The entire Silkmen staff, in Butcher’s home town for their postponed League Two game at Northampton Town’s Sixfields, made an emotional visit to the cemetery little more than a week after what would have been his 31st birthday.

Last summer he became the under 21 European Laser Champion, two weeks later winning a silver medal at the World Youth championships, both breathtaking performances that saw him recently win the North West Regional Sailor of the Year Award.

With home advantage the Satellite swimmers had an immensely successful weekend with lots of swimmers improving their personal best times and taking home a massive medal haul of 49 gold medals, 38 silvers and 32 bronzes.

One mistimed tackle, scrum engagement or even lineout lift, can leave a player with recurring issues throughout their career or, in some cases, bring that career to a premature end. That was the fear when Macclesfield forward Chris Jones suffered an horrific leg break against Ealing in November.

Macc may have plummeted alarmingly since the turn of the year and are yet to chalk up a victory in 2012 but the manager is adamant that his side’s performances haven’t been accurately reflected in points on the board.

"Against Cheltenham we may have lost 3-1 but two of their goals should have seen us get free kicks for fouls on Jose Veiga," he reasoned.

"Swindon went top with a win, after we missed a great chance, and Accrington couldn’t believe they were 2-0 up at half-time.

"So the performances have been better than the results suggest, we know we’re not far away from being a decent squad, even with the injuries we’re carrying."

Macc’s midfield has been the worst affected by the injury crisis and there was yet more bad news for the engine room regarding recent signing Dwayne Mattis.

The capture from Chesterfield netted on his debut at AFC Wimbledon but hasn’t yet been able to make a second outing after he went off injured at Kingsmeadow.

"Dwayne has suffered grade one damage to the ligament on the outside of his ankle and grade two damage on the inside," moaned the Macc boss.

"We’ve got Sam Wedgbury and Lewis Chalmers out after their hernia surgeries, although Wedge is freakish. He’s a fit lad and he’s not ready yet but he’s well ahead of Chalms in terms of recovery, even though he had his operation long after."

For those fit enough to feature, training has had to be amended in recent weeks with the cold snap not only putting paid to Saturday’s trip to Northampton but also any lengthy sessions on grass.

"Northampton wanted to re-arrange the game for Tuesday (yesterday)," he said. "They know how many injuries we have and they were trying to pull a fast one but if they’d called it off on Friday before we’d travelled down then maybe we could have done, but there was no chance of playing it this week anyway.

"We’ve been trying to train on all-weather pitches but those surfaces seem to find any little niggles. Marcus Marshall, Carl Tremarco and Nat Brown have all started to feel twinges so we’ve got some work done but we can’t train for too long on them.

"We did had some decent sessions over in Tenerife (at the squad’s warm-weather training camp) and we’ll be properly prepared, like we are for any game."

With struggling Plymouth next up for the Silkmen, Simpson is out to keep some distance between Macc and the teams below them.

"They’ve strengthened, they brought in Darren Purse, they’re fighting for their lives so we’ll have to apply ourselves. I’ve still got faith so I hope we get a good crowd in and they get right behind us."

The Blues coach watched his side throw away a lead when they conceded a try deep into injury time when the two met at Priory Park in October.

Macclesfield jetted off to their Tenerife training camp after the club’s fifth straight league defeat. But, far from a winter jolly, the manager says the benefits will make the excursion more than pay for itself.

The Blues lost by a single point in their last outing at Tynedale and with no postponements so far this term Wappett’s squad can rest up and hope to be rejuvenated when they face Rosslyn Park a week on Saturday.

Marshall joined the Silkmen on a month-long emergency loan from Rotherham the previous day and marked his debut with the opening goal half an hour in.

Nomads centre half Jon Blissett scored for the second week in a row to put the home side in the lead when he headed home a Stuart Johnston free kick but Kings came back, scoring twice before half time through Josh Roberts and Tom Darcy.

Broken Cross were under the cosh for most of the game and were caught out time and again pushing upfield, leaving keeper Lee Smith to face onrushing strikers with no defensive cover.

Macc did earn a 14th try bonus point of the season though, thanks to tries from Ryan Parkinson, Billy Robinson, Richard Hughes and Frankie Barker.

Macclesfield were repelling the Robins’ pressure and maintained the deadlock for more than an hour when George Donnelly and Waide Fairhurst combined to put him in, but the midfielder, renowned for his ball-striking prowess, snatched at his shot and found only the empty stand behind Wes Foderingham’s goal.

It’s a real learning curve for First Division Village, who have already lost by double figures on the same ground to Pack Horse.

Player-coach Jon Blissett put the hosting Nomads in front with a powerful first-half header but five minutes into the second half Cheadle were leading 2-1.

Macc had a try bonus point in the bag after just 27 minutes and lead 26-0 at half time en route to a sixth straight win.

First staged in 2003, it has rapidly become one of the most popular running events in the world. And the Express has teamed up with the race organisers to create a ‘ Race within a Race’ for entrants living in our newspaper catchment area, with a prize for our first local male and female finisher.

Liam Hanrahan led the way with two victories, firstly over Warley’s ABC Matt Windle.

The appeals panel decided on Tuesday that the centre-back’s dismissal, for his part in an unseemly tangle with Swindon’s Aden Flint was justified and Brown was therefore ineligible for Macc’s midweek trip to AFC Wimbledon, as well as forthcoming League Two games against Cheltenham and Northampton.

Macclesfield have been on a six-game winning run but haven’t been able to improve on their current fifth place, and Wappett insists that if they can’t top the five-club ‘mini-league’ established at the summit of National League One, they should be aiming for the title next time around.

