“Did this really happen?”
Two days after Macclesfield’s stunning FA Cup third round victory over Crystal Palace, the heroics are still sinking in for manager John Rooney.
The Silkmen – who play in the sixth tier of English football – created the biggest surprise in the competition’s history with a 2-1 victory on their Premier League opponents and current holders.
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“Did I ever think we were going to win and go through to the next round? No, I probably didn’t,” Rooney told BBC Breakfast.
“There was always a bit of hope and, being the FA Cup, that makes for some crazy moments. I thought we were well-deserved winners and that was a credit to the lads. They were absolutely outstanding.”
Rooney celebrated at the bar after the match where captain Paul Dawson was pulling pints, before leaving his players to party late into the night.
He was brought back to earth thanks to an early awakening of his children.
“I woke up on Sunday to the kids waking me up to take them to soccer,” he said. “You also think ‘did that really happen?’ but then you watch videos and stuff and it was fantastic.
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“The scenes and the fans were absolutely incredible. Seeing them on the pitch after the match is everything it means to them.”
Macclesfield captain Paul Dawson (left) scores the opening goal against Crystal Palace (TREKuartista95)
“Wayne is a little soft”
Rooney was a Macclesfield player before replacing Robbie Savage as manager in July 2024.
He is the younger brother of England and Manchester United great Wayne Rooney, who was part of the BBC’s coverage at the Moss Rose on Saturday and was visibly emotional at the full-time whistle.
After watching the clip of his superstar brother’s reaction, John told BBC Radio 5 Live: “It’s the first time I’ve heard that back. He gets choked up watching films. He’s a bit soft in that sense too.
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“It was a special day, especially to see him play. Talking to him before and after the match means a lot.
“To have my family there too, my wife and my kids, my little boy was actually on the field after the second goal. He was the kid on the field with the players. I didn’t know that until I got home and watched him. It was a surreal day.”
There could be more special moments to come for Macclesfield in this cup race.
“We’re keeping our fingers crossed that we get a good draw tonight and have another Premier League team,” Rooney said.
Wayne Rooney appeared alongside Glenn Murray and Mark Chapman in the BBC’s coverage of Macclesfield v Crystal Palace (Getty Images)
Macclesfield are the only non-league team remaining in the FA Cup and will find out their fourth round opponents in Monday’s draw at around 18:35 GMT.
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Rooney’s side have no time to dwell on their famous victory as they return to the FA Trophy on Tuesday with a trip to Woking.
With a number of games postponed due to both their FA Cup run and recent weather, the Silkmen have a busy run of fixtures ahead, with eight league matches remaining before their fourth round tie.
“We’ll come back to that tomorrow in the FA Trophy,” Rooney said. “We have a very busy schedule coming up. We are Saturday through Tuesday until the end of the season.”
Cup Hero Saturday, Back to School Monday
Sam Heathcote expected his day job to give him a reality check (Getty Images)
Playing in the National League North, Macclesfield are part-time and defender Sam Heathcote is one of several players with jobs outside of football.
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The 28-year-old went from battling Brennan Johnson and Yeremy Pino on Saturday to returning to his day job as a PE teacher at Stamford Park Primary School in Altrincham on Monday.
“Let’s come straight back to it this morning, let’s get back to reality,” the centre-back told BBC Breakfast. “I can’t wait to see the kids.
“I was going around the school last week saying ‘conceding less than 10 we’ll be happy’ and they were all laughing.
“Last time a few of them were watching the second round game against Slough and the first thing one of them said to me was ‘you gave a penalty’. They might be talking about my yellow card instead of us winning. Some of them will be excited, bless them, especially the older ones who are really getting into football.”
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Heathcote joined the Silkmen in the summer of 2023 and combined his teaching work with training two days a week.
He teaches children aged three to 11 and hopes beating the Eagles can inspire his students.
“It will show that you can be an underdog in any story, that you can achieve anything you want and that things that seem completely impossible might just become a reality because that’s exactly what happened on Saturday,” he said.
“I never thought I would be in this position coming back on a Monday after winning that match. I still can’t get over it now, it’s incredible.
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“I’m so happy for everyone involved in creating this piece of history. We’re going to try to milk it for as long as possible, but I know what the gaffer looks like and we’ll get right back to it tomorrow night.”
