Macclesfield Football: Six more Silkmen to have played in the Premier League

By Alex Greensmith

29th Jan 2022 | Local News

Here's some Silkmen lore you can show off with... which footballers who played for our town have also played in England's top division of football?

Thank you for your positive feedback regarding last week's article, where we revealed six Premier League players to have played football for Macclesfield.

We deliberately missed a few off the list, in the hopes of making a sequel list. And here we are!

Special thank you to Chris Hulme and Jennifer Irvine for bringing some of the former Macclesfield footballers on this list to our attention.

We greatly appreciate you getting in touch, and your support of Macc Nub. Let us know what you thought of this article on social media, and we may do more of this kind in the future!

Here are six more former Macclesfield Town or Macclesfield FC players, to have also played in the Premier League.

This could be before, or after their time with The Silkmen.

If you missed the first, click here's to access our previous list, and without further ado, here is today's newsletter exclusive article. Thank you for subscribing.

Graham Potter

The most well-known name in the country on the list, as he is currently manager of Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, Graham Potter ended his playing days with The Silkmen. Making eight Premier League appearances for Southampton in the 1996-97 season wasn't the highlight of his career, however, it allows him to qualify as a top flight player to have also played footie in our town on this list. It is worth mentioning that one of his octuplet of appearances for the Saints was in an 6-3 victory over Manchester United. The Solihull-born left-back joined Macclesfield Town in early 2004 on a free transfer, and would play a pivotal part in the side that almost got promoted from League Two, but he would not play in the play-off semi-final loss to Lincoln City. Across his two seasons with The Silkmen, the defender would make the 64 appearances in all competitions, scoring eight goals, an impressive total for a full-back. He hung up his boots in our town aged just 30, and now is an impressive manager touted as a future England boss. Neil Danns

The only current Macclesfield FC player on this list, and the one with the longest gap from their last Premier League appearance, to his first for Macclesfield. Neil Danns is a Football League legend, who did have a bit of gametime in the top flight, but is best-remembered for his midfield-wizadry for sides in the Championship.

Graeme Souness gave him his Premier League debut in September 2002 when playing for Blackburn Rovers. He would make two more Premier League appearances for the Lancashire club, but would have to wait three more years for his next Premier League action. The Guyanese goalscorer made his final two appearances in our country's top football division for Birmingham City in the 2007-08 season. His manager at St Andrew's was Steve Bruce, father of current Macclesfield teammate Alex Bruce, who also played in the Prem and featured in our previous list.

11 clubs and 14 years after he left Birmingham City, Danns is firing in the goals for our town's new football club with Macclesfield FC. Signing in September 2021, the ex-pro has banged in ten goals in 18 appearances in the this season. He will be remembered a star player credited with The Silkmen's North West Counties League Premier Division promotion - if successful.

A twice-time teammate of Macclesfield FC footballer Robbie Savage, the Liverpool-born international footballer is now 39. With some fans feeling he could still do a job in the leagues just below the Premier League, proving that The Silkmen are very lucky to have him!

Richard Edghill

Another player who started in the Prem, and ended his playing career with The Silkmen, Oldham-born right-back Richard Edghill is best remembered for sticking with Manchester City through thick-and-thin from 1993-2002. The defender spent four seasons in the Premier League with Manchester City, four in what is now the Championship, and one in what is now League One. Playing 183 times and scoring once for The Sky Blues, he wouldn't find success with Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic or Sheffield United in the early 2000s. However, successful spells with Queens Park Rangers and Bradford City culminated in a season with The Silkmen in 2007-08. It was here where he would make 16 appearances for our town's old football club and then retire. The Moss Rose was also where he reunited with an old City teammate. Speaking of which.... Ian Brightwell

The oldest ex-pro on our list, Ian Brightwell made his debut for Manchester City eight years before The Premier League began. Playing in the first-ever Premier League season, you may wonder why defensive partners Brightwell and Edghill ended up at the Moss Rose. Well, they were both managed by famous two-time Silkmen boss Brian Horton, when he managed Manchester City from 1993-1995.

Versatile defender Brightwell spent four seasons in the Prem with City, but left Maine Road and wanted to prove he could still do a job at an elite level with Coventry City in 1998-99. But the Lutterworth-born player would never make an appearance for the *other* Sky Blues.

Brightwell would have mixed fortunes with Walsall, Stoke City and Port Vale, before moving to Cheshire in 2004. He'd play 21 times across three seasons until 2006, when he would become caretaker manager when Brian Horton first spell as Macclesfield Town manager came to an end. (But he won none of the four caretaker games).

One permanent manager later, Brightwell became The Silkmen's full-time boss after fellow Premier League Silks player and manager Paul Ince would leave as gaffer.

He won seven times in 38 matches for our town's defunct football club, from June 2007 to February 2008, which was his last job at a team. And now works in broadcasting.

Tony Bullock

Barnsley lasted just one season in the Premier League, but this former Macclesfield Town and Barnsley goalkeeper played just one game in the top flight. Being subbed on for 25 minutes in a 3-0 loss to Aston Villa on September 13, 1997, Tony Bullock conceded one goal in his only appearance for the Yorkshire clubs short spell in England's no. 1 domestic competition. The Warrington-born shot-stopper decided to leave Oakwell at the age of 28, in the year 2000. Making the 47-mile trip to Macclesfield for regular gametime. The free transfer played 24 times, before going onto play for another 11 clubs across England and Scotland until retiring in 2014. It was good news for Bullock, as he was a regular starer at all but two of these clubs He is the only entry on the list to directly move from a Premier League club to Macclesfield, who then played in what is now called League Two. Bullock can now be found in Montrose, as goalkeeping coach in the third-tier of Scottish football.

Lee Glover

Over a decade before he made scored 18 goals in 85 appearances for Macclesfield Town, Lee Glover was coached by Brian Clough, in his last years as the boss of Nottingham Forest. This included 14 appearances in the inaugural Premier League season, however, the forward failed to find the net and Forest were relegated.

Thankfully, he would rediscover his scoring boots with Port Vale from 1994-1996, and more predominantly with Rotherham for four seasons, which attracted Macc in the 2000-01 season.

He played for The Silkmen for three seasons, leaving aged 33 to go to Mansfield Town, where he has since worked in their backroom staff. And while he would never return to the Premier League, he has since worked under a former Premier League manager in Steve McClaren.

And that was six more one-time Macclesfield footballers to have also played in the Premier League.

While Macclesfield FC may be over eight tiers away from the big leagues, it is quite fascinating to know that plenty of former Silkmen have previously made it to the hallowed turf of the top flight.

Click here to read about our previous list of six ex-EPL and Macc footballers.

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