When Sam Bone takes to the pitch for Maidstone United’s FA Cup clash with Coventry City on Monday night, you can be sure he will pause for a moment to take it all in.
Maidstone United are the lowest ranked side for 46 years to make the last 16 of the FA Cup and only the 11th Non-League club ever to make it this far since the current structure was adopted for the 1925-26 season.
National League South Maidstone United put themselves deeper into FA Cup folklore by dumping out the Championship high-flyers in front of 4,472 jubilant travelling fans at a packed Portman Road.
Maidstone United are the last Non-League club still standing in this season’s FA Cup and have remarkably already won six FA Cup ties this season – the same number of wins a Premier League club would have to achieve in order to lift the cup itself.
Proud boss George Elokbi lavished praise on his FA Cup heroes as Maidstone United made history by reaching the fourth round for the first time since reformation in 1992.
Eastleigh manager Richard Hill claimed his side used the sense of injustice after George Langston’s first-half red card to inspire them to fight back from a goal down to earn a replay with Newport.
Tyler Frost has been involved in two of the craziest FA Cup ties in recent years. Aldershot Town’s 7-4 win over Swindon Town in this season’s first round proper wasn’t the only 11-goal thriller the 24-year-old has tasted victory.