Macclesfield Town's remarkable FA Cup adventure was finally halted at Moss Rose as a Sam Heathcote own goal sent Brentford through to the fifth round with a 1-0 win. The National League North side, who had famously dumped out holders Crystal Palace in the third round, came within 20 minutes of forcing extra time before an unfortunate glancing header from their PE-teacher defender settled the tie.
John Rooney's part-timers ended their cup campaign with a 2-2 aggregate scoreline against Premier League opposition, and the standing ovation that greeted the final whistle felt entirely deserved. A lucrative trip to West Ham's London Stadium had briefly veered into sight, but Brentford, jolted into life after the interval, ultimately had enough to avoid a second top-flight humbling at this ground.
Silkmen set the tempo from the first whistle
The tone was set inside a minute when Isaac Buckley-Ricketts won a free-kick and Paul Dawson headed over. Both men had scored against Palace and both clearly arrived ready to repeat the feat. Macclesfield were first to every ball, bristling with intent that their more glamorous visitors could not come near.