Ellis Simms scored a first-half hat-trick at the CBS Arena as Championship Coventry City ended Maidstone’s brilliant FA Cup run in the sixth tier, before Fabio Tavares scored a late brace to make it 5-0 to the hosts.
The National League South side had knocked out second-tier Ipswich Town to reach the fifth round but were quickly undone by the hosts on Monday evening.
Simms scored three goals in the opening 35 minutes, sealing his hat-trick from close range, while Tavares scored in the 88th and 91st minutes to skew the scoreline.
While the defeat marked the end of Maidstone’s remarkable run in England’s oldest cup competition, the sixth-tier Stones continued to reminisce with their traveling fans after the thrashing.
Here, Adam Patel looks at some things you may have missed Coventry City 3-0 Maidstone United:
One Maidstone fan served on George Elokobi’s sports science team during his university placement
Paul Appiah missed the chance to play after his red card as they lost to Aveley in the league
When it comes to university placement years, few can tell more memorable stories than 22-year-old Jamie Hemsley, who spent the season in the Maidstone dugout as a trainee in George Elokobi’s sports science team.
A boyhood Maidstone fan, Hemsley is studying sports and exercise science at Loughborough University, but told Mail Sport how things could easily have turned out differently had he not taken a year to complete some of his A- levels to redo.
Had he been at Maidstone last season it would have been a very different experience, with a miserable campaign ending in relegation.
Bad luck for 21-year-old Paul Appiah, who missed the chance to play for Maidstone on Monday evening after being sent off as they lost to Aveley in the National League South last week.
The defender, on loan from Leicester, has played in each of the last three rounds, but the competition bans also apply to the FA Cup in England.
Many do not like that overlapping rule, with Roberto De Zerbi highlighting after Billy Gilmour’s broadcast this weekend how it is different in Italy and players are only suspended for the competition in which they receive a red card.
Coventry have taken the fairly novel approach of uploading their matchday fixture list on social media and Spotify for fans.
Westlife’s ‘Against All Odds’ was on the playlist last night, but this was a step too far for Maidstone, who had to warm up on the side opposite to where their 5,000 fans were sitting.
Although that was never going to stop them, and as soon as they finished, all the players and team members walked around the edge of the field to applaud the traveling support.
Coventry City are uploading their matchday playlist to social media and Spotify for fans to enjoy
Kasey Palmer was relentless, with all three assists for Ellis Simms’ hat trick in Monday’s first half
Fifteen years since Coventry last reached the FA Cup quarter-finals. They lost to Chelsea at that stage in 2009.
You have to go back to 1987 for the last time the Sky Blues progressed past the last eight legs, winning the cup that season by beating Tottenham 3-2 at Wembley after extra time under the joint management of John Sillett and George Curtis in one of the greatest finals in FA Cup history.
Yes, there may be 94 places separating these sides, but Kasey Palmer was ruthless and showed his class.
The ex-Chelsea man claimed an unofficial hat-trick with all three assists to Ellis Simms’ hat-trick.