Maidstone boss George Elokobi hopes the appearance of the FA Cup at their modest Gallagher Stadium will inspire his players to more glory.
The grand old trophy was on display as the National League South side trained ahead of Monday’s fifth-round trip to Coventry.
Maidstone’s players queued up for a photo with the cup while former Wolves and Colchester defender Elokobi was beaming when he sat down next to it at a packed press conference.
“It’s the nearest I’ve got to it,” he said after shaking hands with every one of the 30 or so members of the media in attendance.
“My face has lit up. It shows the magnitude of what our group of players have done that we could bring the trophy here.”
Maidstone have been the story of this season’s competition, having already come through seven matches including their epic fourth-round win at Ipswich.
Now they face another high-flying Championship side – the Sky Blues are 95 rungs ahead of them in the league pyramid – for a scarcely believable place in the last eight.
“I know it’s here but we’ve not won it and it’s important they can take photos with it but we have to be mindful,” added Elokobi.
“We have to play a great side in Coventry, well marshalled by Mark Robins. Let’s not forget they were nearly in the Premier League last season.
“But yes, it’s nice to have this in our environment and we have to make sure that it inspires us to maybe run that one more yard.
“We have to prepare for what is going to be a historic occasion for our football club.”
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