Newport manager Graham Coughlan hopes to land a glamorous FA Cup tie against Manchester United – 45 years after the Red Devils reduced him to tears by losing the so-called “Five-minute final” to Arsenal.

County stand to make £400,000 if they win their third-round replay at non-league Eastleigh on Tuesday after 12-time cup winners United were drawn to visit the winners on January 28.

Coughlan, a Manchester United supporter growing up in his native Dublin, was only four years old when Arsenal led the 1979 final at Wembley 2-0 and had one hand on the trophy.

Goals from Gordon McQueen and Sammy McIlroy in the final five minutes almost handed United a reprieve, but Arsenal won the cup at the death when Alan Sunderland turned in Graham Rix’s cross and the final went into FA Cup folklore.

“I actually shed a few tears when we got beat in the 1979 FA Cup final,” said Coughlan.

“I was only a little nipper and my dad would tell me. I had to wait until ’83 for the replay against Brighton to see United lift a trophy for the first time.

“Then ’85 and the Norman Whiteside goal against Everton. All those memories, the cup runs and the success they’ve had. That was growing up as a kid.”

Coughlan began his career in England at Blackburn – “I played against the Nevilles, Giggs and Beckham in the reserves when they were coming through the system” – and by his own admission was “not good enough to play in the Premier League”.

The tough-tackling defender played over 500 games for clubs including Plymouth, Rotherham, Sheffield Wednesday and Shrewsbury, and arrived at Newport following managerial spells at Bristol Rovers and Mansfield.

With Newport on the brink of being bought by former Swansea owner Huw Jenkins, Coughlan is aware of the massive financial boost that the Sky Bet League Two club will receive from a United tie that will be televised live to the nation.

“Both clubs will want to go on and push on and get into the next round, obviously the prize and finances and the day out that it is,” said Coughlan.

“But let’s concentrate on the game, let’s not start having this pantomime of Man United, finances and all sorts of nonsense.

“It’s a game of football, let’s get our heads around the game of football. It’s 90 minutes, possibly 120, club v club, team v team that is where we are at. Nothing more, nothing less.”

The original tie at Rodney Parade was drawn 1-1 after James Clarke had fired the Exiles ahead against opponents who had been reduced to 10 men.

But Chris Maguire’s late penalty earned Eastleigh, 11th in the National League and 18 places below Newport in the football pyramid, the chance of a crack at Erik ten Hag’s United.

Coughlan said: “I don’t think there is a favourite. You can turn around and say ‘they rested players on Saturday and were able to take their eye off the ball’.

“We didn’t have that luxury, but I didn’t think there were any favourites in the first game.

“Both clubs are similar. Eastleigh might be in a better place squad-wise and wages-wise than ourselves.

“But I’ve got a great group of lads that will hopefully do themselves justice.”

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s controversial red card in Everton’s FA Cup third-round clash at Crystal Palace last week has been rescinded, the Football Association has announced.

The striker was facing a three-game ban after being dismissed following a challenge on Palace defender Nathaniel Clyne during the goalless draw at Selhurst Park last Thursday.

Referee Chris Kavanagh initially took no action after contact with Clyne appeared minimal but later sent the 26-year-old off following a VAR review.

Everton announced their intention to appeal against the decision the following day and that challenge has proved successful.

A statement from the FA read: “Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be available for Everton’s next three games following a successful claim of wrongful dismissal.

“The striker was sent off for serious foul play in the Emirates FA Cup game against Crystal Palace on Thursday, January 4 2024.”

The red card would have been the first of Calvert-Lewin’s career had it stood.

Everton manager Sean Dyche said after the incident that he remained “a fan” of VAR but it was “beginning to test my patience”.

Erik ten Hag has not ruled out using the transfer market to strengthen his squad as injuries and illness continue to hit Manchester United hard.

The number of absentees reached double figures for Monday’s 2-0 FA Cup win away to League Two Wigan, with Christian Eriksen out due to illness and Antony injured.

Although Ten Hag is optimistic a number of players could return in time for Sunday’s Premier League match at home to Tottenham, a United bench made up almost entirely of youngsters at the DW Stadium pointed to the stretched resources.

“We consider everything,” Ten Hag said when asked about the January window. “So what is in the best interests of the players and also the best interests for us, the team, for Manchester United. So we’ll see how we progress during the window.”

