Ipswich 1-2 Maidstone: match report
Time to wrap up here, after a sensational start to the footballing weekend. Simon Mail was at Portman Road for us, and with the 3pm GMT KOs about to start, I’ll leave you with his report. Join Niall McVeigh for what comes next!
Maidstone manager George Elokobi speaks! The former Wolves centre-back was called up by Cameroon in 2010-11 but never capped by his country.
There were a few tears. We’ve come to Ipswich Town, with the tradition behind them … for our group of players to be clapped off and applauded by these fantastic fans is just amazing.
This is an inspirational moment for us all, for Cameroon, for Africa, for every young man who has been through what I have been through in life. Always believe there is hope – believe in yourself, always stay humble, always stay respectful. If you’ve got that you can create a group like I’ve done.
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Both Maidstone goalscorers have been shown their goals while being interviewed by the BBC. Seeing their handiwork with full-fat production values is clearly a thrill, but it’s telling how unfazed they are by the quality of their finishing.
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For more of Covolan’s backstory … catch up with this fine Michael Butler interview from before Maidstone’s second-round tie against Barrow …
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Lucas Covolan speaks to the BBC …
It means a lot. My career, the last few years, wasn’t very good. All the bad parts of the career comes in my head, and I produce this … unreal.
Normal day of the office, isn’t it? I had a great game. I’m so happy I could help my teammates to be in the hat again. I’m so proud of the team.
What we achieved is unbelievable. A credit to all the fans. We keep fighting to the end.
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Covolan, who was sensational and seemingly unflappable, is in tears, Elokobi is conducting celebrations, Corne is beaming. The away faithful can’t believe it – frankly I’d be surprised if anyone can wrap their head around how that result unfolded from the early stages.
Maidstone were being battered, but kept their heads, trusted their keeper, their tactics and their ability, and got a sensational, gloriously battled-for result.
Full time! Ipswich 1-2 Maidstone
Cupset. A big, big Cupset!
90 min+7: It’s siege time. Maidstone are hanging on. Burns spins Kyprianou, crosses and Edmundson is there to meet it … and Covolan’s there to meet his header.
90 min+5: A Morsy handball gives Maidstone a welcome breather. Implausibly, they’re on the attack.
Ipswich take it off them and go wide on the right. Kyprianou – who has had an excellent game – tackles. Another Ipswich header, this one from Broadhead, heads goalward but Covolan’s there again. And he’s not exactly in a hurry to bowl it out.
90 min+4: Davis swings it in again. Broadhead is muscled out, but Corne is caught out and commits a foul just outside the area. Davis takes, Maidstone deal with it. Half of the advertised stoppage time is already accounted for.
90 min+2: Maidstone are running on lactic acid and fumes at this stage.
Martin Keown names Covolan and Reynolds as joint players of the match – I’d echo that. The Stones keeper collects calmly from a Taylor header in the centre of his goal. Time’s-a-tickin’ for the increasingly frustrated Tractor Boys.
90 min: Davis has the ball out on the left. He plays it inside from the ball in Burns heads it towards the top right corner. Covolan paws it away spectacularly. Ipswich suddenly have a catalogue of corners.
There will be EIGHT minutes of stoppage time, which feels fair enough.
88 min: A siege isn’t really materialising – the home side are getting chances but Maidstone briefly press high in the Ipswich half. The substitutions appear to have robbed them of rhythm and potency.
When asked, it’s a great rearguard effort from the Stones backline.
86 min: Ipswich really aren’t liking it up ‘em. The sands of time are badly against them, and heads are going down.
83 min: Ipswich free-kick from wide out right. Corne heads the ball towards his own goal, complaining that he was being held.
From the ensuing corner, swung in dangerously, it comes off Chaplin’s shoulder six yards out and Covolan instinctively swings a left paw at it, somehow keeping it out.
Suddenly it’s a scrum in the goalmouth, with the ball emerging in the keeper’s hands, and a heap of Maidstone players needing assistance for cramp.
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81 min: Broadhead swings, the defence deflects. Ipswich corner. Davis underhits it, and to say Duku gives it some welly in the clearance would be a disservice to the potency of the Wellington boot.
Time is ebbing away for the Championship side.
80 min: Last 10 minutes. Can the underdogs cling on for a massive Cupset? They thought the Stevenage result was big.
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79 min: Jittery moments now as the tiring Stones sit well back. Chaplin works space well for a shot through a wall of bodies … but Covolan picks it up tidily.
Ipswich have had 28 shots to Maidstone’s two. Both of those two ended in goals. And that’s football, folks.
76 min: Edmundson goes down in the Maidstone box under challenge from Duku … and despite roars from the stands is booked by Taylor for the dive.
No huge complaints from Ipswich players but replays seem to show they had a valid claim of a penalty there.
