Macclesfield manager Alexander, 53, dies after returning from match

The Town manager passed away just hours after Macclesfield's League Two match at Notts County on Tuesday night.

The 53-year-old, who suffered a cerebral aneurysm in 2003 and more recently was forced to take several days off work due to a prolonged bout of hiccups, collapsed at his home in Lincoln and later died although the exact cause of his death has not been disclosed.

Macclesfield chairman Mike Rance has spoken to Hereford counterpart Graham Turner about Saturday's match at Edgar Street. Rance said: "Graham knew Keith very well and we've both agreed that Keith's family should be the key arbiters in deciding whether Saturday's match should go ahead."

Alexander was universally respected throughout football and League Managers' Association chief executive Richard Bevan said: "He will be sorely missed by the LMA, its members and the whole of the football community. Keith was an active member of the LMA and our projects with The Prince's Trust in particular, and his contribution to the well-being of the game is widely acknowledged.

"He was a champion of civil rights and equality issues and was also active in the Black Coaches Association."

Alexander became the first black manager in English football when he took charge of Lincoln City in 1993 for the first of his two spells at the club.

Nottingham-born Alexander led Lincoln to four consecutive promotion play-off appearances between 2002 and 2006 and his death leaves MK Dons boss Paul Ince as the only black manager in English football.

There was no apparent sign of distress as he travelled back to Lincoln on Tuesday night. Macclesfield midfielder Richard Butcher caught a lift back to Lincoln with his manager and said: "He dropped me back at my car at about 11pm last night and he was fine.

"We were chatting and laughing, and I've been spending a lot of time travelling with the gaffer recently because we both live in Lincoln. For me, I've lost not just a manager but a friend. I'm absolutely devastated because he was a top bloke."

Both England's senior squad and the Under-21s wore black armbands in their games last night as a mark of respect to Alexander.