After a heavy defeat on Friday night that seems to have killed the momentum Coventry City have built in recent months, another game so swiftly on the back of it is either just what this team needs or the last thing it does, depending on your view. A home game against a sixth-tier team really should be no problem for the Sky Blues, but with confidence dented and the squad stretched to breaking point, this team are going to have to be careful of slipping on a banana skin here.
Maidstone United have already demonstrated during this FA Cup run that they can beat Championship opposition, after knocking an Ipswich Town side higher in the league table than Coventry City out at Portman Road in the last round. Having lost twice in the cup at the CBS Arena to non-league opposition over the past decade, the Sky Blues are not averse to an embarrassing exit themselves. While Coventry should be too strong for the Stones on most days, that cannot be taken for granted in a one-off contest.
Expected Line-Up
With the squad so thin at this moment in time, Mark Robins has little motivation here to name a strong team, especially with an important game against West Bromwich Albion to come on Friday night. However, the issue is that there are few options available to hand important players a rest, unless the manager is willing to turn to youth-team players who could be especially susceptible to being bullied out of the game by non-league opposition.
Starting in goal, there is an awkward call to make between Ben Wilson and Brad Collins after the former failed to cover himself in much glory against Preston North End last time out. If Wilson has lost his first-choice place in goal as a result of that performance, the debate here is whether he is relegated to cup goalkeeper status or dropped for this game as punishment for a poor showing last time out. The latter motivation might be the primary one here as the manager looks to rebuild confidence after Friday night’s bruising defeat.
In defence, Luis Binks and Jay Dasilva look to be caught on a similar chopping block after poor showings last time out and more senior players capable of coming in to steady things up. The only likely change from what would otherwise look to be Coventry City’s first-choice back four would be Joel Latibeaudiere moving to right-back to hand Milan van Ewijk a rest. Any consideration towards moving to a back three seems unlikely given how little difference it made in the second-half against Preston North End.
Liam Kelly looks certain to come in and steady the ship in central midfield after Joel Latibeaudiere and Josh Eccles looked completely lost last time out. Given that Mark Robins mentioned in his post-match interview against Preston North End that had Victor Torp started, he’d ‘have torn his calf properly’ it seems an unnecessary risk to start him here.
Further forward, the need to keep key players fresh could see at least Callum O’Hare, and probably Haji Wright too, rested from the starting line-up. That would likely see Ellis Simms moved out to the right wing, Matt Godden start up front, Fabio Tavares on the left and Kasey Palmer through the middle. If there is an under-23 player to be involved here, Kai Andrews seems the likeliest call, capable of playing in central midfield or just behind the centre-forward, if the youngster does get onto the pitch, it is likely to be via the bench.
Last Time We Met
Coventry City and Maidstone United have never met in a competitive game in their respective histories, so no YouTube videos available for this one.
The Opposition
The Manager – George Elokobi
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers left-back retired from football last year to take on the Maidstone United job when they were on their way to relegation from the National League. Unable to keep the Stones up, Elokobi has done well to galvanise the club this season to put them in contention for an instant return via the National League South play-offs and has put together a memorable FA Cup run beating three EFL opponents along the way in Barrow, Stevenage and Ipswich Town.
Maidstone United have not been prolific goalscorers under George Elokobi’s management, instead, focusing on defending with organisation and waiting for counter-attacking opportunities. Against Ipswich Town, they did well to pack their penalty area with their back four plus pretty much their midfield three too, but were occasionally aggressive in looking to take the ball off their opponents when they sensed a chance to break with pace. They did well to restrict Ipswich to pot shots but they were fortunate that the only two shots they had went in.
Who To Look Out For?
Maidstone United, intriguingly, have a goalkeeper who played at under-23 level for Brazil in Lucas Covolan. The shot-stopper worked his way up into the EFL via spells with Whitehawk, Worthing and Torquay United but didn’t do himself justice after earning a move to Port Vale, getting himself sent off on his debut as his hot-head nature quickly saw him drop back to non-league. Covolan is capable of some excellent feats of goalkeeping but can make some bewildering errors, whether Maidstone win or lose this game feels very much in Covolan’s capricious hands.
Organising the Stones’ defence are George Fowler at centre-back and Gavin Hoyte at right-back. Hoyte is a veteran at non-league level and can be a physically-imposing presence when at his best, while Fowler provides a level of aggression in his defending to marshal his penalty area and was the team’s player of the season last year at National League level.
Further forward, the work-rate of Manny Duku at centre-forward looks set to be important here. Duku is a big physical presence and pretty mobile, perfect for leading the line in a game where his team is likely to have the minority of possession. On his left side, Lamar Reynolds impressed against Ipswich Town with his ability to stretch the opposition with his pace and use of the ball. If Coventry City can marshal Duku and Reynolds well, it will limit Maidstone’s ability to generate dangerous counter-attacks significantly.
Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost
As bruising as Friday night’s defeat against Preston North End was, Coventry City should view themselves as the heavy favourites that they are here. The biggest doubt against that is whether the changes that Mark Robins may feel forced into making to keep players fresh could end up leaving the team short of both the rhythm and control required to turn the screw on Maidstone United and grab the goals required to kill off their hope of nabbing a result. That was exactly what led to the first-half meltdown against Wrexham in the FA Cup last year, it doesn’t matter what level player supposedly are, if they are not in the rhythm of playing regularly either as individuals or as a team, they can struggle and that can lead to a state of panic that is difficult to get out of.
A specific concern is whether a likely midfield duo of Liam Kelly and Josh Eccles is going to offer the team enough control and creativity on the ball to dominate against a dogged non-league opponent. With Maidstone United likely to drop deep and pack out the centre of the pitch, being able to pick out the attacking players quickly and accurately is going to be vital here in stretching the opposition in order to generate good chances, the worry is that Kelly and Eccles will play a little too slowly and risk-free, which could lead to Kasey Palmer ahead of them attempting the impossible whenever he gets the ball out of frustration.
As mentioned in the previous section, some of the key areas which Coventry City should look to target against Maidstone United is first, their goalkeeper, Lucas Covoaln, who can lose his concentration and temperament completely and should be tested with high crosses into the penalty area with players around him. In addition, if the Sky Blues can mark Manny Duku and Lamar Reynolds out of the game, Maidstone will not be able to get out of their own half and that could buy time for the likes of Callum O’Hare, Haji Wright and Victor Torp to come on in the latter stages to either win the game off or kill it off as a contest, even if the team ends up playing pretty stodgily from the start.
Sideways Sammy 