start of 2016 as top dogs Tranmere were beaten on then road, seeing the Silkmen move into the top five for a first time all season. But that win also proved the ending of their positive run as the Silkmen suddenly lost all momentum and energy in the next two months. They suddenly lost four games in a row and immediately the play-offs were looking a very distant proposition. There was no particular reason for that downturn, with the key players staying relatively fit, but Askey’s side just became really predictable and dour in attack, with Dennis not getting nearly as many goals as he did in the first half of the season. There was some improvement for the final six weeks of the season as Macclesfield actually suffered just a single defeat, to champions Cheltenham a week before the end, from their final 11 games. But wins were too few during that run and a late charge for the play-offs was not possible. Thus, a rather frustrating but still pretty decent season came to an end for the Silkmen and Askey will hope to be given the funds to build another competitive squad next season.
