MACCLESFIELD (England), Jan 11 — Five years after resurrecting the club from the ashes of a defunct team, Macclesfield owner Robert Smethurst admitted he never imagined his side pulling off one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history by defeating holders Crystal Palace.
MACCLESFIELD (England), Jan 11 — Five years after resurrecting the club from the ashes of a defunct team, Macclesfield owner Robert Smethurst admitted he never imagined his side pulling off one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history by defeating holders Crystal Palace.
The sixth-tier team stunned the Premier League side 2-1 on Saturday to reach the fourth round, despite sitting 117 places below Palace in the English football pyramid. This marked the first time a non-league club had eliminated the FA Cup holders since Palace themselves did so 117 years ago.
At Macclesfield’s tiny 5,300-capacity stadium, ecstatic fans poured onto the artificial pitch to celebrate a shock victory that will be remembered for generations.
“What dreams are made of”
“This is unbelievable. The scenes... I have no words. It’s what dreams are made of. Seeing all the Mac fans run onto the pitch shows how much it meant to everyone,” Smethurst told TNT Sports. “When I bought this club five years ago, I never imagined this day would come. I actually bought it from Rightmove after four days of drinking — I barely remember it! And now look at us. It’s incredible.”
Macclesfield is a phoenix club, formed after Macclesfield Town was expelled from the National League five years ago with debts exceeding £500,000 (RM2.74 million). Since Smethurst took over and the club entered the ninth tier in 2021–22, they have achieved three promotions in four seasons. Yet even he did not foresee such a monumental upset.
“Not in a million years. It’s Crystal Palace, an absolute quality team. I thought we might lose 6-0, 7-0, but the players were incredible,” he said.
“Macclesfield back on the map”
“For what we’ve achieved, today is just unreal. It’s a special moment not just for me, but for the fans,” Smethurst added. “The most important thing is putting Macclesfield back on the map after what happened when the club went under.”
The victory carried extra significance as the club had been mourning 21-year-old forward Ethan McLeod, who died in a car accident last month while returning from an away match. The team shared a poignant moment with McLeod’s parents, who visited the dressing room to congratulate the squad after the historic win.
“It was a truly special moment for Ethan’s parents,” said Smethurst. “He played a huge role in getting us here. I can’t thank him and his family enough for being part of this journey.” — Reuters
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