In association with Planet Sport Bet, Robbie Savage is taking us behind the scenes each week at Macclesfield FC.
Robbie has played one of the leading roles in the rebirth of a now-thriving football club, first as director of football, now as first-team manager as the Silkmen seek to climb their way from the ninth tier back to the Football League.
Macclesfield could be one game from the title in mid-March, but there are no rest days for the gaffer. He spent his sunny Saturday off at Leek Town…
I could be writing my next diary entry as a title-winning manager…
My Macc could seal the NPL title this weekend if we win at Morpeth Town on Saturday and Worksop fail to win their game at home to Hyde United. Should we both win, promotion will be ours if we beat Bamber Bridge the following week.
Would I rather win the title at home? I don’t care. Really. I just want it won. As soon as possible.
I wrote last week about our other targets this season, but we can’t focus on anything else until we’ve got the (C) on the league table. Until then, we’re taking absolutely nothing for granted.
So my focus has been on Morpeth Town. They deservedly beat us 2-0 at their place last season and they are flying at the moment, having won four and drawn one of their last five. They have put themselves in play-offs contention, with them and Worksop either side of us in the form table top three.
Momentum is huge at this stage of the season. Worksop’s form has thrust them into second place, while Morpeth can make the top five if they maintain their recent run. Both teams will have a few of the stuttering sides between them worried as the home straight comes into view. Some people questioned whether we might cave in. Perhaps they were projecting their own fear on to me.
I got to see Morpeth’s fine form for myself on Saturday. We had no game – it was a weekend ringfenced in the schedule for games that have had to be rearranged – but it was no day off. I could have spent a lovely, sunny Saturday afternoon with my family, or headed to Crawley to watch my son Charlie play for Reading. Instead, I went to Leek Town.
There I saw Morpeth claim a deserved win. Some people seemed surprised to see me, and a few seized an unexpected opportunity to give me some grief. But it was a very worthwhile trip. I learned much more about Morpeth having seen them with my own eyes.
We are fortunate that even down here in the seventh tier, we can access plenty of video to analyse and pore over, but there is no substitute for watching a team live. The video, more often than not, will follow the ball. If you’re there, you can pick out many more strengths to be wary of and weaknesses that can be exploited.
Morpeth have their own motivation for wanting to win on Saturday and their manager, Craig Lynch, has said he doesn’t want his team to be hosting a party for someone else this weekend. Quite right. We know how that feels having watched Marine celebrate promotion on our patch last year. So we’ll need to use all the information I gathered last weekend if we are to beat a very good, in-form side, and hope Hyde can surprise Worksop.
Only then would I be able to focus fully on what the future might hold. Of course, I’ve been planning for next season in my own mind and how the squad might shape up. When the title is won, then we can begin those conversations.
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I’m looking forward to talking to my players as much as those I’d like to bring to Macc, and I’ve identified two or three who could strengthen the group. But promotion won’t prompt an overhaul or an exodus. We built this squad with the National League North in mind, and I firmly believe these lads can thrive in the next tier.
They deserve their names on the back of their shirt; to see their league table on Sky Sports News; and all the other small details that can prompt a lot of pride for players rising through the league system. So retention, rather than recruitment, will be the first consideration since I have a squad of players currently out of contract in a couple of months.
Many of my boys were signed at the start of the current two-year plan which concludes, hopefully with promotion, at the end of this season. Then another two-year cycle will begin, the aim being to rise through the National League North to the National League and one step from the EFL. So anyone arriving this summer will be signed with the fifth tier of English football in mind.
But all that must wait, hopefully for just a few more days.
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