Maidstone forward Lamar Reynolds has credited the gruelling fitness sessions of manager George Elokobi for their sensational run to the last 16 of the FA Cup.
The National League South club etched their name into FA Cup folklore on Saturday with a remarkable 2-1 victory over Ipswich, who were 98 places above the visitors before kick-off at Portman Road.
It was Maidstone’s seventh tie of the competition and their reward is a trip to Sheffield Wednesday or Coventry for a place in the quarter-finals.
After beating Barrow, Stevenage and now Sky Bet Championship promotion hopefuls Ipswich, Reynolds paid tribute to ex-Wolves defender Elokobi.
“Who would have thought it? But like the gaffer said, you’ve got to believe and we believed,” Reynolds insisted.
“We probably had not much possession but took our chances, got the victory in the end and the 12th man on the side gave us the second wind and the third wind to get us over the line.
“Our gaffer, you all know his background and he is very tough, especially his training routines.
“He always wants us to be the fittest because if you’re fitter than the opposition, you probably have more chance of winning the game.
“With the programmes he has put into us from when he played, it has really helped us gain that edge. We stuck around them. I wouldn’t say we’re as fit as them but we kept up with them and got the win.”
Elokobi insisted he always believed Maidstone could cause an upset in front of their 4,472 travelling fans and drummed that into the squad.
Sixth-tier Stones also ditched training on their artificial surface at Gallagher Stadium to prepare for the Ipswich clash on grass, with Elokobi going as far as to get them to train on the same size pitch as at Portman Road.
“He exaggerated on believing in each other and knowing we’re all capable of winning the game if we stick to the script we’ve planned,” Reynolds added.
“We had done analysis and he kept nagging on believing – when you believe in yourself, stuff like this happens.”
Maidstone players gathered again on Sunday to watch the fifth-round draw but Reynolds spent his morning back at his day job driving autistic children to events for Links Support Solution in Gants Hill.
Reynolds admitted: “It is amazing and I think a lot of them would have watched.
“If I have a game on a Tuesday, I will do that during the morning and head off to a game.
“On a Wednesday we (Maidstone) have a day off so I’ll go in for the morning and Sundays I do events with them. I am pretty much the driver!
“I take them to wrestling or a basketball match, just events because they are local young lads who want to enjoy themselves.”
After scoring his first goal for the club with a delightful chip in Saturday’s victory, the Jamaican-born attacker is eager to keep putting Maidstone on the map.
“I’d wait another 10 seasons for that same scenario again. It felt special,” Reynolds said.
“This can put us on the map, it shows Maidstone is a huge club with a massive background. Now it is time to push on and hopefully the name gets bigger and bigger.
“You just have to believe and now you have to believe it because it has happened!
“We’re in the round of 16 and who would have thought that? It is ridiculous. When you say it out loud it is ridiculous, but what an achievement.”
Shaw reveals how advice from former Man City stalwarts Bronze, Sterling assisted her to settle at the club
After struggling to find her footing when she just arrived at Manchester City, Jamaica international Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw, revealed that it was the advice of Lucy Bronze and Raheem Sterling, coupled with hard work, that assisted in her now being the club's record goalscorer.
Since her transfer from Bordeaux in 2021, Shaw has cemented her status as one of the game’s most clinical strikers during her spell with Gareth Taylor's side so far. In the process, she smashed a number of records, including most goals scored by a Manchester City women’s player in a single season -31 in the 2022-23 campaign -before becoming the club's all-time leading goalscorer with 72 goals overall.
However, she wasn't always confident that she would have accomplished those feats, as she pointed out how guidance from former Manchester City pair Bronze and Sterling put her on the path to history in sky blue, after a difficult early period at the Joie Stadium.
“When I came here initially, I was struggling a bit,” Shaw revealed on The Women's Game Podcast with Sam Mewis.
“One day I was coming in from training and Lucy [Bronze] was coming in as well and she asked, ‘are you okay?’ and I said ‘I just can’t get the way they play, I can’t get it right’. City play a specific type of way and I was saying when we were walking in from training ‘I cannot get this right’. I didn’t know if here was for me.
