It’s the question that gets asked throughout the FA Cup every single year.
The lowest-ranked remaining team in the FA Cup, in whatever round, always has a special spotlight shone on them. Clubs ideally want to be drawn against them and simultaneously almost everyone else wants to see them win their next game.
As England’s famous domestic competition progresses, the lowest-ranked team tends to get knocked out and a new underdog takes centre stage, until invariably one of the big teams wins the tournament. It is not always that simple, and perhaps this will be the year when a non-league side gets to Wembley.
For the third round of the 2023/24 FA Cup, Maidstone United are the biggest underdogs left still standing. They play in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football.
Having reached the third round, Maidstone United have already enjoyed their best FA Cup run since 1987. In both 1983/84 and 1986/87, they reached the same stage but were beaten by Darlington and then Watford.
Since then, Maidstone have made it to the second round on five different occasions, the most recent being the 2019/20 season where Blackpool beat them 3-1. The change in quality of opponents can be stark in the second round and that is where so many of the last non-league teams are eliminated.
As a National League South side, Maidstone United’s FA Cup journey started in September in the second qualifying round. They were away at Steyning Town to begin with and comfortably won that game 4-1.
That set up another away trip in the third qualifying round, this time against Winchester City. They also cruised through that clash, winning 2-0 at the end of September. Torquay United were next, with a place in the first round proper on the line. Another 2-0 away win set up yet another away tie against Chesham United, which also ended 2-0 to Maidstone.
Getting to the second round inevitably came with a game against a side at least one division up and they ended up being drawn at home to Barrow, currently fourth in League Two. There is a big gap between the two sides, but a 74th-minute winner from Bivesh Gurung ensured a 2-1 win and a place in the third round.
|
Date / Kick-off Time (GMT) |
Round |
Fixture |
|---|---|---|
|
16/09/2023 / 15:00 |
Second qualifying round |
Steyning Town 1-4 Maidstone United |
|
30/09/2023 / 15:00 |
Third qualifying round |
Winchester City 0-2 Maidstone United |
|
14/10/2023 / 15:00 |
Fourth qualifying round |
Torquay United 0-2 Maidstone United |
|
04/11/2023 / 15:00 |
First round |
Chesham United 0-2 Maidstone United |
|
02/12/2023 / 15:00 |
Second round |
Maidstone United 2-1 Barrow |
|
06/01/2023 / 12:30 |
Third round |
Maidstone United vs Stevenage |
Whenever a non-league team makes it to the third round of the FA Cup, there are mixed feelings about who they should want to face.
A televised tie against one of the biggest Premier League teams can be a financial blessing, but there will also be the desire for a winnable tie so the team can go one round further, where there is another chance to face a huge side.
While Maidstone are still certainly the underdogs in their third-round tie, they have gone down the latter route as they will host Stevenage, who are currently seventh in League One.
Being at home is a boost for Maidstone but they are playing a team two divisions above them and it would be a shame to go out without getting to face a Premier League team.
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