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My taste of FA Cup action yesterday came at the Etihad Stadium, where I watched Manchester City thump Exeter 10-1 from the away end. It was a brutal … but at least the 7,800 travelling supporters had something to cheer in 19-year-old George Birch’s peach of a goal late on.
Manchester City paid third-tier Exeter plenty of respect – Erling Haaland and Rodri started the game, with Antoine Semenyo scoring on his full debut. Off the bench came the likes of Jérémy Doku and Bernardo Silva.
Exeter manager Gary Caldwell told BBC Radio Devon:
[Manchester City’s] behaviours throughout were relentless, their attitude and the respect they showed us I thought was outstanding, and they did what Man City should do to us. That didn’t drop off at 4-0, 5-0, 6-0, 7-0, they kept going and we can take a lot from this game in terms of the behaviours we try and coach into the players every day and the behaviours we try and instil. The team can take a lot from that, because that was a really humbling experience.
Jamie Jackson was in the press box:
As for Crystal Palace, the defence of their FA Cup crown did not make it past the first hurdle. It’s fair to say Oliver Glasner was not pleased with their drab display:
With all the respect [to Macclesfield] in a game like this you don’t need a tactic, you don’t need a manager who tells you what to do. You have to do the right things. We have to score five or six against a non-league team, but we didn’t show any kind of quality.
Macclesfield dedicated their historic victory to the memory of Ethan McLeod, whose parents were in attendance at Moss Rose.
Manager John Rooney said:
We spoke about Ethan being here with us before kick-off. Seeing his parents after the game was something very special and I’m sure Ethan was looking down on us today.
Defender Sam Heathcote said:
A lot of the lads said that at the full-time whistle when we managed to find each other … that was for him. We try to do our best for him. It’s been such a difficult time, everyone has come together massively since that happened and that shows you how special this club is.
It has been called the biggest shock in the history of the FA Cup and it’s hard to argue with that. Macclesfield of National League North knocked out the holders Crystal Palace, just weeks after the death of the non-league side’s player Ethan McLeod in a car crash. Dominic Booth was there to capture the mood:
Yeremy Pino’s late free-kick was Palace’s only moment of quality and ensured nerves set in for the sell-out crowd of 5,348, but Macclesfield were not to be denied. Ecstatic scenes followed. The pitch invasion that came after the full-time whistle, those bear-hugs between players and fans who began partying into the night; none of it will be forgotten in a hurry in this corner of Cheshire.
John Brewin also charts the fall of Macclesfield Town and the rise of Macclesfield FC in their place, with Robbie Savage and now John Rooney at the heart of the revival of football in Macclesfield.
Macclesfield is not Wrexham, hand-picked by Hollywood execs to show off UK working-class folk and then paired with two American screen stars. Rumour has it the town was passed over for what became Disney’s Wrexham project because, being in Cheshire, and surrounded by villages that house the north-west’s footballer and stockbroker belts, it was too bourgeois. The town retains a tough, working-class edge, particularly in the area where the ground is situated. Open skies that reach up to the surrounding Peak District can make it an eerie place to visit.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to Sunday’s matchday live. It’s another big day in the men’s FA Cup with Leeds, Arsenal and West Ham all facing Championship opposition, while Manchester United take on Brighton.
The WSL is back this weekend after its winter break with 10 out of 12 teams in action today, including Chelsea and Manchester City.
There are also some intriguing fixtures across Europe, plus Rangers and leaders Hearts are playing in the Scottish Premiership.
Help us build up to the day’s football by getting in touch via the [email protected] email with your thoughts and predictions. Or you can get in touch to talk about yesterday’s action, including Macclesfield’s historic upset of Crystal Palace.
