STEVE Payne has revealed the heartache of having to leave Macclesfield Town.
The Silkmen legend left the Cheshire club by mutual consent after missing the whole of this season through injury.
Defender Payne, 29, suffered a micro-fracture of the knee in pre-season training and required an operation which left him a frustrated spectator this term.
And the fansé favourite has decided to part company with Macc in a bid to find another club before the start of next season.
éItés absolutely gut-wrenching to be leaving,é said Payne, who is out of contract at the end of the season. éIéve got a lot of feelings for the club because Iéve had so many great times here.
éIt wasnét an easy decision to make but I had to think of my future. I have spent most of the season watching the lads play and know that Brian (Horton) had been forced by my injury and by injuries to buy other defenders to strengthen in the middle of defence.
éConsequently, we now have six centre-halves at the club and though I am now fully fit, I realise I am the one player among those six who has not had any chance to prove himself and am therefore simply surplus to requirements.é
éIt has been the most frustrating season of my life and the hardest. Though I have played only six reserve team games in the last month, it has also been the most physically demanding season of my career.é
Payne, a qualified joiner, hopes to continue playing League football but would also consider joining a Conference side and taking advantage of his trade.
He joined Macclesfield from Huddersfield in 1994, originally on a three-month loan, before becoming the mainstay of a defence which gained successive promotions, initially from Conference and then into the old Division Two.
The Castleford-born stopper also played a integral role in Maccés FA Trophy Final success, scoring the opening goal in the 3-1 victory against Northwich Victoria at Wembley in 1996.
éMacclesfield will always be close to my heart, and will be in 20 years down the line,é added Payne, who left for Chesterfield in 1999 before returning to Moss Rose at the end of last season to help steer the club to safety. éIéve had so many fantastic memories at the club.
éI will be leaving Macclesfield having made many friends among the players, staff and fans, and I hope everyone at the club feels that I did my little bit at the end of last season to make sure Macc was a League club.é
