MACCLESFIELD Town’s reward for their fine win at Port Vale is a chance to host Premiership big guns Everton.
The Silkmen were drawn at home to the five-time FA Cup winners, nine-time champions of England and 1985 European Cup-Winners’ Cup champions in the third round.
Immediately after the 3-1 win at Vale, Macc boss Keith Alexander had hoped for "the lowest non-league team left in it" but Sunday’s draw means Alexander and his players must test their mettle against David Moyes’ Merseyside giants.
The draw means a return to Premiership opposition for Macc, two years after a 6-1 cup defeat at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge.
"The bottom line is that we want to reach the fourth round, and I would have liked one of the teams below us," said Alexander. "The fans won’t have to travel and hopefully it will be a great day for them and everyone involved. Let’s hope Everton won’t be relishing coming to Macclesfield."
In the meantime, the players have league duties to fulfil, with five more games this month to follow Tuesday night’s re-arranged fixture at Wycombe Wanderers.
"It’s a big incentive but I would hope that my players will be professional and go about things in the right manner," added the Macc manager. "We’ve got teams around us in the league that we need to be beating, because we’re on a good little run that we need to keep going."
Club chairman Mike Rance said: "I’m really pleased that we’ve got a decent draw out of it.
"It should be a great atmosphere at the Moss Rose and a great day for the club. It’s a great opportunity for the lads to show what they can do."
Chief executive Patrick Nelson added: "It’s a fantastic draw for us, we’ll be hosting one of the top teams in the country with a fabulous pedigree.
"We’re delighted that it’s a north west derby too, it gives us a chance to show the whole of Macclesfield off to the rest of the country."
But for now, Alexander will put the Toffees to the back of his mind, as he looks to lead Macc towards the higher stretches of the table
"Everyone’s fit at the moment, but not necessarily happy," he added. "They’re only unhappy if they’re not in the team though, so they’ll have to work hard to get back in."
