Silkmen loan Butcher
The Silkmen have moved to make use of the emergency loan window to address the midfield injury problem by taking Lincoln City midfielder Richard Butcher on a month's loan, just beating the deadline for the player to be involved in the midweek game at Bury.
An experienced midfielder with an eye for goal, Butcher is a player who knows his way around the right half of the League Two table.
After beginning his career with Northampton Town before moving on to Rushden and then Kettering, he was spotted by Lincoln City, then managed by Keith Alexander in November 2002.
He went straight into the Lincoln City side and played 29 games, including all three play-off matches as the Imps were beaten in the final by Bournemouth.
He reached the play-offs with the side again the following season, 2003/4 playing 40 times in all competitions, and scoring seven goals.
2004/5 again saw Butcher and the imps in the play-off final as he finished the season an 'ever-present, beating the Silkmen along the way. He also scored in the League game between the two sides at Sincil Bank late in the season.
The summer of 2005 saw him making a move up a division and joining Oldham in League One. He remained at Boundary Park for one season, playing 36 League games which saw them finishing 10th just six points from the play-offs. He also had a brief loan spell with former club Lincoln.
The following summer he rejoined his former Manager Keith Alexander at Peterborough United where he played 43 times as the Posh finished 10th.
Leaving London Road in July 2007 he signed with Notts County where he spent two years playing almost 90 matches in all competitions scoring 20 goals.
Released in the summer of 2009, he rejoined Lincoln City for a third time and has featured in 13 League and cup games, including the Imps 1-0 win at the Moss Rose.
He will wear shirt number 21 and is expected to go straight into the squad for the match at Bury after the final confirmation of his signing came through this afternoon.
Silkmen boss Keith Alexander told the club's official website: "I know him as a player although it's been a few years since we were at the same club together.
"He's a very experienced midfielder with good attacking ability and he will be a good addition to the squad here. I'm very happy to have been able to bring him in ahead of tonight's game."
