Macclesfield Town is once again in mourning, after the shock death of popular midfielder Richard Butcher. ‘Butch’ was found dead at his home in Manchester on Monday morning after he failed to turn up for training.

He was 29.

Fellow players, club staff and football supporters from around the country have united in grief with the Silkmen.

Northampton-born Butcher was highly regarded by fans and, perhaps more tellingly, his fellow players, who acknowledged his influence and character.

Regarded as the fittest player on the Moss Rose books, Butcher has been hailed as an ideal role model for younger players.

Tragedy last struck the club just 10 months ago, after the passing of manager Keith Alexander, who collapsed and died a matter of hours after a midweek match.

Butcher, a long-time friend and colleague of Alexander and present manager Gary Simpson, is thought to have been the last one from the club to see ‘Big Keith’ alive that evening.

He came to Macc on a two-year deal in the summer after impressing in a loan spell with the club the previous season. He was so keen to rejoin the club that he and wife Sarah, who married in the summer, had relocated to Manchester.

He had been once again making his mark in the team following a spell out with a knee injury, and his last goal for the club came via a remarkable volley at Bury on New Year’s Day.

His celebration saw Butcher make a beeline for Simpson, who later revealed that it was a thank-you gesture for a message of support sent to Butcher by the manager for a number of missed chances in the previous game at Oxford United.

A book of remembrance has been opened in the club’s McIlroy Suite for people to pay their respects to Butcher, and the Silkmen’s League Two game at Burton Albion this Saturday has been postponed, in agreement with the Brewers and the Football League. That means that the team’s next outing, at home to Barnet, will take place on January 22, which would have been Butcher’s 30th birthday.

"The lads will stay strong," said vice-captain Nat Brown, who was also a colleague from their days at Lincoln City. "The game is off this week but when we get back in action we’ll be giving everything for Butch. We’ll be looking to win games to honour him. It’s such a sad loss."

Fellow midfielder Paul Bolland added: "Butch was probably the most dedicated professional I’ve ever come across in my time. He was a genuinely nice guy and a great role model.

"It’s very upsetting to lose someone at such a young age, so we’ll pull together for him."