Brentford boss Keith Andrews believes the world was rooting for Macclesfield in the FA Cup fourth round
Macclesfield’s FA Cup run came to an end with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Brentford at a packed Leasing.com Stadium, but the scoreline only told part of the story of a difficult tie for the Premier League side.
“It was a really tough test. We knew it would be,” Brentford’s manager admitted afterwards. “Macclesfield play with a real spirit and the way they approach the game they had confidence from the last round.”
That confidence was clear from the opening minutes. Roared on by a tight, vocal Moss Rose crowd, the National League North side pressed aggressively and forced early mistakes.
D’Mani Mellor’s energy unsettled Brentford’s build-up and Danny Duffy fired over after capitalising on a loose pass, before captain Paul Dawson drove a low effort narrowly past the post.
Brentford dominated possession but struggled to establish any meaningful chances. Their best first-half chance arrived when Aaron Hickey’s cross found Reiss Nelson inside the box, only for Max Dearnley to react sharply and parry away.
At the other end, Macclesfield remained organised and combative, with Teden Mengi and Sam Heathcote repeatedly clearing deliveries into a crowded penalty area.
“First half I didn’t think we did certain things well enough,” the Brentford boss said. “I tweaked a couple of things at half-time but it was mainly the basics and I thought we did them a lot better in the second half.”
The pattern did shift after the interval. Brentford circulated the ball quicker and began to pin Macclesfield deeper.
Dearnley tipped over a dangerous Mikkel Damsgaard delivery, while Heathcote and Borthwick-Jackson threw themselves into blocks as pressure increased.
Still, chances remained limited. Macclesfield continued to threaten sporadically on the break and appeals for a penalty after a suspected handball were waved away, keeping the tie balanced heading into the final 20 minutes.
The decisive moment came in the 70th minute and it was cruel on the hosts. Hickey delivered a lofted cross towards the near post and Heathcote, attempting to head behind under pressure, diverted the ball past his own goalkeeper.
“We eventually wore them down and got the goal we clearly needed,” said the Brentford manager. “The pitch will never be used as an excuse but it was different I suppose – different from what the players are used to training on and playing on daily – that’s a fact.”
Macclesfield did not fold. Long throws, direct free-kicks and late deliveries into the box kept Brentford uneasy throughout stoppage time, while the home supporters maintained the atmosphere that had characterised the evening.
However, the visitors managed the closing minutes and held on to progress to a fourth-round tie at West Ham.
Reflecting on the reaction around the fixture, the Brentford boss added: “The fact we are a pretty likeable club and we are normally the underdog, but everybody wanted us to lose tonight and we had to deal with that.”
