Macclesfield captain Paul Dawson dedicated his side’s historic FA Cup win over holders Crystal Palace to former forward Ethan McLeod, who was killed in a car crash last month at the age of 21.
After sixth-tier Macclesfield pulled off the greatest FA Cup shock of all time based on league ranking, with the Silkmen 117 places below Premier League club Palace in the football pyramid, club captain Dawson revealed he had received a good-luck message from McLeod’s parents, who were at the Moss Rose stadium, before the third-round tie but decided to avoid putting extra pressure on his team-mates.
