Coventry City vs Maidstone Utd. The FA Cup Fifth Round.
The Coventry Building Society ArenaAttendance26,857.
Report as Maidstone's FA Cup run comes to an end in the fifth round; Ellis Simms' first-half hat-trick and Fabio Tavares' late double eased Championship side into quarter-finals; Maidstone were unable to add fourth EFL side to their list of victims in the competition
Tuesday 27 February 2024 06:06, UK
Ellis Simms scored a first-half hat-trick as Coventry emphatically ended Maidstone's remarkable FA Cup run with a 5-0 victory in the fifth round.
The National League South side had already eliminated EFL clubs Barrow and Stevenage before stunning third-placed Championship side Ipswich in the previous round.
Around 5,000 Maidstone fans travelled to Coventry in hope of another upset but they were quickly brought back to reality when Simms poked in his first from Kasey Palmer's smart pass.
Palmer and Simms combined again minutes later, with the striker's sharp finish catching out goalkeeper Lucas Covolan.
Simms then completed his hat-trick by turning in the rebound after Covolan weakly pushed Palmer's ambitious effort into his direction.
Coventry looked to have settled for three as the game ticked towards full-time, only for Fabio Tavares to add a late double - the second after another sloppy Covolan save - to ruthlessly send George Elokobi's sixth-tier side out of the competition.
With Ipswich - who sit six places higher than Coventry in the Championship - already beaten in the previous round, Maidstone may have felt they had nothing to fear against Mark Robins' side.
Elokobi and his players certainly seemed determined to savour the occasion, receiving a standing ovation from the travelling fans before kick-off, with the manager then whipping the supporters into a frenzy.
But Coventry were in no mood to become Maidstone's latest scalp and produced the kind of clinical performance that eluded Ipswich, with Palmer and Simms taking the non-League side apart.
There was a sign of things to come after just four minutes, with some poor Maidstone defending forcing Covolan into a strong save from Palmer.
But the visitors' next error was punished, with Reiss Greenidge's loose pass picked off, allowing Palmer to stride forward before playing in Simms, who prodded the ball into the net.
Simms' second came just four minutes later, snapping a shot past the unsuspecting Covolan after Palmer again proved elusive in the No 10 position.
The game was as good as over after 35 minutes, with Covolan only pushing Palmer's 35-yard strike into the path of Simms, who rammed the ball home for his first career hat-trick.
Coventry dropped their intensity in the second half before bursting back into life in the final minutes when Tavares slammed in his first after Matt Godden's lay off.
Moments later, Tavares had his second and Coventry's fifth, slotting in the rebound after Covolan had again pushed the ball back into a dangerous area.
It was a much-needed return to form for the hosts after their heavy home defeat to Preston on Friday, while Maidstone's brilliant run to the last 16 will be remembered as one of the stories of this season's FA Cup.
Maidstone manager George Elokobi told ITV Sport: "Immensely proud. Firstly, big congratulations to Coventry and we wish Mark and his team all the very best for the next round. They deserve it.
"But how can I not be proud of our community and our players? They gave it their all today and that’s all we ask for. It wasn’t enough, we understand, but these are the moments we live for in football.
"It can be repeated when you galvanise as a community. The magic of the FA Cup is still alive. It’s about showcasing our talent and testing ourselves against Championship players.
"A big thank you to Coventry for their hospitality and to their fans for making it a great cup tie."
Coventry head across the Midlands to face West Brom on Friday, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 8pm.
Maidstone United return to their National League South promotion charge with a trip to bottom side Dover on Saturday; kick-off 3pm.
