George Elokobi’s Maidstone United are about to make history but he is not a happy man. “We have to look at ourselves in the mirror and as a manager I start with myself,” says the usually mild-mannered Elokobi after Monday’s costly 2-0 defeat against Aveley in the National League South, English football’s sixth tier. “Did I choose the right team? Did I choose the right staff? Have I been too loyal? I need to look at this.”
This Monday Maidstone will become the first team from outside the top five leagues to compete in the fifth round of the FA Cup since Blyth Spartans in 1978. They have never gotten this far before and a trip to Championship play-off targets Coventry awaits them. The majority of the 709 spectators at Aveley were Maidstone fans but 5,000 of them will be in Coventry. This draw will be another proud moment in a long journey back from extinction for the club, which went bankrupt in 1992 and had to restart in the fourth division of the Kent County League. Here is their remarkable story, as told by some of those who made it possible.
Bill Williams: Former player and coach, now CEO and director of football I have been at Maidstone since 1972, when I joined at the end of my playing career. I was there for the first game of the fourth division of the Kent County League in 1992; We would play our games on all the local channels in front of a man and his dog. But after 12 relegations, that’s what we had to do. It’s been a tough, tough struggle, but the last 12 years have been amazing. We came back into town and it’s been a great ride ever since. We’re getting better every year and this FA Cup run is the icing on the cake.
Everyone is excited. The game itself is a bit daunting but when we went to Ipswich nobody gave us a chance and the way we played and the energy the players put in was incredible. Now the real breaking point has been reached. We’re so close to making it to the quarter finals, just one step away from Wembley!
George is not only an outstanding football manager, he is also an extraordinary man. I hope we can give a good account of ourselves. Our biggest goal is to return to the League one day; We have a very good business model and are very well supported by a large community of approximately 170,000 people. What we need now is some investment.
Steve Butler: Former forward and second incarnation of the original Maidstone. He also had a spell as an assistant coach Maidstone has always been very close to my heart. I can walk to the place in about 15 minutes and I have lived in this town since 1986. I will always remember the 1987 and 1988 FA Cup runs where we reached the third round. We played Graham Taylor’s Watford team, which included John Barnes, and made good use of the 3-1 defeat in 1987. Then a year later we only lost 1-0 to Sheffield United in League Two. But the most important thing for us was to try to get into the League and we finally did it in 1989.
I moved to Watford about six months before things started to go wrong. I remember coming to watch a match on my day off and it was clear something was up. I went to the council meeting when they voted not to allow the club to build a new ground, it was a very sad day. I was in my early 40s when the club was trying to regain promotion.
I thought they would lose against Ipswich in the last round of the FA Cup, but when my wife told me they won 1-0, I turned on the TV and couldn’t believe it when they went 2-1 ahead. Then the old daredevils kicked in, as if I was still involved! Coventry are not as good as Ipswich but it will be very difficult for them to do it again. The experience and attention they receive is excellent for the players; They can go and enjoy it. I’m sure they will make Maidstone proud. I’ll be glued to the TV, that’s for sure.
Ian Tucker: Full-time club secretary for 11 years voluntarily after 10 I went to my first Maidstone game in the 1980s when I was four or five years old and we were in the conference. I remember watching them play Burnley in the old Division Four and it was a very difficult time for everyone when the club ceased to exist. The club intrigued me for a few years and it was only when I was working at Maidstone hospital radio that I started coming here to cover matches. That’s how it all started when I was around 17. I volunteered for the match day program and the rest is history.
We lost a generation of fans, but when we returned to the city in 2012 the young fans really took ownership of the club. Things have been pretty full since we beat Barrow [in the FA Cup second round] It’s December and we’re just trying to ride the wave. We could have sold at least 500 more tickets to the Coventry game. When they went on general sale we sold out within a few hours. I arrived at the club at 9am and some fans had been queuing since 6am waiting for the ticket office to open. It was incredible. We’re taking nine or 10 rams to Coventry. We don’t expect to get another miracle like the one against Ipswich but you never know.
Tony Gilbert: Maidstone supporter since 1970 I remember going to Charlton in the FA Cup third round in 1979 and drawing 1-1. Mike Flanagan and Derek Hales got into a fight on the field and were both sent off; They were both playing for Charlton! Then in the replay the projectors broke down and we lost 2-1. The mid and late 1980s were boom years with Warren Barton in defense and Steve Butler in goal. We had a very good team. However, in 1992 we were supposed to play Scunthorpe away on the first day of the season and the match never took place. We had no players and no place to play; This was heartbreaking.
The club became the new Maidstone United in 1995 but I didn’t go and watch it for years. Then in 2005, a friend of mine took me to a match and I was hooked again. Since then I have watched 700 matches, home and away. I only missed one game all season and that was away to Slough because it was my aunt’s 90th birthday.
The noise in Ipswich was huge when we scored. I expect us to lose against Coventry but if we can score and cheer us on we will be very happy. The owners have done a great job and cut their fabric accordingly, rather than spending beyond their means like many teams at this level do.
George Elokobi: coach We performed so well in the FA Cup and attracted so much attention that we became a target in the league. Every team raises its game against you and if your mentality is not right, the consequences will be like our defeat. [at Aveley] It can happen. The secret of our success this season is that we are together.
Because we come from a diverse background, it is important that we are represented in and outside the league. It’s about making sure you do your bit on the training ground and then trying to do the best for your club. Remain respectful and humble. I am very proud if I can inspire the next generation of managers.
Craig Fagan: assistant manager I’ve known George for a very long time. We played together in Colchester when he was only 18 and I was a few years older, but we always kept in touch. We both had similar careers because we both understand how hard we have to work to get to the top. George had played here before and was given the job of manager. He needed someone on the coaching staff and knew I was available. We have our disagreements, but as a coaching team you have to challenge each other to get better.
I said in the locker room that the players should leave everything there on Monday. They cannot be afraid of this situation; just like we showed we’re not against Ipswich. We basically have to do the opposite of what we did against Aveley; We must stay calm in front of the ball and take our chances when the chances come. We scored two quality goals against Ipswich and we need to show that again against Coventry.