🏏 Sun, 7 Dec 2025 12:30 GMT
Slough Town
vs
Macclesfield
Positions estimated vs 4-1-4-1 ※ estimated
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- Slough Town host Macclesfield in the FA Cup first round, with John Rooney's visitors lining up in a 4-1-4-1. Right-back Lewis Fensome has been part of all four of the club's promotions since arriving from Lancaster City in 2022, and Macclesfield's 2024-25 title was sealed with a record 109-point haul — several of the men who did it start again here.
- Slough's shape has not been released, so their structure will only become clear once the game begins. A. Desbois takes the gloves, R. Greenidge lines up in defence, and T. Clarke, J. Borgnis and T. Dyce occupy midfield roles, with No. 11 W. Makowski leading the line. Nine substitutes are available, including J. Greenidge and J. Myers.
- Danny Elliott leads the line for Macclesfield, a left-footed centre-forward who came through the Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa academies before a spell in American college soccer with Hofstra. He plundered 41 goals in 50 games in 2024-25 to be named Premier Division Player of the Year, and previously helped Hartlepool United win promotion out of the National League.
- Danny Whitehead brings the most senior pedigree to the midfield four. The central midfielder has been on the books at West Ham United and Wigan Athletic, and started a National League play-off final at Wembley for Salford City that took them into the EFL. His CV also includes Macclesfield Town, giving him deep roots in the town, and he was central to last season's title win.
- Max Woltman offers the creative spark from an advanced midfield role. He joined Liverpool's academy aged seven and made his senior debut in the 2021 Champions League tie against Milan, modelling his game on Roberto Firmino before arriving via Oxford United in 2025. On the right, Luke Duffy was signed for a club-record fee from Warrington Town, where he scored 19 goals in 91 appearances.
- James Edmondson anchors the shape as the lone pivot in the 4-1-4-1. A product of the Blackburn Rovers academy from the age of six, he made his professional bow in the EFL Cup and has now scored six goals across two loan spells at Macclesfield, with his 2025-26 loan extended until the end of the season. His passing range links the back four to the quartet ahead of him.
- The centre-back pairing mixes EFL experience with grassroots grit. Rollin Menayese stands 190cm tall, was born in DR Congo and represented Wales at U17 level, with Walsall, Bristol Rovers, Grimsby Town and Mansfield Town all on his record. Alongside him, Sam Heathcote is a PE teacher by trade whose aerial dominance, fearless defending and leadership hold the line together.
- Luis Lacey completes the back four at left-back. Schooled at Barnsley and Tranmere Rovers, he was named in the JD Cymru North Team of the Season during a loan at Flint Town United in Wales. His versatility across full-back, wing and midfield makes him a contrasting profile to the more orthodox Fensome on the opposite flank.
- Behind them is Max Dearnley, a 195cm goalkeeper whose reach defines his shot-stopping. He racked up 23 league clean sheets in 2024-25 as Macclesfield stormed to the title, collecting both the Directors' and Sponsors' Player of the Year awards. Spells at Huddersfield Town, Buxton, Farsley Celtic and Ossett United shaped him before he settled here.
- Macclesfield's bench carries serious academy pedigree. Luke Matheson became Rochdale's youngest ever debutant at 15, scored against Manchester United in the EFL Cup and earned a £1m move to Wolves before arriving via Bolton Wanderers. Isaac Buckley-Ricketts came through Manchester City's academy and has Eredivisie minutes from a loan at FC Twente.
- Also in reserve is Justin Johnson, a right winger born in The Hague who progressed from Sparta Rotterdam's youth ranks to Manchester United's academy before turning professional at Dundee United. His career has taken in Scotland, Cyprus and England, and he was named in the National League North Team of the Season for 2023-24.