Macclesfield sink Michael Clegg’s Hyde United 3-0 in pre-season opener

Macclesfield made the perfect start to their pre-season programme, thrashing Michael Clegg’s Hyde United 3-0 at the weekend. The Silkmen were made to work for their win after a slow start, but two second-half goals from an unnamed trialist wearing the No.9 shirt, plus a third strike, settled the contest comfortably.

According to a report from The Non-League Football Paper, the opening period was cagey, with chances at a premium for either side. Macclesfield goalkeeper Christian Dibble was called into action to deny Hyde’s James Kirby, who had broken clean through on goal, while at the other end Theo Chapman saw his delicate dinked effort cleared off the line before the interval.

Trialist breaks the deadlock

The breakthrough eventually arrived nine minutes into the second half, when Macclesfield’s trialist striker, operating in the No.9 role, opened the scoring. The same player went on to add a second before the final whistle, giving the hosts a comfortable cushion as the match wound down.

The result gives Macclesfield an encouraging platform as they build towards the new campaign, with pre-season fixtures offering an early chance to run the rule over trialists and fringe players before squads are finalised.

Rebuilding job for Clegg at Hyde

For Hyde United, the defeat comes as Michael Clegg continues to reshape his squad ahead of the new season. The Tigers boss has previously been outspoken about standards at the club, and this pre-season outing will offer him plenty to assess as he looks to instil a fresh identity in his group of players.

Read more: Clegg axes Hyde United squad after blasting players for being ‘too comfortable’

Both clubs will now look to build on this pre-season outing as they continue preparations, with further friendlies expected to follow in the coming weeks as managers up and down the non-league pyramid look to fine-tune their squads before competitive action resumes.