Macclesfield boss speaks out as club close in on hat-trick of promotions

The Silkmen have enjoyed a fairytale campaign on multiple fronts, progressing to the semi-finals of the FA Trophy before succumbing to defeat away at National League Gateshead.

They also finished the regular season second in the table, 10 points behind runaway leads Radcliffe, before advancing past fellow division newcomers Worksop Town 3-1 in their play-off semi-final on Tuesday night.

Goals from Kane Drummond, Alex Curran and Tunde Owolabi extended Macclesfield's season for another few days, and they will now face off against Marine at the Leasing.com Stadium on Bank Holiday Monday, with a place in the league above on offer for the winner.

“If you can’t get up for games like this, then it’s not for you this sport," said Clegg, who took charge in late February following the departure of Alex Bruce to Football League side Salford City.

“A few things got under my skin this week and that’s how I tried to get it around the lads.

“There was a lot of talk about it being Worksop Town’s first season in this league, but it’s also our first too and I don’t think that we got the respect that we deserved today, which really ruffled my feathers.

“But that’s a credit to our lads because our changing room is so strong. People are saying that the pressure is on us, which it is, and that’s what we enjoy.”

Macclesfield now have the opportunity to seal a third promotion in as many seasons, against a Marine side that they have already beaten home and away this season, both by a 2-1 scoreline.

The Mariners booked their place in the play-off final with a hard-fought 1-0 win at home to Clegg's former club Warrington Rylands - Sol Solomon's 17th goal of the season enough to see them past the Blues.

Looking ahead to their Bank Holiday Monday showdown, Clegg has urged his squad to make memories for the football club and its supporters, with a sell-out crowd expected to attend.

“Ever since I arrived here, I’ve gotten on so well with the fans," he added.

“When you’re at a club of this size, people want you to represent them in a certain way - fighting for the badge and working hard - and I think that we’ve done that since we came in.

“But it all means nothing if we don’t win on Monday, let’s not beat around the bush.

“If we don’t go up it will be a tough one to take, so we’ve got to go and seal the deal now on Monday."

“At this level, people are in it for different reasons but my main motivation is to have a picture in that centre circle with my two little boys on Monday with a trophy and I will give everything that I can to achieve that.”

Photo credit: Macclesfield