Orient come into the tie following a frustrating draw with Hartlepool United at The Breyer Group Stadium last weekend. The East-Londoners could have jumped to top-spot with all three points, but the draw sees them sitting third, only a point behind leaders Salford City.
Manager Justin Edinburgh will be without left-back Joe Widdowson, who begins his three-match suspension following a straight red card for a late challenge against Hartlepool.
George Elokobi may push to be involved, after getting some minutes under his belt in a behind-closed-doors game against Barnet last week.
James Brophy started against Hartlepool and looks to have regained full fitness after recovering from injury.
The Hosts
Maidstone have failed to win their last three home fixtures. Harry Wheeler’s side’s away form hasn’t been too much better, with a 2-0 loss away to AFC Fylde last weekend seeing The Stones slip to 20th in the National League.
Jack Powell was handed his debut following a move from Ebbsfleet United. Meanwhile, defender Seth Nana Twumasi returned to the starting XI and will be hoping to retain his place this weekend. The hosts have no fresh injury concerns from their previous match.
Ones to Watch
Marvin Ekpiteta has been in exceptional form this season. The centre-back recently picked up the National League’s Player of the Month accolade for September and was rewarded with an international call up for England C. United are already aware of the defender’s talents after the 23-year-old headed home in Orient’s 2-1 league victory over Maidstone in August.
James Brophy is back fresh from injury and started against Hartlepool United. The winger proved dangerous down the left wing all afternoon, but wasn’t able to produce that one piece of magic to change the game. He will be keen to get back onto the field, running at the opposition’s defence with his pace and trickery.
Blair Turgott has notched eight goals already for the struggling Stones. The Englishman is an east-London talent and a former youth prospect in West Ham United’s academy. The midfielder, capped once for England C, has scored all three of the host’s goals listed in the table below. There is no doubting Turgott’s importance to the club, with his goals earning valuable points for the Stones this season.
Last Six Results
| Leyton Orient 0-0 Hartlepool United | AFC Fylde 2-0 Maidstone United |
| Maidenhead United 0-2 Leyton Orient | Maidstone United 0-1 Bromley |
| Leyton Orient 0-1 Sutton United | Maidstone United 1-1 Chesterfield |
| Braintree Town 1-5 Leyton Orient | Aldershot 0-1 Maidstone United |
| Harrogate Town 0-3 Leyton Orient | Braintree 0-1 Maidstone United |
| Leyton Orient 3-1 Barnet | Maidstone United 0-2 Harrogate |
Previous FA Cup Run
Last season, Orient qualified for the FA Cup first round after beating east-London rivals Dagenham & Redbridge 1-0 across two legs. Macauley Bonne scored the all-important goal to set up a first round fixture away at Gillingham. Orient lost that game 2-1 with James Dayton scoring a consolation goal 10 minutes from time.
Maidstone United went one better than Orient, reaching the FA Cup second round last season. At the qualifying stage of the tournament, Maidstone beat Enfield 5-3 across two ties. A 4-2 victory away to Cheltenham in the first round saw them progress to the second, however MK Dons proved too strong and comfortably beat United 4-1.
Stat Attack
- Maidstone have failed to score more than one goal in a game at home in the National League this season, whilst Orient have bagged two or more goals in four away games this campaign.
- Orient’s best FA Cup run saw them reach the semi-final in 1978, where they fell to a 3-0 defeat against Arsenal, preventing them from reaching the final.
Last Meeting
Orient have already beaten Maidstone this season with a 2-1 victory on August 14th, the O’s first league win of the season. First half goals from Josh Koroma and Marvin Ekpiteta set the east-Londoners up to take all three-points. Shamir Mullings, now a Dagenham & Redbridge player, bagged a consolation goal for the home side with 10 minutes remaining.
Did you know?
The Oval, commonly known as the main home of England’s cricket team, hosted the first ever FA Cup final back in 1872. The FA Cup really is the oldest ever football tournament!
When and Where?
The tie will be played at the Gallagher Stadium, home of Maidstone United, this Saturday 20th October with kick-off scheduled for 3:00pm. The winning side will qualify for the FA Cup first round, whilst securing a £25,000-pound cash prize in the process.
