Macclesfield Town are celebrating after winning back their place in the Football League following a six year exile.
The Silkmen’s victory away to Eastleigh on Saturday saw the club earn promotion as champions of the National League.
They will play their football in League Two next season, with potential clashes against Notts County, Crewe and Swindon Town.
They sealed their title after a challenging campaign by beating Eastleigh two-nil in Southampton on Saturday.
Promotion followed an incredible season for the Silkmen, with manager Askey able to call on just a handful of players at the start of the season, following a mass exodus after the FA Trophy defeat at Wembley.
Former chairman Mike Rance described the side’s achievements as being among the greatest sporting stories and have put the town back on the map.
Mr Rance, who is chairman of business leaders’ group Make it Macclesfield, said: “It is a dream come true.
“It puts the club back on the national stage and in the national news.
“This will attract more visitors to the town - Crewe could bring 1,500 and Bury the best part of 1,000 - which will be good for the restaurants and the shops as well.”
Current chairman, Mark Blower said every single player had played their part in the success.
He said: “It was an incredible afternoon for the football club and a day that will long in the memory for all supporters of Macclesfield Town and I’d like to take this opportunity to not only congratulate John and the players on their achievement, but to also thank our supporters for their support during the whole of this season.
“Every single player has played their part in our success. It has been well documented that we had to recruit virtually an entire squad last summer.
“But the players that came in gelled so quickly and it soon became apparent that not only did we have a talented group of players, but we also had an atmosphere in the dressing room that would take us a long way.”
One of the Silkmen’s star performers Danny Whitaker has been instrumental to the club’s success this season.
A veteran in the Silkmen’s side the 37-year-old knows exactly what Saturday’s result means for the town and the club.
He told the BBC: “The club’s been through some tough times in the five years since I’ve been back.
“It’s an incredible achievement to finally get back into the Football League where the club belongs.
“We shouldn’t have dropped out of the league in the first place, but we’ve done it and we can enjoy it now.
“We only had four players signed up from the previous season, so it’s a completely new squad and you’re just guessing whiter it’s going to gel and then hoping if you put in a few results and see where it takes us - we’ve put a shift in all season and done well.”
Around 600 fans are thought to have travelled down to the south coast to watch the decisive game.
And the Silkmen managed to get off to the best possible starts. Striker, Tyrone Marsh tapped in from close range in the fourth minute to put John Askey’s men ahead.
Midfielder Mitch Hancox then saw his curling effort nestle into the bottom corner in the 60th minute to secure all three points and a return to the Football League.
Macclesfield Town will be handed the National League trophy after their final game of the season, against Dagenham and Redbridge at home on Saturday (April 28).