Ten Hag admitted it has been frustrating to lose so many players in recent weeks, but the Dutchman did not want that to be an excuse for some poor results last month, when United lost six of their nine games.

“I don’t want to be frustrated because I can do nothing for it, it will not help to support the team,” he said. “So we have to get the best performance and best results with the players available and that’s what we’re trying to do…

“I think there will be some players that are hopeful they can be back for the weekend.”

Ten Hag said he expected Eriksen to return in time for the Spurs match, while Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire could also be available.

The victory at Wigan sets up a fourth round tie away to either League Two Newport or non-league Eastleigh, and a clear opportunity to progress further.

With United out of Europe and eighth in the Premier League, a competition in which United reached the final last season remains their only opportunity of silverware this term.

“I don’t think (the focus on the FA Cup) would change if you are still in Europe,” Ten Hag said. “It is a massive competition. Everyone wants to win this competition. So every game we take seriously.”

United beat Wigan with goals in either half from Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes, the second a penalty, but should have won more convincingly given they had 33 attempts on goal.

Fourteen of those were on target, but United were the latest side to find out why Wigan’s 21-year-old goalkeeper Sam Tickle is a man in-demand given his recent form.

Tickle has taken the starting role at Wigan ahead of former United stopper Ben Amos, and the England under-21 goalkeeper has recently been linked with Premier League clubs including Everton.

“He is a brilliant shot-stopper,” Wigan boss Shaun Maloney said of Tickle. “When I first came in, I realised we had something special…

“He was brilliant (against United) and it’s been like that all season. I understand the attention now. It is amazing for our club to have a goalkeeper in the England Under 21 team. Long may it continue. I think it will.”

Erik ten Hag admitted his Manchester United side should have scored more goals after they eased into the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over League One Wigan.

United had 33 attempts at goal, 14 of them on target, but in the end only managed to beat Latics’ impressive young goalkeeper Sam Tickle twice, first with Diogo Dalot’s 22nd-minute curling shot and then with a 74th-minute penalty from Bruno Fernandes.

Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho both hit the crossbar while Marcus Rashford brought some fine saves out of Tickle, but this was the 18th out of 23 domestic games in which United’s forwards failed to find the net.

“It’s all about the win but first half, the way we played, the performance, how we worked the ball, how we made our runs, the investment in the final third, we created a lot of chances and that was pleasing to see,” Ten Hag said.

“I think we should have scored more but the good thing is we created the chances.”

After a December in which United lost six of nine to increase the pressure on Ten Hag, the manager could not afford a slip-up and that showed in a team selection in which he made only two changes, one of them the return of Hojlund from illness.

Antony was out through injury while Christian Eriksen was ill, with Scott McTominay replacing the Dane.

“We have so many injuries and illnesses but still we put out a strong side,” Ten Hag added. “We had a good team, so we were confident before, we must win this game.

“You never underestimate any opponent, definitely not this side, you know they will fight for their life because it’s the game of their life, we took the game very good.”

Wigan had a superb early chance to take the lead with a quick break down the right, but goalkeeper Andre Onana denied Thelo Aasgaard from close range, and they would not have such a clear opportunity again.

“I think it’s a good save,” said Liverpool-born Norway youth international Aasgaard. “If it was on my right side I’d have the confidence to lift it but the keeper’s got down. It didn’t knock my confidence or anything. It was a good save.”

Wigan boss Shaun Maloney, the goal-scorer the only time Wigan have ever beaten United in a competitive fixture back in 2012, acknowledged that the moment could have changed the night, but admitted his side were well beaten.

“It might change the dynamic at that time in the game,” Maloney said. “United had some chances as well. We have to take a lot from it. Some of our players individually had really good performances. It is never nice to get beat but I hope we take a lot from it.

“In terms of effort, I’m very, very proud of what the players gave, it was a difficult match. United played very well. They’re a difficult opponent with the ball, we tried to be as aggressive as we could.

“We found it tough, I couldn’t criticise my players. We needed some good saves from the goalkeeper.”

Wigan had kept themselves in the game until Liam Shaw caught the toe of Fernandes with a little over 15 minutes left, and the United captain’s reaction made sure Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot.

“At the time I wasn’t so sure but what I would say is I’ve seen a slow motion (replay) and I think when you tackle like that and there is contact it’s going to be a penalty,” Maloney said. “I’ve got no complaints.”

Diogo Dalot feels Manchester United produced a controlled performance to book their place in the FA Cup fourth round with a 2-0 win at Wigan.

