The following article was due to appear in yesterday's match day programme. But as we know the rain beat us (as can be seen by the picture below). We felt it worth including on the site.

The thoughts of Mike Rance

Last Saturday's success at London Road will have a special place in my memory, not just because it was my first game as Macclesfield Town Chairman but because of the spirit embodied in the performance. Effective attacking play in the first half was matched by robust defence when down to ten men in the second in an overall performance of real passion.

A special mention must also go to the small band of loyal fans that made the journey. Never has so much support been generated for so long by so few. I stand in awe of your vocal stamina. Thanks guys! More of the same from team and supporters during the rest of the season and we'll go from strength to strength. I can't wait.

For me the performance at Peterborough illustrated the steps we need to take if we are going to take our great little club forward. The unity of commitment and purpose on display from players, management, fans and, dare I say it, the directors, was clear for all to see. Our challenge is to reproduce that potent mix week after week both home and away.

Back in 1997 when we were promoted to the Football League the task we faced was immense but everyone involved with the club, top to bottom, rose to that challenge and we created an energy that was irresistible. Our home results told the story - played 23, won 19, drawn 4. It was fortress Moss Rose in those days. But things have changed over time. We've survived and occasionally prospered over a decade but membership of the Football League elite has become routine. Our alignment around a common cause has been diluted and match days generate less passion than they used to. We need to make some changes to re-light the fires.

Driven partly by ground developments and partly by practice I believe the "official" parts of the Club - the playing staff, the management and the board - have lost contact with their stakeholders, primarily the fans who pay their money to turn up week in week out to support their club. It's my intention to address that problem. I hope that in coming weeks, whether you frequent London Road, Star Lane or benefit from the comforts of the McIlroy Suite you will have more contact with the folk that are currently responsible for the Club you love. It really is that contact that can differentiate the Moss Rose experience from the fare on offer at Premiership grounds. At the Moss we don't want you to be an uninvolved spectator. We want you to feel that you're an active part of your Club and we really need your support.

Our fans come from a wide range of backgrounds and hold a broad spectrum of opinions, especially on matters relating to football. We would like to embrace that diversity and capture that energy to convert it into the sort of competitive advantage many of the very same people created back in 1997. What holds us together is a shared passion for the Silkmen.

So let's do it, together, like we did last Saturday at Peterborough!

Mike Rance