Maidstone United 1-0 Stevenage: Sixth-tier Stones stun League One side to reach FA Cup fourth round

Sixth-tier Maidstone United pulled off a shock to knock League One side Stevenage out of the FA Cup to reach the fourth round for the first time in their history.

Stevenage should have levelled after the break when Jamie Reid hit the bar, with Kane Hemmings hitting the post on the rebound.

The visitors pressured but could not find an equaliser, with Corne’s penalty proving enough to earn a stunning win for George Elokobi’s side.

Maidstone came into the match fourth in the National League South table, 10 points behind leaders Yeovil Town, but had already pulled off a shock by beating League Two promotion chasers Barrow in the second round.

Their victory against Stevenage means they reach the fourth round for the first time since their reformation in 1992 – becoming the first sixth-tier side to reach that stage since Kidderminster Harriers in 2021-22 and first National League South side since Havant & Waterlooville in 2007-08.

For Stevenage, it was a big change from their third-round win at Premier League Aston Villa last season.

It took an inspired Maidstone performance against the League One promotion-chasers and Corne had earlier linked up with Lamar Reynolds, who headed straight at visiting keeper Taye Ashby-Hammond, before the pair combined on the half-hour mark with Reynolds scuffing another effort.

Such was Corne’s threat that he almost doubled his, and the home side’s, tally just after the break when Carl Piergianni was forced to clear his effort off the line.

Stevenage hit back soon after, however, as Piergianni had an effort of his own cleared off the line when he got his head on to Ben Thompson’s corner.

Hemmings led Stevenage’s second-half revival and he was denied an equaliser by a fine save from Stones keeper Lucas Covolan, with Reid and Hemmings both hitting the woodwork.

Steve Evans’ side did not see their late dominance rewarded however, with former Wolves defender Elokobi masterminding an impressive defensive effort to keep out a side ranked 69 league places above them and seal their place in Monday’s draw.

Stevenage ‘paid price’ for missing chances

Stevenage boss Steve Evans told BBC Three Counties Radio:

“I’ve just been in the [Maidstone] dressing room. I’ve said they’ve been a credit to their football club and themselves and I hope they get their ample rewards in the draw, I really do.

“For us, I don’t think we gave enough respect on the pitch. Maidstone looked the better team than us in the first half.

“I don’t know if it was a penalty, it certainly looked it but I’ll have to watch it back. Then in the second half you give them something to hold on to and you cannot miss the simplest of chances you can imagine.

“The second half we can’t have that momentum, dominance and all those chances. I can’t believe we’ve missed four or five of them but we have and we’ve paid the price.

“We have to live with this now. We’ve been on the opposite end of it. We’ll get back to the training ground and forget about it.

“I’ve got no complaints about the officials today. If we had that level of official for the past 10 weeks we’d have a lot more points.”