Mattis, who was snapped up on a free transfer after his contract was cancelled by League One Chesterfield, gave the Silkmen the lead in the 58th minute after getting the all-important touch from a corner.

Macc haven’t lost since late November – against league leaders Jersey – and were in destructive form as they out-classed their opponents comprehensively at Goresbrook.

The Blues had a thumping 48-12 win at Barking, thanks to three tries from scrum-half Charlie Mulchrone and a further two from his brother Fergus. And coach Geoff Wappett said that Barking’s excellent pitch helped his free-scoring men play to the best of their abilities.

Leading by example, as they have done for most of the season, were Club AZ, who gave poor Poynton Village a lesson in finishing at Mulberry Sports Ground as they ran out 13-0 winners.

Prestbury midfield playmaker Jordan Pearson took on the role of emergency goalkeeper for the hosts and he he didn’t disgrace himself but two goals in the first half – by Oli Brazier and emerging talent Jack Smith – gave Railway a comfortable half-time lead despite Prestbury seeing four good chances going begging.

The ceremony came after fundraising efforts by the Richard Butcher Memorial Fund, established after ‘Butch’ passed away a year ago, aged just 29.

The striker, Gary Simpson’s capture from Nantwich Town replaced groin strain victim GeorgeDonnelly up front against Torquay and showed some of the assets that prompted Simpson to bring him in for a five-figure sum.

Charlotte and her peers from Macclesfield Academy were encouraged to participate in the scheme after house leader Dave Dolman registered them, with the aim of using sport to increase self-esteem and confidence in physical activities and, in turn, improve the school’s competitive record.

There was to be no glory for Macc, no famous upset, just a cold, hard slog against a Bolton team determined not to slip up a second time.

Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) will compete in the 2012/13 America’s Cup World Series and will be underwritten by Oracle Racing, who Ainslie will join for their defence of the trophy.

And after such a fine display, capped by Arnaud Mendy’s wonders trike, the third part of the Trotters trilogy, on Tuesday evening, gives Macc a chance to avenge a Carling Cup defeat at the Reebok Stadium and play without fear.

Macclesfield shook off their ring rust to chalk up their seventh win in eight games and, although they didn’t collect a bonus point as well, Wappett praised his pack for the foundations they laid in the 16-10 success.

AZ took the lead but Nish Joshi equalised, chipping the goalkeeper after great work from Dom Hadfield and Alan Hay.

Despite going a goal behind to a Gaz Hunt strike, Boarhound came back with a superb individual effort from Dave Short who fired home from 25 yards.

Owen and Ryan Parkinson scored a try apiece and Ross Winney added six points from the boot in difficult conditions at Priory Park.

And there was never more cause for pride in the club’s unity than when they welcomed Bolton to the Moss Rose.

The midfielder scored Macc’s first goal to level the match but his fine team goal has been overshadowed by Arnaud Mendy’s stunning solo effort.

Despite his Portuguese upbringing, the Silkmen's continental keeper has great respect for that age-old romance of the world's oldest cup competition and he's counting on Macc getting the rub of the green as they take on Bolton in the FA Cup tomorrow.

This year the event was sponsored by local retailer Peak Cyclesport and saw more than 200 riders competing in the three events. In contrast to recent years, the weather was mild which made for heavy going on the testing circuit which one of the competitors described – not entirely accurately – as "uphill all the way round."

Less than 24 hours after he scored his fourth goal of the season to give Macclesfield a derby win over Port Vale, the on-loan hitman made his loan move from Fleetwood Town permanent, signing a deal to keep him at the Moss Rose until summer 2014.

An own goal from Stuart Tomlinson and George Donnelly’s solo effort 20 minutes before the end gave Macc their first three-pointer since late October, and Simpson had nothing but good things to say about his men.

After seeing off underdogs in the form of East Thurrock in and, at the second attempt, Chelmsford City, Macc now assume that mantle against the Premier League’s basement side, with a maiden fourth-round appearance up for grabs.

But what has happened along the way in the first half of the season that has seen Macc find themselves just 14 points short of table toppers Ealing?

Macc put in a full shift to take a point from a goalless draw with Rotherham on Boxing Day.

The Moss Lane ticket office also will be open from 9am to 5pm on Thursday and Friday (December 29 and 30) for the sale of tickets for the Vale game and the third-round FA Cup tie with Bolton Wanderers, which will take place on January 7.

MBBC’s Courtney Hughes entered the 50kg weight class to take on Chloe Hadley of Brentwood Youth ABC.

The race runs through the centre of Langley village, and then up the grueling climb of Withenshaw Lane, before returning through Macclesfield Forest to Bottoms reservoir, and this year attracted almost 300 entries.

The right-back, still only 17 and holder of the record for the youngest Silkman to feature in the Football League, has barely played a game without a host of scouts eyeing his progress, but Simpson insists that an approach – from any quarter – has yet to be made.

Without a win in six League Two outings, Macc have to tackle Rotherham United, Port Vale and Accrington Stanley before hosting Premier League Bolton Wanderers on January 7.

The Blues end the year 11 points behind table-topping Ealing Trailfinders, and their coach is looking forward picking from a refreshed squad once they resume the campaign at home to Blaydon in January.

Fly-half Ross Winney was the hero for a second week running, scoring 17 of his side’s points, and missing just one attempt at goal in the match.

The left-back netted in the first round when Macc overcame East Thurrock United, and insists he backed his chances of success when Colin Daniel split the Clarets defence.