KEITH Alexander’s men kicked off 2009 with a memorable third-round FA Cup game at home to Everton.

The game, which only went ahead after a small army of Macc fans gave up their time to help the Moss Rose pitch beat the elements, saw the Premier League team sneak into round four thanks to Leon Osman’s late strike.

Despite the loss, the Silkmen almost claimed an injury-time equaliser but Toffees keeper Tim Howard managed to keep out Simon Yeo’s thundering volley.

January saw two of Alexander’s key players leave the club for League Two rivals. Striker Martin Gritton joined Chesterfield and Terry Dunfield was recruited by Shrewsbury Town to bolster their midfield.

Meanwhile, Nick Blackman became Sam Allardyce’s first signing as Blackburn Rovers boss after the academy striker had followed former Macc manager Paul Ince to Ewood Park.

In league action, Macc still harboured hopes of reaching the play-offs and January saw them enjoy a 2-0 victory over eventual League Two champions Brentford, as well as draws against Wycombe and Aldershot.

However, defeats to Rotherham, Exeter and Rochdale, followed by a three-game run that saw them take a single point, virtually put paid to any Wembley ambitions they may have had.

Into March, Alexander had already begun mulling over his options for the following campaign, and challenged his players to prove their value, as many had contracts coming to an end.

That month also saw a health scare for the popular Moss Rose manager, who was taken ill and had to go to Macclesfield General Hospital for a brain scan. He missed his side’s defeat to Bournemouth but the scan gave him the all-clear and Alexander, who had to be persuaded by medical staff not to leave the consultant’s waiting room and take a taxi back to the game, thanked the Macc faithful for an overwhelming show of support.

As the season drew towards its conclusion, Alexander landed midfielder Colin Daniel on a loan deal from Crewe, but the month was a painful one for Macc, who lost six and won just one of their seven games.

Sporting a new green and yellow strip, Macc poured more misery on troubled Chester City, courtesy of goals from John Rooney and Gareth Evans.

Midfielder Lee Bell signed a new deal to stay at Macc until summer 2010, and Alexander promised a host of changes when the summer came around.

Macc virtually guaranteed their safety in their final home game, as Nat Brown and Kris Dennis netted in a 2-1 victory over Barnet.

After the final league fixture saw a typical last-day goalless draw at Grimsby, Macc lost the Cheshire Premier Cup final 3-1 in extra time to Crewe.

Alexander made good on his promise of a mass clearout, as 13 Silkmen were shown the door. Dennis, Matt Flynn and Izak Reid signed new contracts, although Flynn was later to join Rochdale. The other deal offered, to top-scorer Gareth Evans, was turned down in favour of a move to Bradford City.

Joining the club were Ben Wright, Stephen Reed, Carl Tremarco, Paul Bolland, Hamza Bencherif, Ross Draper and Kyle Wilson.

Four loan players – Emile Sinclair, Nat Brown, Colin Daniel and Paul Morgan, who swept the player-of-the-year awards – rejoined the club, but Sean Hessey suffered a knee ligament injury that would put him out of action for six months.

Popular striker Matty Tipton returned for a third spell at Macc, a successful trial period persuading Alexander to sign him on a one-year deal. New league rules, allowing seven substitutes for each game, prompted Alexander, who rarely named a reserve goalkeeper in his matchday squads, to recruit Jose Veiga as competition for Jonny Brain.

Macc began the 2009/2010 season with a goalless draw at Northampton before welcoming nouveau-riche Notts County to the Moss Rose, Sven Goran Eriksson and all. The game ended in a 4-0 defeat for Macc.

Ricky Sappleton joined the club on loan from Leicester shortly after the season began and, although just five points came from the first six games, the Silkmen had visibly improved their quality, playing with a style and swagger that they had been criticised for lacking the previous season.

However, crowds at the Moss were becoming a concern as little more than 1,000 watched the Macc v Barnet game in September. Alexander though, was mindful that the core support offered his side great backing as Bencherif’s excellent double gave his side the points against Torquay.

Macc dropped four points in two consecutive games after allowing Dagenham and Bradford to come back into matches they had led.

The FA Cup draw threw up a reunion with former manager Paul Ince, who had returned to take over at Milton Keynes. The game at stadium:mk ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat for the club that put Ince on the road to the Premier League.

In a 3-0 defeat at Rochdale, Hamza Bencherif suffered a fractured ankle that may have ended his season, and his Algerian World Cup squad hopes.

With a lack of goals threatening to scupper his side’s chances, Alexander admitted he was looking to bring in a proven striker and, as the year came to a close, he landed Liverpool academy hitman Craig Lindfield.