The magic of the FA Cup: Non-league side Macclesfield FC knock holders Crystal Palace out of the competition

Non-league side Macclesfield have stunned the world by knocking FA Cup champions Crystal Palace out of the competition. (Image credits – CommonsWikipedia, Licence Details)

Non-league side Macclesfield FC have just done the unthinkable as they stunned defending champions Crystal Palace by knocking them out of the FA Cup in the third round. This result will easily go down as one of the biggest shocks in the history of the competition, and if we compare these two teams via rankings in England, the difference is gigantic.

The Silkmen sit 117 places below Crystal Palace in the pyramid, and for the first time a team ranked so low has defeated a Premier League giant. The players gave everything and fought throughout 90 minutes to outclass Crystal Palace by 2-1 at full-time.

Skipper Paul Dawson handed the underdogs a massive lead just before half-time, which was followed by a stellar goal by Isaac Buckley-Ricketts to double their lead. They were resilient throughout ninety minutes and defended like warriors throughout the game as if their lives depended on the result.

Yeremy Pino bagged a sensational free-kick goal late in injury time, but it was not enough as the Eagles ended their title defence in the third round. Macclesfield fans stormed the pitch as the referee blew the full-time whistle and the scenes

were remarkable.

This result proved why football as a sport is special, and such stories keep inspiring generations. It was also the first time Palace had been beaten by a non-league side.

The lads from Macclesfield dedicated this victory to late forward Ethan McLeod, who died in a road accident in December. Coach John Rooney paid tribute to Ethan after the game ended, stunning a strong Palace side.

"I had a nice message from his dad last night, and I was to send it to the lads or to tell them before the game, but I didn't really want to put that little extra bit of pressure on them with everything we've been through," said Rooney in the post-game interview. (sic)

He further added, “So I thought I'd leave that until after the game. So it was tough. We need to go and see them (his parents) as well. It's been a really tough time.”  (sic)

"We've all stuck together through it. It's never, ever going to get easier. We've still got pictures up in the changing rooms that never go. It's been really tough.” (sic)

Eagles' coach Glasner slammed his team's performance and congratulated Macclesfield on this sensational achievement.

"Congratulations to Macclesfield. We lacked any kind of quality today. Conceding a set-play from a header, we had to do better. The second goal was slapstick,” said the Austrian boss. (sic)

He further added, “At the other end, if you can't create clear-cut chances, it's just a lack of quality in what we've shown today. We lost, and we deserved to lose.”  (sic)

Crystal Palace had started the season in a strong fashion, but since the last few months, the performances have dropped. They were competing for the top four but now have slipped to the 13th spot in the table.

"Palace was an embarrassment. They thought they could just turn up at Macclesfield. It's nothing to do with the pitch; it's about whether you can go and compete. Macclesfield wanted it more than Palace,” slammed former Palace striker Clinton Morrison. (sic)