“She started laughing and she was like ‘you focus on what got you here, the bits you do well that got you here, there’s something they saw in you that got you here’. At that moment I was like ‘wow’. I then called Raheem [Sterling] and I said the same thing to him. He was just laughing and said, ‘when I came from Liverpool I struggled a bit, they play a certain way so trust the process, believe in what you’re doing and believe in yourself’," she added.
From there, the 26-year-old Shaw said she continued to put in the work, both on and off the field until her performances came together.
“I put the comments from both Lucy and Raheem together and it made sense. I told myself to continue working and watching the videos, see how I could improve my game and seeing how best I can help the team. By doing that, it helped a little better day-by-day. Couple of weeks later I called Raheem and said, ‘it’s working!’ He was laughing and said, ‘I told you, you’ve just got to believe in yourself and do all the right things and focus on you first and foremost before you can focus on anything else’," Shaw shared.
Although her 2023/24 campaign was cut short due to a broken foot, Shaw will finish the campaign with 22 goals and five assists. And she credits her sparkling City success to her dedication on the City Football Academy training pitch.
“I just kept at it and believing in myself. The confidence comes from scoring goals and as the games come, I’m thriving," she ended.
Girona 4-2 Barcelona: Hosts secure Champions League football while ending Blaugrana's title hopes
Girona beat Barcelona 4-2 to secure Champions League qualification and gift Real Madrid their 36th LaLiga title.
Madrid, who have lost only once in the league this season, hold a 13-point advantage over second-placed Girona, while Barca dropped to third after Saturday's loss.
The victory saw Girona seal European football for the first time in their history.
A brace from substitute Portu helped LaLiga's surprise package Girona to humble their Catalan rivals.
Andreas Christiansen scored in the third minute to give Barca the lead but Girona hit back a minute later, with LaLiga's top scorer Artem Dovbyk heading in the equaliser.
Robert Lewandowski put the visitors back ahead from the penalty spot just before the break.
However, in his first action after coming off the bench, Portu restored parity before Miguel Gutierrez scored from a rebound two minutes later to turn the match on its head.
And that paved the way for a stunning volley from Portu in the 74th minute to secure the win.
Real Madrid's LaLiga joy must be 'contained' ahead of Bayern meeting
Carlo Ancelotti knows Real Madrid's LaLiga title celebrations must be "contained" as they prepare to take on Bayern Munich.
Madrid were crowned LaLiga champions for a record-extending 36th time on Saturday, after Barcelona lost 4-2 to Girona.
The Blaugrana's defeat followed on from Madrid beating Cadiz 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Brahim Diaz, Jude Bellingham and Joselu were on target for Los Blancos, whose coach Ancelotti knows restraint is needed in his team's celebrations, with the Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern coming up on Wednesday.
"It's obviously a contained joy, because the most important game of the season is also very close, but we have to be happy," Ancelotti told Movistar Plus+ before the Barca game had been played.
"These games are difficult to prepare for, because you have Wednesday on your mind. But so far it's been spectacular, our team was steady, with hardly any mistakes. The advantage we have is well deserved.
"A big part [of Madrid's success] was achieved when we started to defend better, with a collective commitment.
"The effort put by the players up front was great, but the injuries early in the season helped us to realise that it wasn't about individuals but putting on a collective effort, and we did great."
Speaking to reporters in the mixed zone, Ancelotti said: "We are very good. It is the seventh victory in a row in the League, a spectacular one as a whole.
"We are very close to winning it and I think we are going to do it with merit.
"It is a celebration taking into account what has to happen on Wednesday. We are all happy with the match, but let's think about Bayern."
Thibaut Courtois, meanwhile, returned from his long injury lay-off to feature for the first time this season.
Ancelotti added: "Thibaut is a very important piece for this team, although [Andriy] Lunin has had a spectacular season and that is a lot of credit to Andriy. But Courtois has returned very well and was decisive. He is doing very well."
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