KEITH ANDREWS entered the Macclesfield dressing room to pep up the crestfallen players who pushed his Brentford side all the way.
The Bees boss spoke for just under a minute before shaking Macclesfield manager John Rooney’s hand and being applauded by the squad on his way out.
It was a classy gesture from , 45, whose side required a 70th-minute Sam Heathcote own goal to on Monday night.
legend and TNT Sports pundit Joe Cole admitted he found the scenes heartwarming on a brisk Cheshire evening.
He said: “It’s a nice touch. All the boys there playing for Macclesfield, they dream of playing in the Premier League.
“Keith Andrews is a Premier League manager and will be telling them what a difficult game it was for his team. How they showed heart and determination.
“Football is a very confrontational game but there’s a football family. He’s gone in and will be giving them their flowers there, and rightly so.”
Fellow pundit Karen Carney added: “An opposition manager can really pick them up a little bit here.
“They’ll obviously be gutted with the manner they conceded the goal. The heart, everything they’ve given – that is what the FA Cup is about.
“In those moments, the players will appreciate that from the Premier League manager Keith Andrews there.”
Heathcote headed into his own net to gift Brentford a narrow winCredit: Reuters
Heathcote was consoled by team-mates at full-timeCredit: PA
fielded a strong side at Moss Rose, where holders were shocked in the third round.
But they were unable to breach a stubborn defence until Heathcote’s heartbreaking second-half mishap teed up a trip to , where a spot in the quarter-finals will be up for grabs.
Andrews told BBC Radio 5 Live that Macclesfield posed a “real test” and he has “a lot of respect for how they play”.
Silkmen striker Danny Elliott, who missed the game through injury but was in the dressing room for Andrews’ post-match speech, said: “He told us he was relieved and paid a lot of respect to us.
“For a Premier League manager to do that is nice. It shows the gap isn’t necessarily massive.
“We should be so proud of ourselves. The run highlights the club nationally and it’s nice that a Premier League manager was pretty scared of us.”
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