Dalot put the visitors in front after 22 minutes, with Bruno Fernandes later converting a second-half penalty.

United dominated against the Sky Bet League One side, making 33 attempts on goal, which Dalot accepted they should have made more from.

“We created a lot of chances and what would have made the difference today was putting the ball in the net a bit more with the occasions which we had,” Dalot said on ITV1.

“They had one or two counter-attacks but overall we controlled the game and had some good moments.”

On his goal, the Portuguese full-back added: “It gave a little more comfort to the team. We needed a goal so we could be a little more calm and not rushing to score another one.

“We created a lot of chances and could have scored even more, overall that is what we missed today.”

United will be expected to make further progress when they head to either League Two Newport or non-League Eastleigh in the next round.

“That is why we are here. We are Man United, we play to win every competition. Hopefully we can be at Wembley and win it,” Dalot said.

Dalot feels the presence of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS Group is already starting to have a positive impact as they prepare to assume control of footballing operations once his purchase of a 25 per cent stake has been ratified in the coming weeks.

“It brings some good new energy, hopefully positive feelings. New things to conquer, looking to the future with good energy and they are bringing that,” Dalot said.

“You can feel at Carrington (training ground) already the motivation that they have brought in, hopefully we can win a lot of things together.”

FA Cup holders Manchester City have been handed a trip to Tottenham in the fourth round.

Elsewhere, sixth-tier Maidstone will head to Sky Bet Championship promotion-chasers Ipswich, while Chelsea host Premier League rivals Aston Villa.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at five ties to watch.

Tottenham v Manchester City

Holders Manchester City swept past Huddersfield 5-0 on Sunday, when Kevin De Bruyne made a return to action during the second half from a hamstring injury which had kept the Belgian out since August.

Spurs, meanwhile, had booked their place in the fourth round with a 1-0 win over Burnley on Friday night with a fine late goal from Pedro Porro.

Fans will be hoping the FA Cup tie proves as entertaining as when the two sides met in the Premier League in early December at the Etihad Stadium.

Son Heung-min scored at both ends and Dejan Kulusevski struck a late equaliser to earn Spurs a 3-3 draw following a frantic finish – after which Erling Haaland took to social media to complain about referee Simon Hooper for not playing advantage as City broke during the closing moments.

Ipswich v Maidstone

Vanarama National League South side Maidstone, who beat Stevenage 1-0 in the third round on Saturday, are the lowest-ranked side left in the competition.

Ipswich sit second in the Championship table and were 3-1 third-round winners at AFC Wimbledon.

Stones boss George Elokobi helped Wolves get promoted to the Premier League under Mick McCarthy, who enjoyed a reunion with his old defender at the Gallagher Stadium.

With the Tractor Boys on a roll under Kieran McKenna as the Suffolk club seek a long-awaited return to the top flight themselves, Elokobi might just be picking McCarthy’s brains on how to get a result at Portman Road – where the former Republic of Ireland manager spent six seasons in charge.

Blackburn v Wrexham

Wrexham booked their place in the fourth round for the second straight season with a 1-0 win over cross-border derby rivals Shrewsbury.

With Hollywood A-listers following their progress from across the Pond, the now League Two club will be hoping that run can continue when they head to Championship side Blackburn.

Rovers coasted past Cambridge 5-2 after a first career hat-trick for Sammie Szmodics.

Newport or Eastleigh v Manchester United

National League side Eastleigh kept alive their hopes of landing a dream fourth-round tie after a 1-1 draw at Newport to earn a replay.

Chris Maguire hit a late penalty after George Langston had been sent off late in the first half, leaving the Spitfires to battle on with 10 men.

United were confirmed as fourth-round visitors to either Silverlake Stadium or Rodney Parade after they won 2-0 at Wigan on Monday night.

Chelsea v Aston Villa

The Blues swept past Championship side Preston 4-0 on Saturday as Mauricio Pochettino’s side continued their good cup form, having also reached the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, where they will face Middlesbrough.

Villa edged past Boro 1-0 with a late goal from Matty Cash to win a first FA Cup tie since 2016.

Having waited so long to get into the fourth round again, Villa boss Unai Emery might have been hoping to avoid one of their Premier League rivals.

That said, the Spaniard has already masterminded a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge in September – and on current league form, with Villa second in the table, he would probably fancy the chances of a repeat.

