Some question the relevance of the FA Cup these days, believing it has lost some of it’s shine amid the rise of the Premier League, Champions League and other competitions.
But try telling that to Maidstone United, who secured a memorable triumph over Ipswich at Portman Road to make the fifth round of the competition.
They had gone into the contest as the underdogs, especially given how they had been relegated just last year
Ipswich, on the other hand, were the strong favourites amid a terrific campaign under Kieran McKenna that has seen them rise to second in the Championship table.
Maidstone United have beaten Ipswich in a major FA Cup exit on Saturday
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But football, typically, doesn’t always read the script.
And Maidstone showed the magic of the FA Cup was well and truly alive with a pulsating victory over Ipswich at Portman Road on Saturday afternoon.
As expected, it was Ipswich who dominated proceedings. They had more possession, more shots and created more chances than their opponents.
Yet football is a sport never won on statistics alone and Maidstone were dogged as they made history by going through to the next round.
Certainly, their opening goal of the game was a beauty.
Lamar Reynolds was making just his 26th appearance for the minnows during the FA Cup clash.
And he netted a memorable goal to set his side on their way to victory.
Reynolds burst through on goal and had Christian Walton, all 1.96m of him, to beat.
Given the magnitude of the match, and how it’s one of the biggest fixtures in Maidstone’s entire history, he could have been forgiven for feeling nervous.
Yet Reynolds produced a stunning chip over Walton to silence the home crowd and rouse those in the away end.
Ipswich were never going to just lie back and accept defeat.
McKenna has installed spirit, quality and desire in a squad that was lacking in all three areas prior to his arrival a few years ago.
And when they levelled through Jeremy Sarmiento, it seemed as though there was only ever going to be one outcome.
Maidstone were unlucky, with Sarmiento’s strike taking a deflection as it trickled past the outstretched arm of Lucas Covolan.
But Ipswich didn’t care and those in attendance felt the tide of the match was turning in their favour.
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Maidstone United were pegged back when Jeremy Sarmiento’s deflected strike trickled into the bottom corner for Ipswich
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Except Maidstone had other ideas.
Reynolds didn’t fade after his terrific goal and produced a sublime pass to set through Sam Corne.
Corne then did the rest, expertly dispatching his effort past Walton to restore Maidstone’s advantage.
Ipswich, once again, attempted to rally themselves and score a goal that would force a replay.
They started to get a little desperate, too, with George Edmundson going down easily in the box. Rather than being given a penalty, however, the defender was booked for simulation by referee Antony Taylor instead.
Maidstone United have dumped Ipswich out of the FA Cup in one of the tournament’s biggest upsets
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Ipswich’s biggest chance came via a header from Conor Chaplin.
But Covolan was somehow able to tip his effort over the bar, with players mobbing the goalkeeper following a bundle in the aftermath.
Ipswich huffed and puffed right until the very end as they looked to avoid a major upset.
It wasn’t enough, however, with Maidstone dreaming of more scalps now their name is in the hat for the fifth round.
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