Macclesfield owner bought FA Cup heroes on Rightmove after four-day Ibiza bender - The Mirror

Macclesfield secured a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup on Saturday - as the holders tumbled out of the competition - before Rob Smethurst opened up on how he bought the non-league club.

Rob Smethurst reminisced over his decision to buy Macclesfield FC after a four-day bender in Ibiza as he and everybody associated with the sixth-tier outfit basked in the glory of their shock 2-1 triumph over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup.

The Silkmen hosted the current FA Cup holders on Saturday afternoon, and it really was one for them to savour. Despite heading into the fixture as major underdogs, with some 117 places separating the two clubs in the English football pyramid, it was the National League North side who reigned supreme over their Premier League opponents.

Paul Dawson nodded home just ahead of half-time to give the non-league outfit the lead, before Isaac Buckley-Ricketts doubled Macclesfield's advantage midway through the second period. While Yeremy Pino grabbed one back during stoppage time, his goal came as all-but a consolation as the Eagles tumbled out of the competition.

Moving on into the fourth round of the FA Cup as a result of their win, the club finds itself in a polar opposite situation to when Smethurst took over the club in 2020, when it was bust and up for sale on Rightmove. Speaking about how he came to own Macclesfield FC, Smethurst told TNT Sports: "This is unbelievable scenes, I have no words, it's what dreams are made of.

"To see all the Macc fans running on the pitch, it just shows how much it meant to everyone and for me who bought this club five years ago I never ever would have imagined this to have happened today.

"I bought it from Rightmove after four days drinking and can't really remember buying it. And look where we are now."

Smethurst also added he's already planned a trip to Ibiza with the squad to mark the occasion. He added: "It's incredible. I think I've already planned the Ibiza trip with the boys."

He continued: "Not in a million years [did I see that happening]. It's Crystal Palace, an absolutely quality team and I thought we would maybe [lose] 6-0, 7-0 in my head. But I've never seen anything like it... The players were insane."

Macclesfield Town went into liquidation in 2020, with the club's Moss Rose stadium being listed on Rightmove for £500,000. The Silkmen were also axed from the National League just four days ahead of the season getting underway.

The listing on Rightmove read: "It is incumbent upon the purchaser to undertake the task and costs of assigning and / or transferring the web-site, IP and e-mail addresses, telephone numbers and trading styles. It is incumbent upon the purchaser to negotiate to a satisfactory conclusion, negotiations with the various football authorities.

"The sellers are not offering within the goodwill, any book debts or any future ‘Parachute Payment’ at this time. Offers in excess of £500,000 are invited in writing for a sale, in its entirety, of the Football Club. All offers should be accompanied by proof of funding."

Smethurst ultimately came to the club's rescue, having made his fortune through a car sales company, helping the club climb the EFL pyramid in the years since. He also acquired the help of Robbie Savage, given he knew very little about football at the time.

While Savage initially told Smethurst that buying the club was "the most ridiculous thing" he'd ever done, he was happy to jump on board and help out. He told the BBC in 2021: "I reflect every day on whether it was a good idea.

"There's another problem every single day. Ultimately, though, when the first team go out and win, or when you see kids on the pitch smiling, people enjoying the bar or the gym that we've built...you look at it with pride."

Macclesfield FC also achieved promotion to the sixth tier of football last season. With their win over Palace coming as a day to remember, for a lifetime, pictures showed fans celebrating with players on the pitch of the Leasing.com Stadium, certain stars finding themselves hoisted into the air by adoring supporters.

The Silkmen will learn their fate for the fourth round of the FA Cup on Monday, January 12, when the next draw takes place.

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