STEVE Macauley is on the verge of settling his contract at Macclesfield Town after falling out of favour at Moss Rose.
The experienced defender told Express Sport he wished his team-mates the best of luck in their fight against relegation, but admitted he has been left disappointed by his final days with the club.
Macauley was offered a severance deal and said goodbye to the rest of the squad with no ill-feeling, but received a call from new boss Brian Horton to ask him to stay on when he was appointed late last week.
The defender claims he had already started to look for a new club, where he hopes to use his physiotherapy qualifications, and could not return as a matter of "personal pride".
He said: "When they paid Colin Little up to allow him to sort himself out by the end of the season, I thought they had set a bit of a precedent."
Macauley added: "I asked John (Askey) what their intentions were for me, and I was told they would not be offering me another contract because of my injuries. Obviously I thought they were making a mistake, but most players would in my situation."
"They wanted me to remain with the club, which was fine, because I would give 100 per cent and help them avoid relegation. But when the Northampton game came around, I wasn't even named on the subs bench."
"After that performance I thought we would be in line for a shot, but after the Lincoln game John told me I would be paid up."
"I didn't want to sit around, so I started making calls. Then I got a call from Brian Horton, who asked what my situation was. It was all a bit farcical, but Brian said fair enough, and wished me good luck."
"It is not the ideal way to finish at Macclesfield Town, but I don't hold any grudges against John (Askey). I like the guy, but I still think it has ended on a bit of a sour note. I think I'm worth more than that, it's not just professional, it's personal pride."
Macauley made 38 appearances for Macclesfield Town, 14 of which were on loan from Rochdale at the end of last season. He scored one goal, in the 3-3 home draw with Torquay United in November, 2003.
