Brentford advanced in the FA Cup fourth round with a 1-0 victory over Macclesfield at Leasing.com Stadium, despite facing strong resistance from the lower-league side. Manager Keith Andrews praised his players for overcoming a challenging match where he believes the world was rooting against them. The win sets up a tie against West Ham in the next round.
Macclesfield's impressive FA Cup run ended with a 1-0 loss to Brentford in the fourth round at a packed Leasing.com Stadium. The National League North team, backed by a vocal Moss Rose crowd, started aggressively, pressing high and forcing early errors from the Premier League visitors.
D'Mani Mellor's energy disrupted Brentford's build-up, with Danny Duffy firing over after a loose pass and captain Paul Dawson driving a shot just past the post. Brentford controlled possession but created few chances in the first half, their best opportunity coming when Aaron Hickey's cross found Reiss Nelson, only for Macclesfield goalkeeper Max Dearnley to parry it away. Defenders Teden Mengi and Sam Heathcote cleared multiple threats into the box.
"It was a really tough test. We knew it would be," Brentford manager Keith Andrews said afterward. "Macclesfield play with a real spirit and the way they approach the game they had confidence from the last round."
Andrews admitted his team underperformed initially. "First half I didn't think we did certain things well enough," he noted, explaining tweaks at halftime focused on basics, which improved their second-half performance.
After the break, Brentford moved the ball quicker, pinning Macclesfield back. Dearnley tipped over a Mikkel Damsgaard delivery, and blocks from Heathcote and Borthwick-Jackson kept the score level. Macclesfield threatened on counters, including a waved-away penalty appeal for handball.
The decisive goal arrived in the 70th minute: Hickey's lofted cross was headed into his own net by Heathcote under pressure. "We eventually wore them down and got the goal we clearly needed," Andrews said, acknowledging the unfamiliar pitch conditions without using them as an excuse.
Macclesfield pushed late with long throws and set pieces, but Brentford held firm to secure progression. Reflecting on external perceptions, Andrews 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."
