Invicta head to Chatham Town’s Bauvill Stadium on Friday evening where we host Maidstone United in the Emirates FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round.

The tie sees Folkestone Invicta manager Jay Saunders go up against his former club, having managed Maidstone between 2011 and 2018, leading the club to three promotions in four years from the Ryman Division One South to the National League.

Tickets are selling fast and a large crowd is expected so we strongly advise supporters purchase tickets online in advance. Click here to purchase yours now.

Spaces are available on our supporters’ coach, which will depart from The Dugout at 5:45pm on Friday evening. Click here to book your seat now.

Matchday Info

You can find all the matchday info ahead of tomorrow’s match here.

The Emirates FA Cup Stat-pack

• 747 clubs entered this season’s FA Cup, which kicked off on Friday 1st August.
• 276 clubs remain, with 471 having been eliminated over the first three qualifying rounds.
• Clubs across step two of the NLS enter the competition this weekend in the Second Qualifying Round, with 80 ties due to be played.
• National League Clubs enter at the Fourth Qualifying Round.
• Winners of 2QR ties will take home £3,375. Losers take £1,125.
• The draw for the Third Qualifying Round will be published at 1pm on Monday 15th September, with ties due to be played on the weekend of 27th September.
• Invicta v Maidstone will kick off the FA Cup weekend as the sole Friday night fixture.
• Invicta have exited the FA Cup at the 2nd Qualifying Round stage in three of the last six seasons but have progressed on two occasions, both times reaching the 4th Qualifying Round.
• Maidstone United have reached at least the 1st Round in eight of the last 11 seasons, going as far as the 5th Round in 2023/24.
• The last time Maidstone failed to progress beyond the 2nd Qualifying Round was in 2011.

From The Manager

Jay Saunders spoke this week ahead of the fixture: “We go into the tie as underdogs, against full time opposition from the league above. I know there’s been a few grumblings around their start to the season but you only have to look at their recent FA Cup form to see what we are up against. I know George will have his side organised and hard-working and they’re full of quality. It’s probably a bit of a free hit for us but the players are up for it, playing in front of a big crowd and we are going out to cause an upset.”

The Opposition

After two seasons of playoff disappointment, reaching the semi-final in 2024 and the final in 2025, Maidstone United have rebuilt this summer under manager George Elokobi. After a 5-match unbeaten start to the season, The Stones have suffered back-to-back 3-0 defeats coming into Friday’s tie.

Recent Form

16/08 – Torquay United (H) – Drew 1-1
23/08 – Hampton & Richmond (H) – Won 2-0
25/08 – AFC Totton (A) – Won 1-0
30/08 – Worthing (A) – Drew 3-3
02/09 – Weston-super-Mare (A) – Lost 3-0
06/09 – Horsham (H) – Lost 3-0

The Manager

A former Premier League player with Wolverhampton Wanderers, George Elokobi joined Maidstone United as a player in 2019 and made 69 appearances for the club before retiring in 2022. Elokobi was appointed caretaker manager in January 2023 before being made permanent manager two months later. Following relegation from the National League, Elokobi has since lead The Stones to two playoff finishes, including reaching last season’s final against Boreham Wood, and took the club on their longest ever FA Cup run where they reached the 5th round in 2024 after beating Championship side Ipswich Town at Portman Road.

One To Watch

Maidstone United captain Sam Corne was a key part of their run to the FA Cup 5th Round in 2023/24, with goals against Barrow, Stevenage and Ipswich Town. Corne has over 250 appearances in the National League and National South and nearly 200 appearances for The Stones before being appointed captain in the summer.

Familiar Faces

Jay Saunders won’t be the only former Maidstone man taking on his former club, with Dean Rance, Kevin Lokko and Joe Pigott and having previously called The Gallagher Stadium home.

Recent Meetings

Since Maidstone’s promotion from the Ryman Division One in 2013 the clubs have only met once in 12 years – the 2018 Kent Senior Cup Final hosted at Maidstone’s Gallagher Stadium.

Last 6

14/12/11 – Invicta 3-2 Maidstone
14/03/12 – Maidstone 0-3 Invicta
09/02/13 – Invicta 2-2 Maidstone
05/03/13 – Maidstone 2-2 Invicta
30/04/13 – Maidstone 1-0 Invicta (Isthmian South Playoff Semi-Final)
24/04/18 – Invicta 0-0 Maidstone (Maidstone won 4-2 on pens)