George Elokobi encouraged his team of “history makers” to savor their exceptional accomplishment as Maidstone United made it to the FA Cup fifth round for the first time.
The team from the National League South emerged victorious in their seventh game of the season, eliminating Ipswich at Portman Road.
Elokobi, the manager of Maidstone, expressed gratitude towards Ipswich, stating that they were incredible. The event was a significant one for Maidstone, and the team was able to come out victorious. It was a matter of luck that played in our favor.
“In just 25 minutes, we had to work hard for our good fortune. We were aware that we would not have many opportunities to score here. We understood that achieving a positive outcome would require a lot of effort.”
“We had to show resilience for 98 minutes. I told them, ‘Go out there and savor the moment.’ They had already made history and deserve all the glory today. We have made history and the enchantment of the FA Cup is present.”
The ex-Wolves player stated: “No one thought we could achieve this surprise victory against the formidable Ipswich team. It was up to our players to have faith and give their all. We’ll savor this moment because they have made history. It’s truly remarkable.”
Maidstone has eliminated teams from the Championship, League One, and League Two in their journey, but Elokobi hopes for his team to be given the opportunity to face a Premier League club in the fifth-round draw on Sunday.
“Our main focus for our football club is to secure a financial gain, and now we are hoping to play against a Premier League team. This would give our fans another memorable experience, and I have no doubt that they will eagerly grab tickets. We are simply going to savor this moment and wait for the draw.”
On Friday night, the hotel where Maidstone was staying was disrupted by two fire alarms. However, the coach made a lighthearted comment that it was simply Ipswich fans who were feeling nervous.
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Elokobi stated that when they were matched up against Ipswich, he believed that they should give it their all, treating it as if it were their final performance. He emphasized the importance of having faith in oneself and their actions, whether in sports or in life. Additionally, he mentioned that they had no fear of losing on that day.
Ipswich substituted 10 players for the match, however the manager of the Championship team, Kieran McKenna, stated that his team was not overconfident. He stated, “I want to give credit to Maidstone. It’s a great day for them. They were fortunate at times, but they executed their plays very well.”
Today is not going well for us, but we will have to accept it and come up with a plan for next week.
Source: theguardian.com
