Macclesfield’s fairytale FA Cup run ended by Heathcote’s own goal against Brentford

For 160 minutes this season Macclesfield had matched illustrious Premier League opponents in the FA Cup, but an unfortunate own goal from Sam Heathcote — a PE teacher when not playing as a part-timer in the sixth tier — sent Brentford into the fifth round. They could nonetheless take pride in the performance.

Having frustrated Crystal Palace in the previous round, the Cheshire side again made life difficult for Brentford for long spells; rather than collapse, the non-league visitors even pushed for a late equaliser against Keith Andrews’s men. Brentford grew into the game after a cautious start, with Reiss Nelson prompting the first real opening and Max Dearnley making several key saves.

The visitors' defence held firm until the hour mark, when Keane Lewis-Potter’s cross was diverted by Heathcote past his own goalkeeper, the scorer sinking his head after a recent high in the win over Palace.

macclesfield, brentford, fa cup, sam heathcote, own goal, keane lewis-potter, reiss nelson, max dearnley, keith andrews, crystal palace