There may not be coffers bulging with cash at the Moss Rose, and the playing squad is perhaps a face or two light, but one thing Macclesfield aren’t running low on is confidence.

And why should they?

John Askey (below) has somehow steered his side – assembled on a budget of buttons when compared to the division’s big-hitters – to the higher reaches of the table. With an end of the Moss Rose already named after him 'Sir John' offers the very definition of the term club legend, and he's strengthening his legacy with a gloriously unexpected charge at the top of the Conference.

His defence has shipped 35 goals at less than a goal a game and they've kept 16 clean sheets so far. Just one defeat has been inflicted on his men in 19 fixtures on home turf, one fewer than Sammy McIlroy’s 1996/97 side suffered.

And with a month-and-a-half or so of this remarkable season to go Askey and his 2015 vintage are within reach, almost, of confirming at least a play-off spot and a chance to go back into League Two that way, should the title prove a bridge too far.

“I expect to win every game we go into, whoever it is – whether you do or not is a different matter,” said Askey, who was clearly despondent after taking only a point from Saturday’s goalless draw at home to Aldershot.

“There isn’t that much difference between any of the teams in this league, we just have to give 100 per cent and hope our ability comes through.

Adriano Moke

“I was pleased we had so much pressure in the second half, we never really let them out. We needed to improve from the last few games and I thought we did.

“At the other end I think they only troubled Rhys (Taylor, goalkeeper) once or twice so defensively we looked solid but we just couldn’t get the ball in the net.”