Sam Heathcote is an elementary school physical education teacher at Stamford Park Primary School in Altrincham, near Manchester in the northwest of England. So it must've been a bit befuddling to him to be the subject of interview requests from ESPN, the New York Times, SiriusXMFC and others this weekend.
In addition to his day job, Heathcote is a starting center back for Macclesfield FC, which competes in the National League North, the sixth tier of the English football pyramid. The Silkmen have only been in existence for five years; their previous incarnation, Macclesfield Town FC, was disbanded in bankruptcy in 2020. The new version is known as a phoenix club, having risen from the ashes of its predecessor.
On Saturday, Macclesfield hosted Premier League side Crystal Palace at Moss Rose, their 5,300-seat stadium in an FA Cup third round match. 5,348 fans packed the ground, a new record. Palace are the holders of the cup, winners over Manchester City in last year's final at Wembley.
They won't be this year.
The part-time players of Macclesfield went toe to toe with the Premier League pros, taking a 2-0 lead into the 90th minute before giving up a goal. The six minutes of stoppage time must've seemed an eternity to the home faithful, but the time ended without another goal, and Macclesfield FC earned a 2-1 victory that numerous British commentators have hailed as the greatest upset in the tournament's 155-year history.
Sometimes upsets in the FA Cup are borne from the more prominent club having rotated its team, resting key players. And while Palace might not have started its full usual eleven, key players such as England national team members Marc Guehi and Adam Wharton, along with USMNT stalwart Chris Richards were in the starting lineup.
The Macclesfield story is made all the more emotional by the recent death of 21 year-old forward Ethan McLeod, who was killed in an automobile accident while traveling home from the squad's December 16 match against Bedford Town. It's almost too much of a storybook tale.
The Silkmen drew Brentford at home as their fourth-round opponent this afternoon, and they'll likely be bounced from the tournament at that point - which makes Dave a bit of a villain. Again. But there is no taking back their moment of joy and glory.
Up Macclesfield!
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dammit, i keep forgetting to root for brentford.
ReplyDeletego bees! sting these upstart silkmen!
how’s this for serendipitous alignment with theme? joy division was founded in macclesfield!
ReplyDeleteI often listen to footy matches on the bbc whilst doing weekend chores. I missed the broadcast of this match, but enjoyed the reaction to it on 606, "The UK's #1 Football Phone In". One of the hosts is Robbie Savage, a former player who was manager of Macclesfield through last season, and now at Forest Green Rovers. He wouldn't take credit for the 'cupset', but was obviously very happy for the club.
ReplyDeleteJoy Week rolls on!
ReplyDeleteIgnoring both the untimely, tragic end of Joy Division plus the reference to which their name owes. Hell with that, up with Joy!
ignorance is bliss, man
ReplyDeleteanyone who's got some joy they want to spread should feel free to join in tomorrow.
ReplyDeletemike tomlin stepping down as steelers coach to become a guest blogger at g:tb. big for us.
ReplyDeletewould the steelers hire john harbaugh? 'cause that would send the content factories into meltdown.
I had a joyful post but accidentally posted it in the past. Sorry Donna.
ReplyDeletecomment up above shoulda told you
ReplyDelete