Join Bartholomew Hall live from Coventry as we look ahead to Maidstone United's 5th Round FA Cup fixture.
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00:00 Hello and welcome along to this very special edition of Invictus Sport live from Coventry
00:21 ahead of Maidstone United's FA Cup Final 16 match against Coventry City.
00:26 My name is Bartholomew Hall, welcome to the programme.
00:30 It's been a historic occasion with a mammoth build up from the national and international
00:35 attention that's been put on Maidstone to the thousands who queued outside the Gallagher,
00:39 all eyes are now on this game which kicks off in just under two hours.
00:44 For the next 12 minutes we're going to take a look back at how Maidstone got here, what
00:48 the feeling has been like back at camp and talk about what this all means for the club
00:53 going forward.
00:54 But first, in proper Invictus Sport style, we must start by taking a look back at the
00:58 weekend that just went by, so let's start with a round up of the headlines.
01:02 And Chatham's Robert Caswell has lost his first attempt at a professional boxing title.
01:07 The 23-year-old finally took to the ring against Michael Webber-Kane on Saturday night, four
01:11 months after they were originally meant to meet.
01:14 Two minutes into the sixth round and the fight was waved off by the referee, marking Caswell's
01:18 first professional loss.
01:20 On social media the young fighter says it was a tough pill to swallow and it wasn't
01:24 his night.
01:25 The Chatham Town fan will now be taking some time off to be with family.
01:30 Dover Athletic has been kicked out of the Kent Senior Cup after fielding an ineligible
01:34 player.
01:35 The club took to social media on Friday to confirm the decision from the Kent FA.
01:39 It comes after the club progressed to the quarter-final of the competition with a 4-0
01:43 win at Beckenham earlier this month.
01:45 However, it's since come to light that defender Nico Jones had already played in the same
01:49 competition, albeit for a different side, Welling United, meaning he wasn't able to
01:53 have competed for Dover.
01:55 The club says they're very disappointed and have apologised to fans.
01:59 Now for a look back at the football results from the weekend.
02:02 For Gillingham in League Two it was something of a Hollywood sequel as Steven Clements looked
02:06 for revenge against the side that bested him in his first league game all the way back
02:11 in November.
02:12 I am of course talking about Wrexham and whilst a certain Ryan Reynolds wasn't in appearance
02:17 at Priestfield, the packed out crowd marvelled at what turned out to be a rather exciting
02:22 afternoon in Medway.
02:23 Meanwhile in the National League, Ebbs Fleet were looking to extend an unbeaten run of
02:27 four games as they took on Dorking Wanderers away from home.
02:32 Welcome to the Football Roundup.
02:34 Now with several National League wins under their belt, Ebbs Fleet made the long trip
02:38 down to Dorking, Surrey to face the Wanderers with hopes of continuing their good run at
02:43 four.
02:44 After ten minutes of back and forth, Dorking managed to break the deadlock with Alfie Rutherford
02:48 getting a shot blocked from close range and Charlie Carter catching the rebound to make
02:52 it 1-0.
02:53 But Ebbs Fleet don't put their fists down.
02:56 Only a few minutes later and Rakesh Bingham finds the net from distance and he even hits
03:01 the crossbar to make a spectacular finish drawing Ebbs Fleet level.
03:06 After ten more minutes of intense football, Luke O'Neill slots a composed free kick home
03:11 past keeper Harrison Maill to put Ebbs Fleet in the lead and the away fans could not be
03:16 happier.
03:17 In the next two halves, Dorking had many more chances to convert but couldn't quite seem
03:23 to make it equal.
03:25 All that frustration boiled over with a ridiculously high challenge from Tony Craig.
03:30 Already on a yellow and he is sent off and Ebbs Fleet show us some lovely build up play.
03:35 That is real total football right there.
03:38 Benjamin Scott Chapman runs it down the byline beating his man.
03:41 He finds Bingham who just places it past keeper Mark Cousins with ease.
03:46 More Dorking chances come and go but they just can't stop Dominic Samuel.
03:51 He bursts forward getting one on one with Maill and he plays it simply before the keeper
03:56 can even move.
03:57 That makes it 4-1.
03:58 Not a scoreline you see every away day.
04:02 Thanks to that win, Ebbs Fleet see themselves jump a few spots higher out of the 20s and
04:06 into the late teens.
04:08 They might just see next season.
04:11 Now in League 2, Gillingham hosted at the time third place Wrexham but they managed
04:16 to hold Ryan Reynolds' Red Dragons goalless for a 1-0 win.
04:21 This sees Gillingham slowly start to climb back up towards their earlier season glory
04:26 and back down the pyramid in the National League South.
04:29 It was a mild week for the Kent teams.
04:32 Dover continued their unfortunate losing streak making this their seventh consecutive loss
04:39 in league games.
04:40 And this is how the table looks.
04:43 Dover looking likelier and likelier to go down with Dartford staying just a float above
04:48 them.
04:49 Finally it was far more exciting in the Italian league with Chatham winning a nine goal thriller
04:55 against third place Bilheli Town.
04:57 That's not a scoreline you see every day.
04:59 But here's the table Chatham still have a way to climb if they're hoping for that top
05:04 spot against Hornchurch.
05:06 That is all for this week's football roundup.
05:09 Thank you for watching and make sure you tune in to that Maidstone game and support our
05:12 Kent teams.
05:13 Thanks for watching.
05:16 But the fixtures don't end there because up next is of course the moment many Maidstone
05:20 United fans have been waiting for.
05:22 In fact, some have been waiting for this club to see its glory since all the way back in
05:26 1993 when it rose from the ashes of the original Maidstone United which had fell to bankruptcy
05:32 just two years prior.