74 min: HUGE Ipswich chance! Burns flashes a shot across the goal from the right. It briefly looks in but the visiting fans are thrilled to see it go wide.
Reynolds is off, with 17-year-old Riley Court coming on. Bone is replaced by Perri Iandolo.
72 min: Good hands from Covolan again. A Clarke shot is cleanly struck, but too central. From the next foray forward, a ball from the Ipswich right goes nowhere.
Duku goes down, pointing to his shoulder. Possibly a bit of play-acting?
69 min: Hutchinson is off – the pacy Wes Burns replaces him. Sarmiento – who slo-mo replays show took a sneaky shirt-tweak from Fowler in the buildup to Maidstone’s second goal – is also replaced, with Gerard Buabo coming on.
66 min: Simply a gorgeous goal at any level. It’s won after a three-pronged press on Sarmiento in midfield, and Reynolds is suddenly marauding on the left. Sam Corne charges through the centre, collects from a splendid ball, and puts it away gloriously. He scored the winner against Stevenage in the last round, let’s not forget.
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GOAL! Ipswich 1-2 Maidstone (Corne 66)
Holy moly!
64 min: The balance of play is currently with the hosts, but hey! We were saying that late in the first half.
Ross McGillivray writes:
Lived and worked in Maidstone in 1970s on a visit from Australia.
Never thought I’d log on to the guardian at bedtime in Perth Western Australia and read them featuring in an FA Cup tie!
61 min: Berkeley-Agyepong goes down in the Ipswich box but doesn’t appeal – even he knows there was nothing in that. After the ensuing passage of play, during which Sarmiento swings a presentable effort well wide, he’s replaced by Bivesh Gurung.
59 min: Now Ipswich have a free-kick on the left-hand side of the box. It’s worked to Conor Chaplin, just on from the bench, but his stabbed effort goes high and wide.
Chaplin came on for Aluko, while Leif Davis and Harrison Clarke are on for Ball and Humphrys. For Maidstone, Sole – who had a fine game – has been replaced by Reiss Greenidge.
56 min: It’s tidily put away from the Brighton loanee. He finds himself well clear on the left of the Maidstone box and finishes emphatically into the left corner.
GOAL! Ipswich 1-1 Maidstone (Sarmiento 56)
They’ve finally put one of those chances away. We’re level at Portman Road!
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54 min: Want proof of how compelling this tie is? I made myself a coffee at half-time, inadvertently left it on the side, and have no intention of going to get it. Aluko goes down on the right edge of the Maidstone box, claims for a free-kick, but nothing doing.
However …
52 min: For the first time in the match there’s a bit of to-and-fro to affairs, with both sides getting a go on the advance. Ipswich briefly have a sniff with Hutchinson put through with a tidy ball on the deck, but Covolan beats him to it. Maidstone are looking increasingly confident.
50 min: Another Maidstone opportunity! No long-ball stuff either – it’s worked well into the Ipswich box with Sam Bone central to the move, but it’s snaffled up and the home side regroup.
49 min: Aluko is felled in the Maidstone area by a shot from his teammate Dominic Ball. He looks dazed but is soon back up again.
47 min: The early pattern returns. Patient buildup from the hosts, making use of both flanks through Hutchinson and Humphreys.
Peep! We’re back in the game for the second half. No lineup changes to report.
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IT point of order: given Maidstone’s sixth-tier nature, their crest is not one we use at the Guardian and Observer all that much. Hence it being absent from the scores at the top of this page.
Apologies for this. And trust me, if they see this out, it will be put right in time for the fifth round!
Jeff Sax has also been in touch …
Maidstone show you don’t need tika taka, just … If you going to shoot, shoot … don’t pass
Ipswich did undeniably play plenty of lovely stuff in that first half, but heads increasingly seemed to be falling off with the goal in sight – either one pass too many, or simply taking a wild swing from distance.
Even with all the changes they made, the Tractor Boys are playing extremely attractive stuff and were unlucky in hitting both posts. But although Covolan has made some useful stops they could have worked him much, much harder.
I like correspondence with my half-time orange.
Kári Tulinius emails:
I thought maybe I had become sated with underdog stories after the AFCON group stage. But when Reynolds went running after that cross-field pass from Sole, I could feel that hunger for an upset returning.
What a story it would be, even in a January already full of footballing fairytales, if sixth-tier Maidstone got to the 5th round of the FA Cup.
A quick reminder: Ipswich have this competition on their roll of honour. Maidstone have the Isthmian League Cup and the Kent Senior Cup.
There’s a long, long way to go and the Stones clearly have a lot of attacks to repel in the second half, but this would be a sensational result if they can find a way to see it out.
Half-time: Ipswich 0-1 Maidstone
Wow. Cupset incoming?
