As Maidstone United prepare to take on Coventry City for a place in the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup, KSN has been talking to the last player from a Kent side to score a winning goal against the Sky Blues… none other than current boss of Cray Wanderers Neil Smith.
The date was Tuesday 13th November 1996, and after a 2-2 draw at Priestfield in the competition now known as the Carabao Cup (called the Coca Cola Cup in those days), the Gills upset the odds with a single goal win with an unlikely match winner given that in another 212 games for the Club, Smith would only score another nine goals, but this one will stand the test of time as part of the Club’s history.
Reflecting on what the Stones have accomplished, Smith told us, “What Maidstone have achieved is amazing, for a Club like them where they are at this moment in time with a lot of the “big” teams already out.”
“They had a great result against Ipswich which was fully deserved, and I am sure they will enjoy their day!”
“Coventry form a massive memory for me obviously,” the Cray boss recalled. “It was a great display and comeback at Priestfield to get the draw and the replay. To win there and getting the winner is something that I am still going to live and dine on for a few more years!”
“It was the fourth round and we had beaten Barnsley already before we faced Coventry who were in the Premier League at the time – it thinks it was Gordon Strachan’s first game as manager, and they had some fantastic players which added to the hype.”
“I think we took about 3,500 fans with us; with the noise they made it seemed like we had the whole crowd. It will live long in my memory.”
“We got the replay after everyone thought we were dead at buried at home. Simon (Ratcliffe) scored a great goal to make it 2-2 which sadly gets overshadowed by mine at Coventry.”
“It was a great comeback and really deserved the draw. It was a top flight Coventry side with people like John Salako, Gary MacAlister, Strachan, Kevin Richardson, Dion Dublin – it was not a team without international players for us to 1) get the draw in the first place and then take them back to Highfield Road – their ground in those days.”
“I played wing back in the replay and my job was to keep John Salako quiet – he was a great player, an international who had done it at the top level – and I managed to do it before finding myself in the 18 yard box when there was a deflected save, two defenders clashed into each other and it fell to me and I hit it in!”
“I cannot remember why I was that far up the pitch – it all seemed to go in slow motion as the ball dropped to me and I managed to pass it into the net where normally I would have slashed at it.”
“To have the great Jimmy Greaves commentating on it as well saying that I took it well, I’ll take that!”
“As I celebrated, I do not think I have ever run so quickly over to the fans! I had family in the crowd and the supporters who has made the long journey and taken a day or two off work, were there were at the opposite corner, when you score against a Premier League team you make the most of it, and really made the most of it that night!”
“You are told to enjoy games like these, but you only really enjoy it if you win – it is one of them.”
“I’m sure Maidstone have enjoyed all the build-up and publicity, but I’m sure they will be fully focused on doing the job Monday night – they did it against Stevenage, Barrow and Ipswich – it’s going to take a lot of discipline, a lot of luck, but if they get the opportunity like I did all those years ago, you must take it”
Picture supplied by Jon Hilliger.