Football League heartbreak for ex-Portsmouth winger after Macclesfield demotion
Ex-Pompey winger Ben Tollitt has suffered Football League heartbreak following relegation without kicking a ball.
His club, Macclesfield, yesterday slipped into non-league after league chiefs won an appeal against the suspension of a points deduction.
The Silkman had stayed up in League Two by a single point last season, with Stevenage finishing bottom to drop into the National League.
Macclesfield had secured survival despite docked two points with four suspended following breaches of regulations relating to non-payment of wages.
That outcome was decided by an independent disciplinary commission.
However, with the Football League unhappy about that ruling, they launched a successful appeal – with the four deducted points now applied for the 2019-20 campaign.
That spares Stevenage from relegation, with Macclesfield instead replacing them in the National League.
Tollitt has been with the Silkmen since February, making five appearances after arriving from non-league Wrexham.
Although initially a short-term deal, he has remained associated with the club and is listed on their website among the six playing staff.
Tollitt spent two seasons at Fratton Park, making 18 appearances and scoring once following a successful trial in the summer of 2015.
Recruited by Paul Cook, the former Everton Academy product’s finest moment was a scoring entrance as a substitute in the 6-0 hammering of York in November 2015.
Following his Fratton Park release in the summer of 2017, he has featured for Tranmere, Blackpool and Wrexham (two spells).
Macclesfield were deducted 17 points in total during the 2019-20 season, across three disciplinary cases.
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