Macclesfield beat defending champions Crystal Palace 2-1 in FA Cup third round
Captain Paul Dawson opened scoring for minnows in 43rd minute
Isaac Buckley-Ricketts made it 2-0 in the 60th
Macclesfield Knock Out Crystal Palace: Sixth-Tier Club Scripts One Of FA Cup's Biggest-Ever Upsets
Macclesfield play five tiers below Crystal Palace in English football, and are coached by John Rooney, younger brother of former England and Manchester United star Wayne Rooney
Summary
Minnow Macclesfield beat title holder Crystal Palace 2-1 in one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history on Saturday to reach the fourth round.
Macclesfield is a team playing in the sixth tier of English soccer, five levels below Palace, and took the lead when captain Paul Dawson headed in a cross from Luke Duffy in the 43rd minute.
Isaac Buckley-Ricketts made it 2-0 in the 60th, prompting wild celebrations.
Following a scramble in the penalty area the ball pinged to Buckley-Ricketts, who came through the Manchester City academy, and he deftly clipped the ball with the outside of his right foot past goalkeeper Walter Benitez.
Macclesfield is coached by John Rooney, who started and ended his playing career as a midfielder with the club and is only in his first season in coaching. He is the younger brother of former England and Manchester United star Wayne Rooney.
Yeremy Pino curled in a last-minute free kick over the wall to leave Macclesfield facing a nervous six minutes of stoppage time as home fans broke out into chants of “Silkmen! Silkmen!” — the club’s nickname.
Macclesfield held on against a Palace side whose dismal afternoon was summed up when U.S. central defender Chris Richards did a foul throw in the final minute of stoppage time, giving possession back to Macclesfield.
The fans sprinted onto the field at Moss Rose — a modest 5,900-capacity stadium in northwest England — in celebration at the final whistle while Dawson and Duffy were carried aloft.
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