Sol Campbell not letting Macclesfield’s off-field problems stop him

Macclesfield boss Sol Campbell insisted he is focusing only on matters on the pitch amid continued off-field turmoil.

The Silkmen are due back in court next week to answer a winding-up petition that was adjourned from July after being taken over by six players who played for the club last season.

The group took on the cause over unpaid wages, with Campbell also not receiving his salary for the final months of last season.

The former England defender declined to reveal whether that remains the situation but hinted it does, telling PA: “I’m not going to go into that.

“Of course I want to get paid. I’ve got a contract and that’s the situation. I’m just going to work and work and work until we get it right on the field and then we’ll go again.”

Campbell was speaking from the final of the Bet Regret Cup, part of the UK’s largest safer gambling campaign. Teams from across the UK battled it out throughout the summer, culminating in the national final at Powerleague Shoreditch on August 4.

Having waited a long time for a first opportunity in management, the 44-year-old is prepared to put up with the situation and try to make the best of it.

He brought in 11 players over the summer via free transfers and loans, and said: “Whatever I’m given, I’ve just got to make it work.

“We’re not the only team in this kind of scenario. My job as a manager is to try to hold it together and win games and move it forward as best as I can.

“The only thing I can try to control is at team level, picking the side and training, making sure training’s professional, making sure all the other things are done properly and nothing’s compromised.

“That’s the kind of things I can control and that’s the kind of things I love to do, to improve players.

“It’s not like I haven’t seen big challenges before. Sometimes you’ve got to submit to it and say I can’t do anything about it. The only thing I can do is help the players who are training, who are fit, prepare for the next game and try to win the next game.”

Campbell has already achieved notable success having saved the Silkmen from relegation last season after taking over what appeared a hopeless cause when he was appointed last November.

They seem likely to struggle again and began the new season with a narrow loss to Exeter, but Campbell saw it as a positive start.

“It was a good game for us,” he said. “We had some good chances but the game was almost done and we got done by a ricochet of balls. Sometimes it happens like that and you just have to take it on the chin and learn from it.

“It’s a long old season so we’ve just got to stay focused and make sure when we get our chances we convert them. It’s challenging, we’ve got the smallest budget in the league, so we’ve just got to work harder.”

Campbell has been an outspoken critic of the lack of managerial opportunities given to black and ethnic minority candidates and is determined to keep showcasing his abilities.

“For me it’s all about opportunities,” he said. “What I’m focusing on is working hard every day, showing my work ethic and my knowledge. That’s what I want people to see. The will to win, the will to improve.”