Stevenage manager Steve Evans said his team did not show Maidstone enough “respect” after the sixth-tier side pulled off an upset by knocking the League One outfit out of the FA Cup.
Maidstone reached the fourth round of the competition for the first time in their history after Sam Corne put them ahead from the spot late in the first half after Louis Thompson brought down Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong.
Stevenage had chances after the break when Jamie Reid hit the bar before Kane Hemmings struck the post on the rebound. The visitors continued applied pressure but could not find an equaliser with Corne’s penalty enough to earn a famous win for George Elokobi’s side.
Evans praised Maidstone, but conceded it looked like his Stevenage team took them lightly.
“I’ve just been in the [Maidstone] dressing room. I’ve said they’ve been a credit to their football club and themselves and I hope they get their ample rewards in the draw, I really do,” said Evans.
“For us, I don’t think we gave enough respect on the pitch. Maidstone looked the better team than us in the first half.”
Maidstone came into the match fourth in the National League South table, but had already pulled off an FA Cup shock by beating League Two promotion chasers Barrow in the second round.
Saturday’s FA Cup third round results
Hull City 1 Birmingham City 1Stoke City 2 Brighton 4Gillingham 0 Sheffield United 3QPR 2 Bournemouth 3Watford 2 Chesterfield 1Eastleigh 1 Newport County 1Blackburn 5 Cambridge 2Millwall 2 Leicester City 3Sunderland 0 Newcastle 3Chelsea 4 Preston 0Middlesbrough 0 Aston Villa 1
Birmingham find fight in first match after Rooney sacking
By Ross Heppenstall at MKM Stadium
Wayne Rooney’s final game of a disastrous 15-match reign as Birmingham City manager was a 3-0 surrender at Leeds United on New Year’s Day.
In their first outing since his sacking, Birmingham conjured a vastly-improved display and it needed a late equaliser from Hull City defender Matthew Jacob to deny them a place in the FA Cup fourth round.
Matty Jacob’s goal meant Birmingham were unable to hold on for a first victory in six matches
Credit: Getty Images/Matt Wilkinson
The qualities rarely seen under Rooney – organisation, heart and desire – were evident against their high-flying Championship rivals and Lukas Jutkiewicz put Birmingham ahead in the 18th minute.
Cody Drameh crossed dangerously from the right flank and Jutkiewicz planted a deft header past Tigers goalkeeper Ryan Allsop.
It was almost 2-0 soon after as Siriki Dembele drove at the heart of the Hull defence and smashed a shot which rebounded off the underside of the bar.
Both sides made seven changes for this third-round tie and Hull got the equaliser – and replay – they probably deserved when Aaron Connolly’s right-wing cross was fumbled by Neil Etheridge and Jacob tucked away the rebound.
Tony Mowbray, 60, is expected to be appointed as Rooney’s successor but Birmingham’s interim boss Steve Spooner took heart from their improved display.
Spooner said: “We were resolute, determined and organised – the players showed immense character out there today.
“It’s been a tough week but enjoyable. If the new manager is here on Monday then that’s great.
“If he’s not then we’ll continue where we left off and carry on working. As a Blues fan I want to see the right man come in.”
Hull, buoyed by the second-half introduction of debutant Billy Sharp, 37, asked plenty of questions of Birmingham’s defence but looked set to be frustrated until Jacob struck late on.
Spooner added: “Sharp made a big difference when he came on and caused us problems, but overall I was very pleased with the but overall I was very pleased with the players”
Brighton score four against Stoke in statement of intent
By Ian Whittell at the Bet365 Stadium
Two late goals from Joao Pedro left his manager Roberto De Zerbi dancing with delight after a victory that showed his team may well have the resilience to deliver Brighton their first ever silverware this season.
The FA Cup, or the Europa League in which they have reached the last 16, offer such possibility although, as they fell behind to an opening goal from Stoke and, later, saw themselves pegged back at 2-2, that looked a big ask.
Joao Pedro (right) scores his second and Brighton’s fourth in their thrilling comeback win
Credit: Getty Images/Ben Roberts
But, on 71 minutes, defender Jan Paul van Hecke laid the ball off for Pascal Gross who claimed his second assist of the half with a well-weighted cross which Pedro headed in emphatically.
And, nine minutes later, Van Hecke made further amends for his earlier own goal with a run into the stretched ranks of the Stoke defence and a cross which Pedro slid in to turn into the home net.
With two semi-final appearances in the past five seasons, and defeat only by penalties to Manchester United a year ago, there is enough pedigree in Brighton’s recent history to explain why supporters, and presumably De Zerbi himself, see the competition as a genuine and realistic target.
It was a strong response after the Premier League side had conceded an equaliser from the penalty spot after 63 minutes, when Lewis Dunk, scorer of Brighton’s second, handled at a corner and Lewis Baker converted from the spot with the minimum of fuss.
At that stage, a Stoke side looking improved under recently appointed manager Steven Schumacher, sniffed an upset, as they had when they took a surprise 16th minute lead when defender van Hecke turned a Bae Junho cross into his own net.
