Macclesfield - The FA Cup Journey

Within this season’s FA Cup there have been some standout teams, most noticeably the National League team, Macclesfield, so how exactly did they challenge norms and make it to round four of the competition?

(Image credit @thesilkmen on Instagram)

Qualifying round two 

The journey began for them in qualifying round 2, where they were drawn to face Atherton Laburnum Rovers at home. The first half was rather quiet in terms of action, however the team came out fighting in the second half. They scored two goals in nine minutes, getting the ball rolling. A third goal came in the 90+2’ minute, leading to a 3-0 win for the team.

Qualifying round three

Proceeding onto the next round, they were once again drawn at home to face Nantwich Town. Similar to the last match, the first half didn’t see much action, however the team came alive in the second half. With a goal in the 49’ minute to set the team alight, they worked hard to prevent a goal from the opposing team. They eventually found the back of the net again in the 77’ minute to seal a 2-0 win.

Qualifying round four

Heading into the final qualifying round, they remained at home again, this time drawn against Stamford Town. Both teams came into the match fighting, both sides wanting to make it to the first official round of the competition. Macclesfield broke through Stamford Town’s defence to score in the 37’ minute, this being the only goal of the game. As a result, Macclesfield passed through to the first round of the FA Cup.

(Image credit @thesilkmen on Instagram)

Round 1

This stage of the competition began for them with a match against AFC Totten. They faced the team at home in an action packed game. The first half got off to an exciting start with Danny Elliot scoring a hat-trick in 30 minutes, with the first goal in the 6’ minute. However during those 30 minutes, AFC Totten came back to score three goals of their own, making the score 3-3 heading into the second half. The second half also brought action, with Macclesfield scoring three more goals, sending them through to the second round with a 6-3 win over AFC Totten.

Round 2

Round 2 brought the team their first away match, they were set to face Slough Town. The match was quiet until a challenge from Slough Town gave Macclesfield a penalty in the 67’ minute, putting them a goal ahead. In the 86’ minute, Slough came back to equalise the score and send the game to extra time. Four minutes into extra time, Macclesfield scored, giving them an edge over Slough. The final goal came in the 120+7’ minute for Macclesfield, sealing the win and sending them through to the third round.

Round 3

Round 3 brought a challenge to the club, they were now entering the rounds with Premier League teams. They were drawn to face Crystal Palace at home. 5348 fans headed to the teams ground to see these star players face their small town team.  The first goal of the game came late into the first half, with Macclesfield shocking the majority and scoring. Heading into the second half, they were 1-0 up and hoping to hold on. In the 60’ minute, Macclesfield scored again putting them 2-0 up against a Premier League team. They then defended with everything they had, keeping the score this way until conceding a last minute goal against Crystal Palace. Ultimately the team pulled through and beat Crystal Palace 2-1, heading into the fourth round of the FA Cup, shocking their fans.

(Image credit @thesilkmen on Instagram)

Round 4 

Heading into round 4, they were once again facing a Premier League team at home, this time it was Brentford. The game remained level until the 70’ minute, where the ball deflected off a Macclesfield and led to an own goal from the player. The score remained 1-0 and the final whistle was blown, ending the team's stunning FA Cup run.

Article written by Imogen Moggridge © Imogen Moggridge 2026