Sentiment and friendship go out of the window this Saturday when John Askey takes his Silkmen to Chester.
While Macclesfield have taken 12 points from their unbeaten start his old mate and fellow Moss Rose favourite Steve Burr has seen his side limp along with four points from what was, on paper, a hugely tricky opening.
But Askey is determined to capitalise on the confidence and belief flowing freely within his squad, and sees a chance to shoot down a friend as extra incentive.
“They’ve had some tough games and some bad results early on but we won’t underestimate them,” he said. “And there’s always a bit more on it when you’re going up against your mates – you never want to lose to one of them. I probably kicked my team-mates harder in training than I ever kicked opponents on a Saturday, wanting to prove a point and it’s the same now.
“I want to win and I know Burry is the same. I know he’ll get a clap from our supporters but I hope once the whistle blows he’s their enemy, just for that 90 minutes.”
Askey admits Macc’s fine start - their win over Eastleigh made it three wins and three draws so far - has surprised many, himself included, given the restraints at the club.
And while multi-million pound deals kept Jim White in raptures on Sky Sports on Monday, Askey was content that his business has already been done for the summer, insisting: “We wanted to keep a low profile and didn’t want to be seen splashing a load of cash!
“I’ve not been on to the owner making crazy demands, I wouldn’t do if they weren’t in the best interests of the club. If we could improve what we have without risking the club’s future I’d have been shouting from the rooftops until I got my way.
“I’m very positive about how we’re competing, we all want to try to achieve something – if we didn’t think we could there’d be no point us even stepping onto the pitch.
“It’s a pleasure to be a part of this club, it’s not always been that way in recent years, if I’m honest, and I hope that continues for as long as possible.”
There’s also the hope that more on-field success will drag the crowds back through the gate. Askey says that’s one thing that would make a world of difference.
“I’ve always played for managers who wanted to play a certain way at Macc,” he added. “That’s getting it down, having two wingers and playing the right way. If we keep doing that and keep winning that’s the only way we’ll get them coming back. If we’re pulling together and the crowds start to return that good feeling will be rising even higher.”
Over at the Deva Stadium, Burr is keen to select from a full strength squad for Saturday's clash against the Silkmen as Chester attempt to kick-start their campaign.
Striker Craig Hobson scored for the Blues on Saturday at Gateshead before they conceded two second-half goals and left Tyneside empty handed.
“Danny Harrison, Kingsley James, and Peter Winn all picked up knocks in the Gateshead match, but I’m hoping they’ll all be fine for our home game against Macclesfield this weekend,” Burr said.
“I thought there were a number of good signs in our first-half performance on Saturday, but we have to sustain a performance over 90 minutes instead of just 45.
“It was disappointing to see the confidence drain out of my players after Gateshead scored their equaliser and I feel we now have to work hard to turn things round.”
