Macclesfield owner bought FA Cup heroes on Rightmove after four-day Ibiza bender

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Rob Smethurst reminisced over his decision to buy Macclesfield FC after a four-day bender in Ibiza as he and everybody associated with the sixth-tier outfit basked in the glory of their shock 2-1 triumph over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup .

The Silkmen hosted the current FA Cup holders on Saturday afternoon, and it really was one for them to savour. Despite heading into the fixture as major underdogs, with some 117 places separating the two clubs in the English football pyramid, it was the National League North side who reigned supreme over their Premier League opponents.

Paul Dawson nodded home just ahead of half-time to give the non-league outfit the lead, before Isaac Buckley-Ricketts doubled Macclesfield's advantage midway through the second period. While Yeremy Pino grabbed one back during stoppage time, his goal came as all-but a consolation as the Eagles tumbled out of the competition.

Moving on into the fourth round of the FA Cup as a result of their win, the club finds itself in a polar opposite situation to when Smethurst took over the club in 2020, when it was bust and up for sale on Rightmove. Speaking about how he came to own Macclesfield FC, Smethurst told TNT Sports: "This is unbelievable scenes, I have no words, it's what dreams are made of.

"To see all the Macc fans running on the pitch, it just shows how much it meant to everyone and for me who bought this club five years ago I never ever would have imagined this to have happened today.

"I bought it from Rightmove after four days drinking and can't really remember buying it. And look where we are now."

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Smethurst also added he's already planned a trip to Ibiza with the squad to mark the occasion. He added: "It's incredible. I think I've already planned the Ibiza trip with the boys."

He continued: "Not in a million years [did I see that happening]. It's Crystal Palace , an absolutely quality team and I thought we would maybe [lose] 6-0, 7-0 in my head. But I've never seen anything like it... The players were insane."

Born in the ashes of liquidation, Macclesfield FC were formed in 2020 after Macclesfield Town went bust.

In the years since, they have worked hard to climb the EFL pyramid, earning promotion to the sixth tier last season.

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With their win over Palace coming as a day to remember, for a lifetime, pictures showed fans celebrating with players on the pitch of the Leasing.com Stadium, certain stars finding themselves hoisted into the air by adoring supporters.

The Silkmen will learn their fate for the fourth round of the FA Cup on Monday, January 12, when the next draw takes place.

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