Goals from Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes saw Manchester United ease into the fourth round of the FA Cup and avoid any unwanted drama in a 2-0 win over League One Wigan.

As they should have, United dominated a side 53 places below them, and the only complaint would be that they did not convert more of their 33 attempts on goal.

As it was, Dalot’s 22nd-minute curler and a second-half penalty from Fernandes set up a tie away to either League Two Newport or non-League Eastleigh.

With Sir Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc watching on as Sir Jim Ratcliffe awaits ratification of his 25 per cent stake in United, a straightforward win was just what Erik ten Hag needed after a December in which United lost six of nine games to keep the pressure on the Dutchman.

Recognising the need for a result, the United boss went strong despite a list of absentees into double figures. Christian Eriksen and Antony were the latest to be ruled out, but with Rasmus Hojlund back from illness and Scott McTominay stepping in, United meant business.

With 22,870 on hand, the DW Stadium was sold out for the first time since 2013 and the Latics’ last season in the Premier League, also the campaign in which they upset Manchester City at Wembley to lift the FA Cup.

The home fans should have had a shock goal to celebrate inside three minutes. Sean Clare picked off a loose pass from Kobbie Mainoo and fed Martial Godo. The on-loan Fulham forward hit a quick low cross to Thelo Aasgaard but his shot was well saved by Andre Onana.

Wigan would not have a better chance all night as United responded decisively. Mainoo recovered from his early error to thrive in midfield as United kept Wigan pegged back and peppered Sam Tickle’s goal with shots.

The 21-year-old goalkeeper did superbly well to keep out a Marcus Rashford shot low to his right but could only watch when McTominay ran on to Fernandes’ cross but sent his shot wide of the far post.

A goal was coming. Wigan captain Charlie Hughes got a vital touch to keep Alejandro Garnacho’s cross away from Hojlund but Rashford picked up the pieces and, after finding his own way to goal blocked, laid the ball back for Dalot to curl a shot inside the post.

It was almost 2-0 less than two minutes later. Garnacho’s cross from the right found Rashford, whose drilled shot was saved by Tickle only for the goalkeeper to fumble the ball and push it onto his own post before gathering at the second attempt.

Hojlund headed against the crossbar from a Garnacho cross and then went close when Tickle could only parry a Rashford shot into his path.

And the Wigan crossbar rattled again five minutes before the break when Garnacho cut in from the right and unleashed a powerful left-footed shot which had Tickle beaten.

Wigan switched to a back five to start the second half and did a better job of containing United. Tickle was not forced into meaningful action until just after the hour, when he pushed Mainoo’s shot from the edge of the area away from danger.

When a Garnacho cross was cut out by Hughes it fell kindly for McTominay but he fired over.

Wigan were just beginning to find some encouragement going forward when Liam Shaw caught the toe of Fernandes, who flung himself to the ground to persuade referee Anthony Taylor to point to the spot, from where the United captain sent Tickle the wrong way to double the lead in the 74th minute.

Tickle kept out further shots from Fernandes and Rashford, but United had already done enough.

FA Cup holders Manchester City have been handed a fourth-round trip to Tottenham, while sixth-tier Maidstone will head to Sky Bet Championship promotion-chasers Ipswich.

Pep Guardiola’s treble-winning City side, who cruised past Huddersfield 5-0 on Sunday in round three, have lost all five of their previous visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in all competitions.

Spurs have not won the FA Cup since 1991 and are without a trophy since lifting the 2008 League Cup. Ange Postecoglou’s men progressed to round four thanks to Pedro Porro’s stunning strike in a 1-0 triumph over Burnley on Friday night.

Vanarama National League South side Maidstone, who beat Stevenage 1-0 in the third round on Saturday, are the lowest-ranked side left in the competition.

Maidstone manager George Elokobi is relishing the trip to Portman Road to face the Tractor Boys, who sit second in the Championship table and were 3-1 third-round winners at AFC Wimbledon.

“It is a terrific draw for us,” Elokobi said on Sky Sports News. “It is a fantastic location geographically, it is reachable for our Maidstone United community.

“It is important we enjoy this draw. Ipswich are a Premier League club in the making, they are flying high in the Championship, so it is a great draw for us.

“I said if we didn’t draw a Premier League club, then the next best thing was a Championship club.

“To pick out Ipswich, who have a great support behind them, is going to be a great occasion for our club, for our community and our owners.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for our players to go out, express themselves and enjoy the day with our fanbase.”

