Maidstone ‘s FA Cup run comes to end with 5-0 loss

Coventry striker Ellis Simms scored a first-half hat-trick to crush Maidstone’s dream of a historic FA Cup quarter-final place.

The sixth-tier Stones were bidding to become only the second non-league team in 109 years to reach the last eight, having already dispatched English Football League sides Barrow, Stevenage and Ipswich.

They came up against a Sky Blues side still stinging from their home defeat by Preston in the Championship on Friday, and were out of the running by the 35th minute, with the returning Kasey Palmer having a hand in all three Simms goals.

Fabio Tavares added two more late in the game as Coventry eased into the quarter-finals for the first time since 2009.

After scoring his first, Simms held up a shirt bearing the name of team-mate Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, who was taken to hospital after being injured in that Preston game with what manager Mark Robins described as a “really bad injury”.

More to follow

Line-ups

Coventry

Formation 4-2-3-1

13Wilson22Latibeaudiere4Thomas15Kitching21Bidwell29Torp6Kelly30Tavares Desidério45Palmer11Wright9Simms

13Wilson

22Latibeaudiere

4Thomas

15Kitching

21BidwellSubstituted forDasilvaat 78′minutes

29TorpSubstituted forEcclesat 67′minutes

6Kelly

30Tavares Desidério

45PalmerSubstituted forvan Ewijkat 67′minutes

11WrightSubstituted forO’Hareat 45′minutes

9SimmsSubstituted forGoddenat 66′minutes

Substitutes

2Binks

3Dasilva

10O’Hare

24Godden

27van Ewijk

28Eccles

41Lusala

48Bell

54Andrews

Maidstone United

Formation 4-4-2

1Covolan Cauagnari6Brown5Fowler4Greenidge14Kyprianou16Sole8Corne15Bone10Reynolds11Duku7Berkeley-Agyepong

1Covolan Cauagnari

6BrownSubstituted forHoyteat 69′minutes

5Fowler

4Greenidge

14KyprianouSubstituted forEzennolimat 69′minutes

16SoleSubstituted forGurungat 69′minutes

8Corne

15Bone

10Reynolds

11DukuSubstituted forCourtat 79′minutes

7Berkeley-AgyepongSubstituted forIandoloat 87′minutes

Substitutes

2Hoyte

3Ezennolim

12Earle

13Court

17Smith