George Elokobi details tears in Maidstone dressing room after huge FA Cup upset
Ecstatic Maidstone United boss George Elokobi conceded his players struggled to fight back the tears after making FA Cup history.
The semi-pro National League South side stunned Championship promotion hopefuls Ipswich on their own patch - defeating the Tractor Boys 2-1 to reach the fifth round.
Elokobi said: "There were a few tears. We have come to Ipswich, with their history, they are flying high in the Championship and for our group of players to be clapped off is amazing. History has been made here and back in my country, Cameroon, it is an inspirational moment for us all.
"Our boys have run themselves into the ground and that is what we said, 'leave nothing in the changing room'. This binds us for life, what our boys are achieving right now. What our boys are achieving now has not been done in over 100 years. The magic of the FA Cup is very much alive."
Goals from Lamar Richards and Sam Corne inflicted the damage and now Elokobi believes his players deserve the chance to test themselves against a top Premier League outfit.
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He said ahead of tomorrow's highly-anticipated draw: "It's about financial gain and it's also about making sure we keep our fingers crossed for a Premier League club. It would really help us with the finances to ensure we are sustainable for the next couple of seasons.
"It will also give our fans another historic day out - something they really deserve. If we can have another big tie away from home then the magic of the FA Cup is still very much alive."
Maidstone reached round five of the FA Cup by beating Ipswich Town (PA)When asked if he truly believed Maidstone could win the contest, Elokobi said: "If you know George Elokobi then you know he's a believer. I am a believer.
"Every project I'm involved in, I believe in individuals and I believed we could come here and compete against a top Championship side. In our preparations we showed every bit of respect. We normally train on 3G but we hired a grass pitch and also looked into the dimensions.
"We created an environment with visuals and waves of attacks so our defenders and entire team knew what was coming. Then outside of that, we just knew we had to run more than we've ever run before."
Meanwhile, Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna paid tribute to the Stones in the aftermath of the upset: "First of all, it's full credit to Maidstone. It was a fantastic day for them and they worked ever so hard for it.
"Of course, they rode their luck as well but they were very, very clinical and they showed fantastic spirit to get the result.
"It's a tough day for us, there's a lot of disappointment and we are going to have to live with that and produce a response next week."
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