Maidstone were praised by Blues manager Kieran McKenna after their 2-1 FA Cup victory at Portman Road. Lamar Reynolds and Sam Corne scored either side of Jeremy Sarmiento’s goal for Ipswich, with McKenna admitting it was “a horrible game to lose”. Despite Ipswich’s 38 shots on goal compared to Maidstone’s two, the non-league side were clinical in front of goal and defended well. McKenna felt Sarmiento was fouled ahead of Maidstone’s second goal and that George Edmundson was tripped in the second half, but the referee disagreed. Despite making 10 changes, McKenna didn’t feel this was a factor in the defeat.
Utilizing the squad is crucial for us in cup competitions due to the high level of competition in the Championship this year, which is a stretch for our players. We make five substitutions in almost every league game and also utilize the squad in cup competitions. We have been consistent with this approach. Although we had the quality to win the game, we failed to score goals and prevent them. I feel disappointed for the supporters and the football club that we haven’t managed to progress to the next round of the cup. However, I don’t have any complaints about the efforts of the players. We need to take the lessons from this experience and find a way to utilize it to make us stronger. We are hopeful of adding a couple of strikers before the transfer deadline.
