Overview
- Sixth-tier Macclesfield welcome Premier League Brentford to Moss Rose on Monday at 7:30pm UK time in the FA Cup fourth round, live on TNT Sports.
- Owner Rob Smethurst says the club is in talks with two large foreign groups over potential investment after earning roughly £800,000 to near £1m from the cup run.
- Smethurst plans to reinvest the windfall into the first team but says reaching the Football League will require far deeper funding than matchday income can provide.
- Since eliminating holders Crystal Palace 2-1, John Rooney’s side have surged into National League North play-off contention with a strong run of results.
- The phoenix club’s rise is rooted in a part‑time squad and a tight‑knit community still grieving 21-year-old forward Ethan McLeod, whose memory is marked around the ground.