The  cash-strapped Silkmen were supported by thousands of fans as they scored a second-half equaliser to set up a lucrative replay with Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup.

Saturday’s 1-1 draw against the Owls represented an opportunity for  Macclesfield Town to recoup some of the £300,000 it needs to stay afloat.

Funds derived from the match’s gate of 5,873, and from sponsorship and television payments, mean that profit for the club is set to reach almost £50,000.

And now the replay against Wednesday at Hillsborough is another chance to raise much-needed cash.

As as well as funds from the game, Macc will receive £67,000 if they  progress to the next round where the winner will travel to face Rochdale.

Macclesfield Town are now the lowest-ranked team left in the competition. However, immediately after the result on Saturday the replay was hit by controversy as Wednesday announced prices for the tie on Tuesday, January 14, at 7.45pm will be available at a reduced rate of £10 for adults and £5 for concessions.

But in a statement on the club’s website posted on Monday (January 6), the club said that it accepted Wednesday’s decision.

The statement read: “It is no secret that finances are at the forefront of everyone’s minds at Macclesfield Town at the moment as we try to steer a course through to securing the survival of the Silkmen.

“The club’s substantial experience from earlier seasons suggests that utilisation of minimum prices for FA Cup ties is not the best way to optimise the gate receipts.

“However, the club fully accepts that the pricing strategy for the game is entirely the decision of Sheffield Wednesday and acknowledges the decision on ticket prices was taken well before last Saturday’s game at Moss Rose.”

During Saturday’s match the club’s players were spurred by motivational verses which were sprawled around the dressing room.

One, entitled ‘Gladiator’, was pasted on to the room’s doorway so the players could see it just before going on the pitch, and included key words underlined in red such as ‘best’, ‘winner’ and ‘proud’.