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Tartan trip in sight

Marc Iles
26/ 5/2004

MACCLESFIELD Town will be swapping silk for tartan after announcing a mini tour of Scotland as part of their pre-season preparations.

The Silkmen will take on Clyde on Wednesday July 21 before facing Dumbarton on Saturday July 24. They also travel to Congleton Town on Friday, May 16 (tbc) before hosting Derby County at Moss Rose on Wednesday, July 28. A select Macclesfield side will take on Buxton on Monday, July 26 and Leek Town on Monday, August 2.

The club are also hoping to line-up Premier League or division one opposition for the weekend before the season starts.

With Macc boss Brian Horton away on holiday, assistant John Askey has been holding the fort - and sorting through hundreds of emails and phone calls from players and their agents, eager to find a club before the official FA retained list is issued at the end of the month.

Speculation among fans is rife as usual - with names which have been banded about ranging from Teddy Sherrigham to Darren Dunning, but Askey said the club want to continue their recruitment policy from the best second and third division players.

He told us: "We have got a couple of players in mind, and we think another five or six players should give us a good chance of making the play-offs."

"Premiership players are out of reach for third division clubs. We think it's possible to get first or second division players on our budget, and as we have shown, we can bring in some pretty good third division players as well."

Horton has already speculated a squad of 24 players would suit a play-off challenge - and after recruiting teenagers Tommy Rooney and Joey Jones last week, Macc are set to sign two more youngsters from first division clubs over the next couple of days.