Ipswich had 77% of possession but were increasingly unimaginative and impatient with it. Maidstone’s forays got more and more adventurous and it was a stunning goal from Reynolds. Elokobi, interviewed on the sidelines by the BBC, urges caution but is clearly absolutely buzzing.
45 min: Two mins of stoppage time, and Ipswich heads are down. Elokobi – an animated figure on the sidelines at any time – now looks like he’s on a tartrazine drip.
43 min: Maidstone get one of those balls right! An arcing pass from Sole on the right – in his own half – finds Reynolds away and clear. He has plenty to do with the onrushing Walton to beat but keeps his head, dinking it gorgeously over the marooned keeper.
We have a game, ladies and gents!
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GOAL! Ipswich 0-1 Maidstone (Reynolds 43)
Holy crap!
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41 min: Deflect-o-vision and desperation in the Maidstone box, before the ball is worked neatly to Aluko, who is freeer than he thought on the edge of the six-yard box. He swings with a bit more haste than was needed and his shoulders slump as he sees the ball sent well left of the goal.
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39 min: Maidstone get another sniff forward but that last ball – overhit this time – lets them down again. If one of those finds its range, Reynolds has the pace to trouble the hosts.
37 min: A slightly more expansive setup from the visitors during those moments of promise is now hunkered all the way back again. Ipswich, seeing sense after those vain and increasingly wild attempts from distance, are working the flanks again.
35 min: Sarmiento is on the charge. He beats two men, Maidstone’s centre-backs retreat, and he lets fly. Another huge deflection off Appiah, and the ball flies, slowly, just clear of the bar. Covolan briefly thought that was going in.
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33 min: Sole is trying a trick or two on the right wing. Suddenly Maidstone have numbers in and around the box awaiting a cross … but he fluffs his touch as he tries to make space for it and the ball creeps out for a goal kick. That was an attack that promised a lot more.
32 min: Morsy tries again from distance. His left-footed swing is curling, but nowhere near enough. Signs of frustration from Ipswich?
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30 min: Reynolds is now down after being accidentally handed off by Tuanzebe on the left-hand edge of the Ipswich area. No malice in it, no lasting damage done, and another welcome breather for his sixth-tier colleagues. Half an hour gone and still goalless – it’s been seat-of-the-pants at times but Maidstone are still in this.
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28 min: Jeremy Sarmiento, on loan from Brighton, has been extremely lively and a cog in most Ipswich attacks. But he unwisely lets fly from distance and lands it closer to corner flag than net.
Reynolds then gets another chase to a through ball at the other end but he can’t beat Walton to it.
26 min: Ipswich respond with a swift attack but Hutchinson’s clipped pass to the right of the box is overhit. Welcome respite for Maidstone, and plenty of cheeks are blown out as the ball crosses the line. But Kieran McKenna’s side clearly don’t want this half to end goalless.
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23 min: Maidstone get their first concentrated look at the Ipswich half. A free-kick into the box proves fruitless but they retain possession and a Hoyte cross almost provides a chance.
They regroup and jitters then ensue in the home stands from a neat through-ball as Lamar Reynolds is suddenly away and clear … but he’s a yard offside.
21 min: More big Ipswich chances. Hutchinson takes a big swing from the edge of the area which stings the back of Paul Appiah and flies wide. Suffice to say that smarted. From the corner, Edmundson is free and clear with an unchallenged header, feet planted on the ground … he’s disgusted with himself as he nods it well wide.
19 min: A slight lull with Ipswich playing it slowly and serenely in the centre of Portman Road, before the change of pace and spring forward, Aluko tricks himself clear on the right to swing in a cross. It comes to nought and Maidstone regroup.
16 min: Sam Morsy lets fly from all of 35 yards! It’s swerving viciously, possibly heading for the left post rather than the net, but Covolan takes no chances. The resulting Ipswich corner is overhit, resulting in a collective sigh from the home faithful.
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14 min: Hutchinson clearly enjoying himself on the right wing. A lovely effort swung in from the edge of the box, swerving hard but a little close to Covolan who has a straightforward though eye-catching diving save on his highlights reel.
12 min: 82% possession to Ipswich so far but Berkeley-Agyepong sends Maidstone on their first foray forward down the left. His cross towards Duku comes to nought but all talk of one-way traffic can at least cease for a moment.
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10 min: Now Ipswich work it all the way from Christian Walton. It’s gorgeously manoeuvred through midfield, the ref plays a good advantage, and an Aluko through-ball frees Broadhead to the left of the Maidstone area – Covolan saves well with his left leg. Feels ominous for the visitors here.
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8 min: Maidstone try and go long but Ipswich sweep up and straight away the Stones are on the retreat. It’s back on the right wing with Hutchinson and after he beats a couple of men he swings and … POST AGAIN! This time his effort deflects off Sam Corne’s back on to the right stick.
