'A matter of time' before Savage leaves Macclesfield

BBC News

21-03-2025

Macclesfield FC owner Robert Smethurst said it is "only a matter of time" before manager Robbie Savage leaves the club to test himself at a higher level.Savage took over as boss of the Silkmen last summer, but has held an association with the club since Smethurst's takeover in 2020 following Macclesfield Town's liquidation.The club are now on the verge of promotion to the National League North, as they top the Northern Premier League Premier Division table with a 20-point cushion on second-placed Worksop Town headed into Saturday's visit of Bamber Bridge."How long he'll stay here at Macclesfield, God only knows," Smethurst told BBC Radio Manchester."Maybe we'll be lucky enough to keep him for another year. He's already getting clubs coming for him now, higher up in the league."It'll only be a matter of time before he proves himself and will no longer be here at Macclesfield. I'm aware of that."Macclesfield FC have won two promotions in three seasons, and narrowly missed out last season on a third promotion in a row when they were defeated by Marine in the play-offs.Smethurst said the club can reach the English Football League but admitted that the financial pressures of the National League would mean any future promotion push might be difficult if they eventually reach the fifth tier."The ceiling for us is probably the English Football League. That's what we want to aim for. If we can get into the National League then that's maybe where we'll stay for a while," he added. "The amount of money you need to get out of that, if you look at the likes of Stockport County and Wrexham and what they had to spend, you're talking telephone numbers."