Maidstone United vs. Ipswich Town: Sixth-tier team hoping to stun FA Cup holders

Dates: January 25–29 Coverage: Three live games on BBC this weekend: Saturday, January 27, 12:30 GMT vs. Maidstone United, live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, and BBC Sport website and app; Sunday, January 28, 16:30 GMT vs. Manchester United, live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, and BBC Sport website and app; Monday, January 29, 19:30 GMT vs. Blackburn Rovers vs. Wrexham, live on BBC Wales, BBC iPlayer, and BBC Sport website and app.

But in what is maybe the biggest match of their history, Hoyte will be captaining the FA Cup’s bottom-seeded team on Saturday.

In round four, Maidstone, who are separated by nearly a hundred places in the English football pyramid, will travel to Portman Road to play Premier League promotion contenders and past cup champions, Ipswich Town.

With 4,000 supporters traveling from Kent to Suffolk, the National League South team hopes to go to the round of sixteen in the oldest cup competition in the world.

Former Arsenal defender Hoyte, 33, told BBC Radio Kent, “Someone informed us the other day that 730 clubs began [the competition] and there are 32 left, so it is a major event.”

“There are some very strong players in the non-league system, so it is a nice chance to showcase ourselves against a very good side. There is life outside of the Premier League and EFL and we can still be successful.”

“We will undoubtedly hear from the 4,000 fans who we are bringing with us.

“They will provide us with the extra push we will need.”

After suffering the setback of being relegated from the National League the previous season, Maidstone’s success this year has been an incredible comeback.

They had already beaten League One Stevenage in front of their own supporters at Gallagher Stadium in round three, after shocking League Two promotion-chasing Barrow in the second round.

In addition, team manager George Elokobi has now urged his players to rise to the occasion in the match, which kicks off at 12:30 GMT on BBC One.

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Elokobi, 37, stated, “It is not about me, it is about our football club and our town as a whole, it is a historic occasion.”

“We have to go there, relish the moment, and compete in front of the cameras against a Championship team.

It is going to be incredible. Playing in front of millions of people is the cherry on top.”

Kieran McKenna, the manager of Ipswich Town
As the Tractor Boys continue their comeback under Kieran McKenna, the game might be a banana skin for them. McKenna has guided Ipswich to second place in the Championship.

They are having a tremendous season, sitting second in the Championship, and they want to make it back to the top division for the first time since 2002.

McKenna’s team defeated League Two AFC Wimbledon 3-1 at Plough Lane to advance to the fourth round.

The manager has also informed the team that they are the “team who are there to be shot at.”

He said on BBC Radio Suffolk, “It is a thrilling FA Cup tie; Maidstone have done fantastically well to reach this position.”

“They are the bottom-seeded team [left] in the league, and I saw amazing celebratory scenes when they played Stevenage.

“We are the team under pressure to win and go to the next round, and we are the favorites to win the tie.”