5 min: POST! Sarmiento sends a viciously bounding right-footed effort towards the bottom left of the Maidstone goal, but that tap off the grass spins it on to the post. Cavagnari Covolan then saves well from Hutchinson on the follow-up. It’s all one-way for now.
2 min: Early pressure from Ipswich, with Cameron Humphreys getting early touches on the left wing. The visitors have a decent looking line at the back but an arcing ball in from Hutchinson is pulled back from Humphreys, and the home side are unlucky to see the ball deflect out for a goal kick.
Peep! Anthony Taylor is this the man with the whistle, and Sone Aluko kicks things off for Ipswich.
Incidentally, the BBC are predicting a 4-3-3 formation for Maidstone, consisting of …
Covolan; Hoyte (capt), Fowler, Appiah, Kyprianou; Berkeley-Agyepong, Bone, Corne; Sole, Duku, Reynolds
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It looks a fine, cool and crisp ol’ day at Portman Road. Ipswich will be thrilled to be at home for this, with Maidstone playing on a 3G surface at the Gallagher Stadium.
Immanuelson “Manny” Duku is of huge interest today – he arrived earlier this week from Gibraltan side Manchester 62, having been at York City last season, and has been thrown straight in by his new manager George Elokobi.
Duku has 20 clubs to his name, including several to thrill non-league aficionados – Chesham United, Hemel Hempstead Town, Kings Langley, Banbury United, Hayes & Yeading …
Lovely touch from Ipswich in the lead-up to kick-off. As a child of a dementia sufferer, it’s a checklist all too familiar.
Important team news: Our XI has been replaced with some common dementia symptoms.
— Ipswich Town (@IpswichTown) January 27, 2024
If you or a loved one notice any of these symptoms, it could be a sign of dementia.
Use the @alzheimerssoc symptoms checklist at https://t.co/akmR1hYUpL. #SupportTheSupporters pic.twitter.com/MAFRuJECbS
The Stones entered this year’s tournament in the second qualifying round … to date they have had to see off Steyning Town, Winchester City, Torquay, Chesham and Barrow before their raucous 1-0 victory over League One Stevenage through a Sam Corne penalty.
A big upside to promotion from League One was that Ipswich joined affairs in the third round this time around – they entered the fray at the first-round stage last season. Earlier this month they defeated League Two AFC Wimbledon 3-1 – a Josh Davison own-goal was followed by an effort from former Manchester United graduate Axel Tuanzebe and Jack Taylor’s 90th-minute clincher.
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Maidstone midfielder Bivesh Gurung is on the bench today … but he has a fine tale to tell. In the run-up to today’s game Will Unwin caught up with him.
No one would have expected us to get to the fourth round but we believed in the camp. There is a real buzz going around the place. On Saturday one of the pickup points before the game was the ground and you could see all the people queueing up to buy their tickets for the Ipswich game – the queue did not seem to stop. The support has been surreal.
Always a nail-biting moment for fans of teams facing relative minnows … Ipswich have made 10 changes from the side that drew at Leicester on Monday, including between the sticks. Christian Walton comes in for his third appearance of the season, having featured against AFC Wimbledon in the last round.
Maidstone are captained by Gavin Hoyte, a one-time Arsenal prospect who had spells at Brighton and Watford, and among five changes from last time out they welcome back lively midfielder Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong, the Grenada international who was felled for the decisive penalty that saw off Stevenage in the last round.
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Teams
Ipswich
Walton; Ball, Tuanzebe, Edmundson, Humphreys; Morsy (capt), Taylor; Hutchinson, Aluko, Sarmiento; Broadhead
Subs Slicker, Clarke, Woolfenden, Davis, Burns, Travis, Harness, Chaplin, Buabo
Maidstone
Covolan; Hoyte (capt), Fowler, Bone, Appiah, Kyprianou; Duku, Berkeley-Agyepong, Sole, Corne; Reynolds
Subs Ezennolim, Greenidge, Earle, Court, Smith, Gurung, Iandolo
Preamble
Proper! Welcome to what will variously be described as good-old-fashioned and romantic, but what we hope will simply be a cracking game between two sides currently separated by 99 places in the football pyramid.
Ipswich host, in a markedly different era from the Bobby Robson-helmed days that brought them the FA Cup in 1978 and the Uefa Cup three years later. They are, however, second in the Championship and as they chase a second successive promotion, have two 1-1 draws against that division’s leaders Leicester among a run that has only seen them beaten once since 25 November.
Sixth-tier Maidstone have lost to Havant & Waterlooville and Slough this month, but their manager George Elokobi won’t be too worried about that, and will instead be harnessing his experience as a top flight centre-back in pointing out that plenty of sides have shut the Tractor Boys out recently. Ipswich have five wins since the start of December, but also five draws.
Anyway, league form be damned. Cup!
Team news is imminent. Kick-off at Portman Road is at 12.30pm GMT.
