As is now traditional, the Johnstone's Paints Trophy draw will take place just before the Silkmen's first home League game of the season, live on Soccer AM on 15th August from 9.00am.

Each season, 16 clubs are randomly drawn beforehand and given a bye to the second round, eight from the Northern secion and eight from the South.

The Silkmen have benefitted from this on four previous occasions. But this season a new rule has been brought in saying at no club can recieve a bye in consecutive seasons.

As the Silkmen were in the first round last year they are now in with a better chance of being parachuted in to the next stage of the competition.

Bury, Carlisle United, Chester City, Darlington, Huddersfield Town, Lincoln City, Rochdale and Rotherham United all recieved the free pass last season and are now certain first-round starters.

Details of the clubs given a bye will be released nearer the time, for the draw which is regionalised.

The Silkmen have a mixed at best record in this competition. From our first season in the Football League, the Silkmen were beaten at the first hurdle for seven years. After losing to Preston (in the second round, thanks to a Bye), Wrexham, Rochdale (2nd Round), Chesterfield (2nd Round), Darlington, Tranmere (2nd Round) and Chesterfield again in consecutive years.

Brian Horton finally broke the club's duck in the 2004/5 season with a victory in yet another game against Chesterfield. Mansfield were beaten 4-0 in the next round before Tranmere ended the club's run.

The following season was the best in the club's history, missing out on a trip to Cardiff in extra-time. A shock draw paired the Silkmen with Chesterfield in the first round, and the Spirites were beaten 2-0. rotherham were put to the sword in the second round 2-1 at Millmoor before Cambridge United and Hereford were beaten at the Moss Rose to see the Silkmen into the regional final.

Carlisle United were the opponents and were lucky to win the home leg 2-1. The Silkmen were leading 2-1 the home leg after 90 minutes thanks to goals from Teague and McNeil, but when Grand scored for the visitors, the away-goals rule meant that Kevin Townson's last-kick goal wasn't enough to force penalties.

Stockport County wielded the axe for the next two years, both at the Moss Rose and in 2007 in the second round after a win at Wrexham.

Last season, meanwhile 10 man Macclesfield were beaten 3-0 by Crewe.