Locking horns for a coveted place in the third round of the FA Cup, National League South side Maidstone United will host League Two high-flyers Barrow at Gallagher Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Stones are impressing in the sixth tier and pushing for a return to the National League, while the Bluebirds are currently enjoying a record-breaking unbeaten run.
Match preview
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On Saturday afternoon in Kent, Maidstone United will be aiming to progress into the third round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1988, when they lost to Sheffield United, and the non-league side produced a brilliant display on Tuesday night against Havant & Waterlooville to prepare for this weekend's clash.
Matt Rush opened the scoring for the Stones against National League South's bottom side, before towering forward Levi Amantchi bagged his 19th and 20th goals of the campaign to ensure the hosts secured their 10th win of the league term and moved up to second in the standings.
After a disastrous campaign in the National League last term which saw them finish 24th and a mammoth 25 points behind Maidenhead United in the safety of 20th, Maidstone are enjoying a fruitful cup run in the opening months of 2023-24, booking their place in the second round thanks to goals from Devonte Aransibia and Amantchi in a 2-0 win over Chesham United in round one.
As for the majority of non-league clubs, progressing into the latter stages of a tournament such as the FA Cup provides the Kent-based side with much-needed funds for improvements of facilities, and the £60,000 prize money from a win against Barrow would go towards George Elokobi's men replacing their 3G playing surface at the Gallagher.
The Stones last reached the second round of the FA Cup during the 2019-20 campaign, with the sixth-tier side travelling to face Blackpool at Bloomfield Road, where a brace from former Aston Villa youngster Nathan Delfouneso and an own goal from manager Elokobi resulted in a 3-1 defeat.
Barrow extended their unbeaten run across all competitions to an outstanding 11 matches on Tuesday night, easing past a struggling Walsall side at SO Legal Stadium courtesy of strikes either side of the half-time whistle from Ben Whitfield and centre-back Niall Canavan.
The Bluebirds have now won each of their last seven matches, including a 4-1 thrashing of Colchester United last weekend and a 2-1 win over Liverpool Under-21s in the EFL Trophy earlier in the month, with the Cumbria-based side enjoying the longest spell without defeat in their entire history.
Pete Wild's men currently occupy third position in the League Two standings after collecting 37 points from 20 contests, meaning they are one point ahead of fourth-placed Mansfield Town and five behind Dave Challinor's Stockport County, who are leading the fourth-tier pack at the moment.
Travelling to Sixfields Stadium in order to clash with League One outfit Northampton in the first round, Barrow produced a clinical display to get the better of their third-tier opposition, with Whitfield, Tom White and Emile Acquah getting onto the scoresheet to set up a trip to the Gallagher Stadium this weekend.
Since joining from non-league outfit Maidenhead in the summer, 23-year-old Acquah has cemented himself as a first-team regular for the Bluebirds under Wild, and the five-goal striker will be no stranger to Maidstone supporters after he netted a brace against Saturday's hosts back in March.
Team News
After making his full debut for Maidstone on Tuesday in the success over Havant & Waterlooville, Leicester City loanee Paul Appiah is expected to start in the hosts' backline once again.
Harry Kyprianou and Sol Wanjau-Smith returned to the starting XI in midweek as Elokobi looked to shuffle his pack after the defeat at St Albans, with both in line for a start in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Barrow are set to be light of options at full-back due to the absences of Tyrell Warren and Junior Tiensia, with both players recovering from long-term injuries.
Robbie Gotts will be assessed ahead of Saturday's trip to Kent after picking up a concussion over the past week, meaning the likes of Kian Spence and Dean Campbell could retain their spots in the engine room.
Wild may opt to make a couple of changes as the Bluebirds face sixth-tier opposition, with attackers such as Jamie Proctor and Dominic Telford pushing for starts.
Maidstone United possible starting lineup:
Covolan; Fowler, Appiah, Bone; Kyprianou, Gurung, Corne, Aransibia, Rush; Wanjau-Smith, Amantchi
Barrow possible starting lineup:
Farman; Chester, Ray, Canavan; Worrall, Spence, Campbell, White, Newby; Proctor, Telford
We say: Maidstone United 1-3 Barrow
Maidstone have won their last three matches at the Gallagher Stadium but will face their sternest test of the term against Barrow on Saturday afternoon.
The Bluebirds are in a sensational vein of form and will be fully confident of extending their winning streak to eight games with a comfortable success in Kent.
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