05:34 And like any Phoenix, Maidstone found itself spreading its wings tonight on the national
05:39 stage vying for a place in the quarterfinals of this iconic tournament, the FA Cup.
05:43 But what's next for Maidstone?
05:45 I've been speaking with the club's co-owner Oliver Ash.
05:49 Maidstone United's route to the final 16 of the FA Cup in 2024 is not a straightforward
05:54 story of success.
05:56 In fact, the original club of Kent's county town ceased to exist entirely back in 1991
06:01 and was forced to go from a mantle which played in the football league right to the very bottom
06:06 of the football pyramid to start fresh.
06:09 Two years later, the club which is known today emerged from a restructuring of the youth
06:13 club Maidstone Invicta.
06:15 And after a few years of success and rising from the Kent County League, the club, now
06:19 at 20 years old, led by former player Bill Williams, needed a stadium of its own and
06:25 a new investment if it was going to grow any further.
06:28 Step forward, Terry Casey and Oliver Ash in 2010.
06:31 "I just decided that I had a possibility of getting involved and doing this project
06:36 which would be a fantastic project for the club, for the town, to build a stadium in
06:41 this big town, the capital of Kent, that didn't have a stadium, didn't have a football club."
06:46 Since 2017, the club has bounced around the highs of the top levels of non-league football
06:50 and now finds itself in the National League South.
06:54 And that leads us to this year, where after six great wins in the FA Cup, including two
06:59 against EFL opponents, Maidstone found themselves in the fourth round of the FA Cup against
07:05 championship side Ipswich Town, further than any edition of the club had been before and
07:11 with nothing to lose.
07:12 Amid all the excitement around Maidstone's historic journey now to Coventry City, there's
07:30 no doubt that the prize and broadcast money, which has totaled above £700,000, will help
07:36 move this club to even greater heights.
07:38 "It's not just going to be spent on players. This is the legacy we're going to be leaving
07:43 behind. Hopefully one day we all can turn, if this can help us replace our pitch, then
07:50 there's a legacy our players have left behind. It's just bigger than just the squad itself.
07:56 It's a generational thing."
08:01 But if Maidstone wants to return to the football league, it may have to find new ownership
08:05 first.
08:06 "It's no secret that we would like to move on and we would like to find the right person,
08:12 the right people to come and take over and take the club forward sustainably for the
08:18 next adventure of the club."
08:20 As for whatever happens here in Coventry, it's clear that the story of Maidstone United
08:25 is far from over.
08:26 Bartholomew Hall for KMTV.
08:31 Well not long to go now before things kick off behind me at the Coventry Building Society
08:35 Arena.
08:36 Thousands of Maidstone United fans are arriving here for what will be a night never to forget.
08:41 And after a weekend of training, Georgie Lacobie's men will be walking out on that pitch, not
08:46 just flying the flag for non-league football, but for Kent football too.
08:50 Let's take a look back at what went down at the Gallagher last week when the national
08:54 press flooded into Kent and there was a little visit too from the FA Cup itself.
09:00 Eyes on the prize.
09:02 Coaching boss Georgie Lacobie is still in his first full season at Maidstone United
09:07 and keeping his feet firmly on the ground despite all the hype.
09:10 "We deserve to be in the fifth round of the FA Cup, how we've gone about it as a group,
09:16 as a community.
09:17 I know everyone is saying luck, yes luck does play a part, but also it's that togetherness
09:24 and that belief that we've instilled in this environment.
09:28 And hopefully we're going to go on Monday against a good side in Conventry and we're
09:32 going to try and compete and showcase ourselves as a community, not just as a team."
09:38 Maidstone United's historic win over Championship side Ipswich was an amalgamation of what had
09:43 already been a fantastic run in the FA Cup this season.
09:47 Now set to face another Championship side in the final, 16, it's understandable why
09:52 a sense of belief just might be hanging in the air.
09:55 "It's just something different than what this club is used to.
09:59 So long may it continue, hope we do get through or get a win or even a replay.
10:06 We just want it to continue as long as possible because it's putting Maidstone on the map."
10:13 Just a few training sessions left now before the big day, it's not lost on these men just
10:18 how incredible their achievement is.
10:20 "I saw the picture the other day with all the teams remaining and to think we're actually
10:24 competing to get into the quarter-finals.
10:26 Who would have thought that a National League South team competing for their FA Cup quarter-finals.
10:32 Incredible.
10:33 You've got to believe a little bit from what we've done but it's going to be a very tough
10:39 ask but you have to believe, have to believe, have to."
10:42 "I'm enjoying every moment of it.
10:49 It's a memory that I'll probably never forget in my lifetime.
10:52 So I've just got to enjoy every single moment of it.
10:55 I mean we haven't had easy teams.
10:57 They haven't made it easy for us with the games that we've had.
11:01 We've had them at home, which obviously at home were pretty decent.
11:05 We've had EFL teams that are all flying in their league at the time.
11:10 So it's been difficult but luckily we've got the job done and we've got this far so we'll
11:15 see what we can do to keep it going."
11:17 Standing here with this iconic piece of silverware, Maidstone's dream is tangible.
11:23 On Monday they take on yet another giant in the form of Coventry City and all that's left
11:28 to do is write another chapter in this remarkable story.
11:31 Bartholomew Hall for KMTV in Maidstone.
11:36 And that's full time on today's episode of Invicta Sport but for Maidstone United here
11:40 in Coventry it's all still to play for.
11:43 Thank you very much for joining us here in Coventry and stay tuned to see a very special
11:47 feature on the journey up here.
11:48 Come on you Stones, see you next time.
11:50 Bye bye.
11:52 [Clapping]
11:55 [Squeal]
11:58 [Silence]
12:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]