Maidstone United manager George Elokobi says their shock away win against Championship side Ipswich Town in the FA Cup will lock them in “for life”.
The National League South side beat the club 98th above them in the Football Pyramid, scoring on just a few attempts. We won 2-1..
Speaking on BBC One, Elokobi said: “I shed a few tears.
“I take my hat off for the community. This is for Maidstone and the magic of the FA Cup. We had to believe.”
The Stones, who play in the sixth tier of English football, have already beaten EFL sides Barrow and Stevenage to reach the fourth round and are now in the fifth round for the first time in their history.
In doing so, they also became the first club from outside English football's top five to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup since Blyth Spartans in 1978.
“I always believe that there is hope and destiny,” Elokobi added. The team started their cup campaign with the second qualifying round and have so far won more than £350,000 in prize money.
“If you always act with humility and respect, you can build a group like we did.
“This is something that will bind us for life and what our boys are achieving now. What our boys are achieving hasn't been achieved in over 100 years. The magic is very much alive.”
“I hope we can advance to the championship.”
Elokobi, 37, who took over as Stones manager in March 2023, had special praise for 32-year-old Brazilian goalkeeper Lucas Covolan.
Much-traveled summer signing, Torquay's stoppage-time goalscorer 2021 National League Promotion Finalmade a number of great saves against the Tractor Boys.
“Lucas was one of the last players I signed 48 hours before the start of the league,” Elokobi said.
“In big games like this, he commands in the box and leads by example. He has kept us in check in so many games this season, which has been exceptional. It was a great performance, but it was an exceptional performance from the whole group of players.”
Lucas said on BBC One: “This means a lot. My career hasn't been great over the last few years, but (…) now we're making this film. It's unreal,” he added.
“It's just a normal day at the office. We had a great game. I'm very happy to be able to help my teammates. We've put our hats on again and I hope this will take us to the championship.” .”
“What we achieved is incredible. It's great to be in the last 16 teams in England. We fought hard until the end and everything,” he added.
Defender George Fowler, who started his career at Ipswich Town, told BBC Radio 5 Live:
“Everyone would say we were the underdogs today, but we persevered, we stayed organized, we rode our luck. Sometimes you have to do that when you're faced with class conflicts like this. But , Yes, we are very satisfied.”
“I was at Ipswich from 12pm to 7pm and had never played a first-team game before. I was very proud to be here today. All my friends and family are still here. It was a great moment because I live around the area.''It would be great if we could all celebrate together afterwards. ”
Maidstone: “Deserves a brighter day”
Ipswich have been eliminated in nine of the last 10 times they have faced each other in the fourth round of the FA Cup, with their only win coming against Swansea City in 2006-07, and the fifth time this century they have reached the fifth round. That's all I did.
Manager Kieran McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk: “It hurts. We're playing in front of a packed stadium. We wanted to get through to the cup but we're playing a team several divisions below us.” .
“We are not the first team in football to play against a team from a lower league in a cup competition, but we didn't want this result to be the end.
“We prepared well for the game and started the game very well, but we couldn't convert our chances. The team we should have been more clinical with were more clinical than us, so they You deserve a great day.”
One of the biggest upsets in the FA Cup?
But where does Maidstone's victory rank among the long list of memorable FA Cup upsets in the competition's history?
It's a subjective decision, but here's a list of famous shocks that this definitely adds to:
Hereford 2-1 Newcastle, third round replay, 1972
Non-League side Hereford United produced one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history, defeating First Division side Newcastle 2-1 in a replay of a much-delayed third round match in 1972. Ronnie Radford's iconic long-range strike was preceded by an equally spectacular celebration as substitute Ricky George's stunning winner. .
Stoke 2-3 Blyth Spartans, Round 4, 1978
Blyth Spartans of the Northern League saw off the Potters team who had just been relegated from the top flight, which was a big shock.
Sutton United 2-1 Coventry City, Round 3, 1989
The Sky Blues, who won the FA Cup two years ago, looked to be back on track after being leveled at muddy Gander Green Lane, but bricklayer Matthew Hanlan's well-constructed strike He scored the memorable winning goal from a corner.
Wrexham 2-1 Arsenal, third round, 1992
2nd place in the Premier League vs. 24th place in the Third Division. Reigning league champions Arsenal went to the Racecourse Ground full of confidence but not expecting evergreen Mickey Thomas to think otherwise.
Leicester 1-2 Wycombe, quarter-final, 2001
Roy Essandoh, who joined on a short-term deal due to an injury crisis, scored the winning goal as Leicester City lost in the Premier League at Filbert Street.
Norwich 0-1 Luton, Round 4, 2013
The Hatters, now back in the Premier League, became the first non-league side to knock out a top-flight opponent since Sutton United, who beat the Canaries 1-0 at Carrow Road thanks to a goal from Scott Rendell. Ta..
Chelsea 2-4 Bradford, Round 4, 2015
Jose Mourinho's Premier League giants led 2-0. Inspired by John Stead, Bradford turned things around in surprising fashion at Stamford Bridge.