Macclesfield spurred on by tragedy as they aim to knock Premier League Wigan out of FA Cup Wedgbury arrived in July 2010 when Macclesfield were still struggling to come to terms with Alexander's death and became close friends with Butcher, rooming with him on away trips. The midfielder, 23, will appreciate more than most the upturn in fortunes and the sense of a new beginning as his team prepare for their big moment. "It's been a whirlwind few years for the club and a really difficult situation," he said. "Keith passed away before I came here and then in January we also lost "Butch." That was devastating and it took me weeks to get over it. Every win we get I dedicate to him. I've got pictures of him at home and I'm always looking at them and thinking of the good times we had together. "We were on the way back from training when "Simmo" [Gary Simpson, the former manager] received the news and it was the worst day of my life. I used to room with Butch and he was such a likeable character, he led by example and was a leader. It affected us in the league but we dug in to stay up that year. It brought us all together as a squad, the club and the fans. It was such a sad time but everybody knew the only way to get through it was to be with each other. It made us so thankful. I'm not on major money here and there are better players than me working in supermarkets but losing "Butch" put everything into perspective. A few of our fans fly a flag for him and Keith at every home and away game and it shows that their spirit remains a big part of the club. That collective spirit has certainly been in evidence since relegation. King was charged with the task of rebuilding a squad from scratch and he guided Macclesfield to the top of the league earlier in the season and they remain in contention for the play-offs. King knows his way around non-league after winning promotions with former clubs Lewes and Northwich Victoria and has been the steady hand required. It was a tough job when we came in because the budget got chopped in half and apart from so many players going the chairman, admin staff, physios and masseurs all went. We had only weeks to build a team. But we signed players to play football in the right way. It's changed a million per cent from the long ball style that had been at this club before in the past. We only know how to play one way, whether we're playing Wigan Athletic or Grimsby Town. This is a reward for us after beating Cardiff in the last round and you can feel the buzz in the town. Hopefully we can create something similar against Wigan. Does the chief executive want a draw? I don't care what he wants, I just want to win! Jon Harris is Macclesfield's chief executive and estimates the club have banked £150,000 for their success in the competition that started in October with a fourth qualifying round win over Marine. That figure will only swell if Roberto Martínez suffers an upset. Harris said: "We always budget before a season to survive without any football fortune - which means no player sales, no cup run and getting knocked out of the FA Trophy. Basically, we prepare for the worst, so this FA Cup has allowed us to look to the future with optimism. There was instability when the club was relegated and promotion is the main priority but this is a wonderful opportunity for the players to make some history for themselves. After such a difficult three years, few would begrudge Macclesfield the chance to generate some more palatable headlines.