BUYING Macclesfield FC saved Rob Smethurst’s life – now the non-league side are attempting to knock holders Crystal Palace out of the FA Cup.
For Smethurst, 48, the alcohol-influenced purchase during the Covid-19 pandemic almost cost him his marriage but has now led to something special.
Despite stepping down from his position as owner in October 2025, five years after the initial rebranding from Macclesfield Town following a winding up by the High Court due to debts of over £500,000, Smethurst has been unable to entirely walk away.
He spent over £4million of his own money – made from selling a successful car delivery app to Auto Trader – on renovating the rundown Moss Rose stadium and as much as £400,000-a-year to keep things going.
But for Smethurst, Macclesfield has become everything – almost by accident.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he documents the boozy habits that led to him intrusively splashing out on a club which had gone bust.
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He said: “I was just drinking crazy amounts of alcohol really, and living a completely ridiculous lifestyle.
“I’d go to the pub at two o’clock in the afternoon and always be the last person to leave.
“I’d been on this session, a four-day rolling bender. It was just non-stop. You know, wake up, carry on, which was crazy.
“My mate said: ‘Macc football club’s up for sale.’
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“I went on Rightmove and bought it within 24 hours. I didn’t have a business plan, and absolutely no idea how to run a football club.
“It was just something to do when you’re p****d.”
Covid left Smethurst to cash in on his football academy venture and Macclesfield filled a hole but he wasn’t sure what he had gotten himself into from the start.
Looking back at turning up at the ground to collect the keys, he said: “The seats were broken, the glasses were smashed, the pitch was non-existent, weeds, cracked tarmac…”
Smethurst adds: “I’m thinking, “What the f***? What have I bought?
“I mean, the place had fallen apart. The receivers had been in and it was as derelict as it could possibly be.”
What has happened since is three promotions and a lot of investment.
Smethurst admits: “Has it saved my life? Yeah, it has.
“It’s taken over. It gave me something other to do than going back to sitting in the bedroom watching Netflix. I’ve got to fight for this club.
“Once you get into it, the love, the passion, there is a togetherness within football that goes beyond.
“It’s become the heartbeat of Macclesfield. I walk across the pitch and I get a standing ovation from 4,000 people.
“I can’t go into town without being inundated with people coming over and talking to you. I love that.”
Smethurst rebranded and entered the North West Counties League and is now in the sixth-tier.
They host Palace on Saturday in the FA Cup third round and stand to make over £300,000 from the game.
The beneficiary will be John Rooney, Wayne’s younger brother.
He was hired after Robbie Savage left to join Forest Green Rovers last summer upon winning the Northern Premier League with a record 109 points last season.
Savage was the director of football but went into coaching and had a huge impact.
Smethurst makes no bones about the way it has all played out: “In all honesty, we’ve kind of bought the football leagues.
“No matter what we say, the reality is we have.
“I can understand why other clubs hated us for it because we weren’t on the same playing field.
“It’s only now that we’re starting to see that we’ve levelled out.”
Rooney Jr has the Silkmen in 14th after 22 games, only seven points off fifth with games in hand over all of their closest rivals.
He has used the experience of Wayne, who is set to be part of BBC’s coverage of the match, to help him on his journey,
John said: “Hopefully he’s not slating me [on air].
“He’s been on holiday and gets home the night before, so he’s on the game.
“To have a brother like that and someone to look up to is only going to benefit me if I need advice. We were talking about the Palace game on the phone the other day.
“But he’s managed in the Championship and MLS. No disrespect, we’ve got to go to teams like Alfreton.
“I know what people say: ‘Do you get frustrated with being Wayne’s brother all the time?’
“It probably was a little bit hard sometimes, but I’m used to it now.
“You always get judged on it and I have been since I started playing at a young age.
“You know, it’s always: ‘Wayne Rooney’s brother this, Wayne Rooney’s brother that.’ I’m proud of what he’s done.
“He’s been one of the best players ever to play the game, but I’m my own person and I’ll manage the way I want to manage.
“It’s not always the great players that make great managers.”
John’s pathway to being in the dugout is far from straightforward.
He was also at the Everton academy, like Wayne, but joined Macclesfield as a teenager.
The former midfielder returned in 2023 but stepped into Savage’s shoes in July 2025.
That is just one of many unlikely stories for Smethurst and the club which comes to a head when Oliver Glasner and a team playing in European football visits the Cheshire town over the weekend.
