Coventry marked the 10-year anniversary of their infamous third round exit to non-league Sutton United with a 7-0 thrashing of Second Division Macclesfield.

But for 20 minutes of this third round tie the magic that is the FA Cup looked to be serving up another banana skin for the Sky Blues as injury and illness-ravaged Macclesfield took the game to their Premiership opponents.

The Silkmen, robbed of five key players, took to the field in great spirits thanks to the fantastic vocal support of the 3,000 or so travelling army of fans from Cheshire.

Sammy McIlroy's men had a chance to open the scoring but Neil Howarth headed into recalled keeper Marcus Headman's arms.

And former Manchester United man Simon Davies tested Headman after firing in a free kick following David Burrows's foul on Spaniard Pedro Mathias - which earned him an early yellow card.

Coventry managed to put together a move of their own when George Boateng carried the ball 30 yards but his long-range effort did not worry Macclesfield keeper Ryan Price.

Macclesfield continued to harry their more illustrious opponents and almost carved out a chance on 21 minutes.

Mathias laid the ball onto the impressive Ben Sedgemore who switched play 40 yards to Graeme Tomlinson.

The other ex-member of the Old Trafford stable fed Davies but the return ball was poor and the chance gone.

The first goal came a little against the run of play and it was the home side who capitalised.

Stephen Froggatt picked up the ball on 27 minutes and danced his way through the Macclesfield defence unchallenged before stabbing the ball past a flailing Price and agonisingly over the line to calm the Sky Blues' nerves.

A minute later Macclesfield almost equalised when Davies tore his way through the defence and fed Mathias but the off-side flag was up before the ball was bundled over the line.

Coventry were now picking up the pace and stretching the Silkmen and a second goal was always on the cards.

When it came it was from a corner. Gary McAllister swung over his cross and Noel Whelan managed to get in front of centre-back Steve Payne and stooped low to head the ball home.

Davies became the second visitor to go in the book on 41 minutes, following Matthias' yellow card six minutes earlier.

And Efe Sodje followed two minutes later, albeit unjustly, spoiling an impressive first half for the bandana-wearing Nigerian who had gobbled up the majority of high balls sent his way.

But any hopes Macclesfield had of getting back into the game looked to have been ended on the stroke of half-time when Froggatt dribbled his way through a static defence and his cross-cum-shot was sliced into his own net by the unlucky Payne.

Coventry began the second half where they left off in the first.

With four minutes gone Darren Huckerby found himself in the clear 35 yards out but as he bore down on goal Price did well to narrow the angle and turn the shot behind.

A minute later and referee Gary Willard was brandishing two more yellow cards. Steve Wood went into the book after clashing with Whelan and the latter was lucky to escape a red after appearing to strike the Wood in retaliation.

Whelan then made way for new signing John Aloisi but it was Huckerby who almost made it four, Price doing well again.

He did make it four on the hour after good work from Boateng and Froggatt, drilling the ball past Price and into the bottom right hand corner.

The fifth goal came after more intense pressure and it was Huckerby who capitalised as the Silkmen were carved open again.

Aloisi did well to find the pacy front man and he steadied himself well before outfoxing Price.

As if it couldn't get worse for the Silkmen, on a rare foray into Coventry territory, Sodje clashed with keeper Headman resulting in the Nigerian being stretchered off.

That seemed to take the sting out of the game but Gordon Strachan's men weren't finished there.

Boateng battled well to win the ball and bring it out of defence and fed Huckerby out wide. He in return planted a lovely cross on Boateng's head for 6-0.

And just when you thought that was it, Huckerby rounded Price to complete a classy second-half hat-trick that made it 7-0.

For poor Macclesfield it was a re-run of last season's second round defeat against Walsall.

Teams:

Coventry: Hedman, Nilsson (Telfer 74), Burrows (Shilton 64), Williams, Shaw, McAllister, Boateng, Soltvedt, Froggatt, Huckerby, Whelan (Aloisi 53).

Subs Not Used: Ogrizovic, Breen.

Booked: Burrows, Whelan.

Goals: Froggatt 28, Whelan 36, Payne 45 og, Huckerby 60, 71, Boateng 88, Huckerby 90.

Macclesfield: Price, Hitchen, Howarth, Payne, Wood (Lonmergan 74), Sodje (Durkan 80), Askey, Sedgemore, Matias (Whittaker 45), Tomlinson, Davies.

Subs Not Used: Clyde, Davenport.

Booked: Matias, Davies, Sodje, Wood.

Att: 14,197

Ref: G Willard (Worthing).