Macclesfield FC – or The Silkmen as they are nicknamed are one of only a handful of clubs from Cheshire who have been members of the Football League. Originally formed way back in 1876 (some sources say 1874 but we couldn’t confirm this), their proud history technically ended in 2020 when the original club was wound up. Fortunately, they are back for the forthcoming season and we think it fair to include their past successes in our quick guide to the club.
The team spend its early days playing in the Manchester League where they were twice winners before joining the Cheshire County League in 1919-20. They remained here up until the formation of the Northern Premier League 1n 1968-69. They were founder members and won the title in both of the first two seasons. This made it three championships in a row as they were Cheshire County League Champions in 1967-8. At that time they were a genuine powerhouse in the non-league game.
Macclesfield FC In The FA Cup
They reached the third round for the first time even in the 1967-8 season beating then league side Stockport County 4-1 in a replay on their way to a meeting with then Division 1 Fulham. They were far from disgraced losing 4-2 at Craven Cottage.
Although they would go on to reach round three several more times, their finest hour to date in the competition came in 2012-13 when they narrowly lost 1-0 at home to eventual winners Wigan Athletic in the Fourth Round. Ironically the team who finished runners up to them in their inaugural Northern Premier League Title win in 1968-69.
Other Cups
Macclesfield has won the FA Trophy on two occasions. They were the first-ever winners in 1970 beating Telford United 2-0. This was the “Non-League Double” as they also lifted the Northern Premier league Title that season.
They won it again in 1996 and have also been runners up twice, with Telford United gaining revenge in 1989 and were beaten by York City in a 3-2 thriller in 2017.
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They have also had near-unprecedented success in the Cheshire Senior Cup, having won it 21 times. They have also been beaten finalists 11 times including an unfortunate run of three losses between 1988 & 1990. Mind you they won the next two in a row which sort of made up for it.
Into The Football League
The Silkmen got their first taste of the Football League in the 1997-98 campaign and what a start it was! They finished in second place gaining promotion to Division Two at the first attempt. They should have had this earlier, however, after winning promotion to the league in 1994-95 they failed to meet the required ground standard.
Sadly they would go on to finish bottom in 1998-99, however, that remains their best ever league position and was some achievement for a small club. They also had their record attendance that year when they entertained Manchester City which attracted a near sell-out crowd of 6,381.
Ther remained in the Football League for 15 seasons before succumbing to relegation in 2011-12.
Back Into The League
After a few seasons of consolidation, Macclesfield FC won the Conference National in 2017-18 and regained their league status. Sadly financial woes beset them and despite surviving relegation, the suspended points deduction was later enforced points and they were demoted in place of Stevenage. This sadly led to the dissolving of the club.
Fortunately, they are back as a phoenix club for the 2021-22 season, all be it several tiers lower in the North West Counties Premier Division
A Brief Macclesfield FC Chronology
1876 First official game played – a 1-0 defeat by Stoke.
1882 Entered The FA Cup for the first time
1890 Won the Cheshire Senior Cup for the first time
1891 Joined The Combination League
1891 Move into Moss Rose
1897 The Original Club Folded
20th Century
1900 Reformed as Macclesfield Football Club & Joined The Manchester League
1908-09 Manchester League Champions
1919 Inagual Members of The Cheshire League
1921 Issued Their First Ever Matchday Programme
1931-32 First Cheshire League Title
1947-48 Record Attendance 9003 Vs Winsford United in The Cheshire Cup
1960-61 Reached the FA Cup 1st Round Proper for the first time
1965 Floodlights Installed at Moss Rose
1968 Reached The FA Cup 3rd Round for the first time
1968-69 Northern Premier League Champions
1970 FA Trophy Winners For the First Time
1986-87 Won Promotion to the Conference League
1989 Lost In The FA Trophy Final
1996 Won The FA Trophy for the second time
1997 First ever league match – a 2-1 win over Torquay United
1998 Promoted to Division Three
21st Century
2001 Won a then-record penalty shootout in the FA Cup (24 total penalties in an epic 11-10 win over Forest Green Rovers)
2002 Sold future England International Ricky Lambert to Stockport County for a club-record fee of £300,000
2007 Played Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup 3rd Round. The crowd was – 41,434 a record involving the club
2012 Relegated from the Football League
2017 FA Trophy Beaten Finalists
2017-18 National League Champions
2018-19 Back In the Football League
2020 Club put into Liquidation.
2021 – New club Macclesfield FC formed. Joined the North West Counties Premier Division.
Macclesfield FC List of Honours
League
National League
Champions 1994–95, 1996–97, 2017–18
Northern Premier League
Champions 1968–69, 1969–70, 1986–87
Cheshire County League
Champions 1931–32, 1932–33, 1952–53, 1960–61, 1963–64, 1967–68
Manchester League
Champions 1908–09, 1910–11
Cup Competitions
FA Trophy
Winners 1970, 1996
National League Cup
Winners 1993–94
Northern Premier League Challenge Cup
Winners 1986–87
Northern Premier League President’s Cup
Winners 1986–87
Cheshire Senior Cup
Winners 1889–90, 1890–91, 1893–94, 1895–96, 1910–11, 1929–30, 1934–35, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1953–54, 1959–60, 1963–64, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1982–83, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2014–15
Staffordshire Senior Cup
Winners 1992–93, 1995–96
Other records
Highest league position:
24 in Division Three 1998-99
Best FA Cup Run:
Round Four: 2012-13
Record Football League attendance 6,381 vs Manchester City Division Three 1998-99
Club Details
The information below will come in useful if you are planning to take in a game or just want to keep abreast of their performances.
Address
Macclesfield FC
Telephone 01625 426 708
Macclesfield FC On Social Media
So there you have it our quick guide to the club. If you want to see who else plays in the area check out our other local club pages here. Or for more information on the town itself, why not have a look at our Macclesfield town guide.