Stoke could have done with holding that advantage until the break but, deep in first-half injury-time, Billy Gilmour touched a clearance to Pervis Estupinan who equalised with a stunning shot from the edge of the area.
And six minutes into the second half, Dunk thought he had put Brighton in complete control when he rose well to head in Pascal Gross’s cross for a 2-1 lead but the Championship side would make them work for place in the fourth round.
Gillingham’s adventure exposed by Sheffield Utd
By Ivan Speck at Priestfield Stadium
Gillingham’s desire to pass the ball around against Premier League strugglers Sheffield United came at a price as they suffered a heavy third-round FA Cup defeat.
The rough and tumble approach of League Two sides in years past may have been rudimentary, yet it produced FA Cup shocks.
Gillingham should be commended for their intent, but they lacked the speed of thought and fleetness of foot to ever threaten an upset at Priestfield.
Two first-half goals for Will Osula were matched by a pair of late James McAtee strikes as United demonstrated the chasm that exists between the two clubs, which felt greater than the 58 league places that separate them.
William Osula celebrates after scoring his second goal for Sheffield United
Credit: Reuters/Paul Childs
While Gillingham created flurries of excitement, most of them came from the set-piece delivery of Connor Mahoney curling a succession of left-foot deliveries into the Sheffield United area.
Oli Hawkins, a rock of a centre forward, threw his head at most of them with mixed success although the closest the Kent side came to scoring was a Max Ehmer header which curled away at the last moment, struck the inside of the post and squirted away to safety.
Any realistic prospect of an upset disappeared seven minutes before half-time when Osula chased in to convert a rebound after Turner had pushed away a Cameron Archer shot.
After Ehmer’s header bounced away from the post, McAtee added gloss to the scoreline with two goals in the final 10 minutes to emphasise the gulf in fitness and football intelligence.
QPR throw away two-goal lead against Bournemouth
By John Aizlewood at Loftus Road
Two goals to the good at half-time against an AFC Bournemouth who had been almost wholly dominant from the moment Morgan Fox cleared Keiffer Moore’s first minutes header off the line, relegation-haunted Queens Park Rangers could scarcely believe their FA Cup luck.
Alas for Rangers, luck tends to run out. In the most Lazarus-like fashion since Mark Lazarus graced Loftus Road in the early-60s, Bournemouth scored three times to progress.
For all their first half fortune, Rangers had thrown it away. Two of Bournemouth’s goals were from corners and of the 14 goals Rangers have conceded since head coach Marti Cifuentes arrived, nine have now come from set pieces.
With Philip Billing and Sinisterra combining smartly on the left and Alex Scott giving Rangers a torrid time on the right, it seemed a matter of time before Bournemouth cruised ahead. Instead, an unlikely upset beckoned loomed into view.
First, Ziyad Larkeche’s long ball unleashed Sinclair Armstrong, who hurtled down the inside left channel as Senesi struggled to keep up. Armstrong cut in and side-footed imperiously past Mark Travers.
Three minutes later it was two. Sam Field expertly spotted Lyndon Dykes’s diagonal run into space, again down the left. Dykes cut in and his shot deflected off Max Aarons and into goal.
Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert emerged for the second half and three minutes in, the comeback began. Scott’s corner was turned back by Billing to the unmarked Tavernier, whose shot deflected past former Bournemouth goalkeeper Asmir Begovic off Jimmy Dunne.
Half-time substitute Justin Kluivert (centre) completed the fightback for Bournemouth
Credit: Getty Images/David Horton
Another Scott corner saw Bournemouth level before the hour. This one was to the near post. The unchaperoned Moore glanced home.
With no fixtures until January 21, Bournemouth were keen to avoid replay inconvenience and they surged forwards in waves. When Rangers played out from the back, Billing robbed Dunne and crossed low for Kluivert to tap in to complete the always inevitable turnaround.
Dele-Bashiru sends Watford through; Leicester beat Millwall
By Telegraph Sport Reporters
Meanwhile, Watford snuck into the fourth round with an injury-time winner from Tom Dele-Bashiru against National League leaders Chesterfield.
Chesterfield were on course to pull off an upset before goals from Mileta Rajovic and Dele-Bashiru saw Watford through 2-1.
Elsewhere, National League side Eastleigh secured a replay against League Two side Newport County thanks to a late penalty.
James Clarke put Newport ahead after George Langston was sent off before half time. But Chris Maguire converted from the penalty spot to earn Eastleigh a 1-1 draw and another showdown later this month.
Blackburn made it through the third round after Sammie Szmodics’ hat-trick guided them past League One Cambridge despite a first-half scare.
Cambridge led tiwce through goals from Jack Lankester and Sullay Kaikai, but three goals from Szmodics and one apiece from Arnor Sigurdsson and Harry Leonard saw Rovers win 5-2.
Leicester, 2021 FA Cup winners, beat Millwall 3-2 to advance to the fourth round to continue their impressive season.
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