Maidstone United manager George Elokobi has revealed that the club's Emirates FA Cup heroics last season have made a big difference to the club – but that they want to move forward as well as fondly remembering the past.
The Kent-based club beat Stevenage in the third round of the 2023-24 competition before pulling off one of the great upsets by toppling then-Championship side Ipswich 2-1 at Portman Road in the fourth round, brilliantly securing a place in the last 16.
The prize money and prestige that comes with such a run has done wonders for Maidstone, with Elokobi outlining how it has been invested in the club.
He said: "I don't want to give too much away but the FA Cup was very generous to us and those financial gains have been put into the infrastructure of the club.
"We have replaced the pitch, we have put a new gantry in the stadium, we have been able to ease the financial burden on the club. Little bits around the stadium have been improved too.
"It's going to help us be sustainable for a year or two but we don't want to get carried away. We are staying true to our vision and nothing has changed in terms of our wage structure or the way we approach that side of things."
Maidstone also made memories for a lifetime by seeing off Championship opposition – who went on to win promotion to the Premier League – and Elokobi reflects on the impact of that victory on the community as well as the club.
He said: "We have photos, videos and memories with us and the community altogether after those wins and when we eventually lost to Coventry. They show that we did something historic last season.
"We look back at that story with a lot of fondness. The Ipswich game was obviously incredible but I was also really proud of the way we won the earlier games in the competition. They are all testing and it can be difficult when you have the target on your back."
That is the case for Maidstone when they continue their 2024-25 campaign at tier-eight side Herne Bay this weekend.
Elokobi is keen that his side make new memories this season and is confident the club's culture will enable that to happen.
He said: "It's a new season and new challenges so we have to overcome them.
"We have been inconsistent so far this season but the squad is new and as it comes together we hope we can fix that. We stay true to our values and our philosophy and we don't want to look too far beyond that.
"At this stage of the FA Cup, we are the target. Everyone we come up against will raise their levels like you wouldn't believe and if we are not at our best we will lose.
"Our message to the players in training is that we don't drop our standards, we have to be at it every day. We give Herne Bay all the respect they deserve in terms of preparation and making sure we leave no stone unturned.
"We need the players to know their roles in and out of possession and we want to execute the gameplan. Hopefully it can be the start of something special again."
