Brother of Prem legend at heart of huge FA Cup upset against Crystal Palace
Non-league side Macclesfield FC caused one of the biggest FA Cup upsets in recent memory as they knocked out holders Crystal Palace in a stunning 2-1 win.
The side, who ply their trade in the sixth-tier National League North, were worthy winners according to Crystal Palace manager and Manchester United target Oliver Glasner in a game where Palace were 117 places above their opponents in the English football pyramid.
It was The Silkmen’s captain, Paul Dawson, who got the scoring underway at The Moss Rose as he scored a lovely free kick on the stroke of halftime.
Pic: Richard Martin-Roberts – CameraSport via Getty Images
It probably wasn’t in Macclesfield fans’ wildest dreams when their side went 2-0 up on the hour mark through Isaac Buckley-Ricketts.
A Yeremy Paino free-kick in the 90th minute wasn’t enough as the holders were out in their first game in the competition. Macclesfield’s win made it the first time since 1909 that a non-league side knocked out the reigning FA Cup holders from the competition. Ironically, back in 1909, it was Crystal Palace who were the non-league side when they knocked out then holders Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Buckley-Ricketts spoke afterwards to TNT Sports and dedicated the goal to former teammate Ethan McLeod. McLeod tragically passed away last month in a driving accident at the age of only 21, and Buckley-Ricketts spoke about how he was thinking about it when the final whistle went, ‘Ethan was here.’
Macclesfield manager John Rooney. Pic: Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images
And the win was all orchestrated by manager John Rooney, who is the younger brother of Manchester United’s all-time top goalscorer Wayne Rooney. The 35-year-old Rooney is in his first job in senior management, having only taken over at The Moss Rose last summer, and in his short time has already made history.
Wayne was in attendance to witness his brother’s achievement and embraced his brother as he came over for a post-match interview with the BBC, with whom Wayne Rooney was doing punditry work.
The club, which reformed in 2020 after the demise of former football league club Macclesfield Town, will now be in the draw for the fourth round, the furthest the club have gone since the refounding.