Liverpool, who beat Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, will be at home against either Norwich or Bristol Rovers.

National League Eastleigh were also in the draw after earning a replay against League Two Newport.

The winners of that tie will go on to host Wigan or Manchester United, who are playing on Monday night, while League Two Wrexham will be away at Championship side Blackburn.

There will be more all-Premier League ties with Chelsea at home to Aston Villa, Sheffield United taking on Brighton and Fulham facing Newcastle.

Bournemouth will host Swansea, while the winner of Crystal Palace and Everton will be at home to Luton or Bolton.

West Ham and Nottingham Forest could also meet in round four if they come through their respective replays against Bristol City and Blackpool.

Brentford or Wolves will travel to West Brom, while Championship leaders Leicester will be at home against either Hull or Birmingham.

There will be all-Championship ties between Watford and Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday and Coventry with Leeds at home against Plymouth.

The fourth-round ties will take place across the weekend of January 26-29.

Luton goalkeeper Tim Krul spoke of his side’s disappointment at having to settle for an FA Cup third-round replay against League One high-flyers Bolton.

The teams played out a drab goalless draw at Kenilworth Road on Sunday, despite the hosts coming close to winning at the death when Alfie Doughty struck a post before being controversially denied a penalty by VAR.

Prior to that, Andros Townsend and Jordan Clark had gone close with efforts that were deflected wide, as Ian Evatt’s Bolton gave a dogged defensive showing to earn themselves a second go at knocking out the Premier League outfit.

The additional match means Luton’s planned warm-weather training retreat will have to be rearranged, with their league game against Burnley having been brought forward three days to January 12 in order to accommodate the replay.

“Normally I’d be happy with a clean sheet but there’s a lot of disappointment that we didn’t get the win,” said Krul, who started in place of regular first-choice keeper Thomas Kaminski.

“I think in the first half we weren’t quite at it, we were about 80 per cent. The second half we really came out flying.

“We did enough to get over the line, we hit the post, had plenty of shots and maybe we could have had a penalty so I think we were a bit unlucky.

“I think it’s a good reminder that we need to be at it from the start in any game and every game, so we’re disappointed but I think we know on Friday at Burnley we need to be at it from the start.”

It was just Krul’s third appearance since joining the Hatters from Norwich in August, having mainly played back-up to the impressive Kaminski this campaign.

“I’m loving it,” he said of life at Kenilworth Road. “I do feel there’s a spirit around the club and a true belief that we can stay up.

“We have given the big teams, especially at home, a hard time and maybe we’ve deserved more points so there’s a lot to come from us.

“We know it’s going to be hard, but we’re going to give everything we’ve got.”

Vanarama National League South side Maidstone have been handed a trip to Sky Bet Championship promotion chasers Ipswich in the FA Cup fourth round.

Maidstone are the lowest-ranked side left in the competition, having beaten Stevenage 1-0 in the third round on Saturday.

Ipswich, who sit second in the Championship table, were 3-1 winners at AFC Wimbledon.

National League Eastleigh were also in the draw after earning a replay against League Two Newport.

The winners of that tie will go on to host Wigan or Manchester United, who are playing on Monday night.

League Two Wrexham will be away at Championship side Blackburn, while holders Manchester City will travel to Premier League rivals Tottenham.

The fourth-round ties will take place across the weekend of January 27-28.

Maidstone became the latest non-league side to produce an FA Cup third-round upset on Saturday with victory over Stevenage.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some other famous wins that saw non-league sides make it into the competition’s fourth round.

This cup shock unfolded over 50 years ago, but remains an iconic upset that retains its place on any giant-killing list. Who can forget the Match of the Day footage of Ronnie Radford’s stunning late equaliser for Hereford, bludgeoned out of the Edgar Street mud, before Ricky George’s extra-time winner? After the two sides had drawn 2-2 at St James’ Park, top-flight Newcastle had led the replay through Malcolm MacDonald before the Southern League side’s heroics sparked a joyous pitch invasion.

Coventry, then in the top flight, had won the FA Cup in 1987 but were ambushed by Conference side Sutton at Gander Green Lane. Tony Rains headed the London minnows into a half-time lead and although David Phillips equalised for the Sky Blues 10 minutes into the second period, Matt Hanlon, a 22-year-old self-employed bricklayer, volleyed home Phil Dawson’s 70th-minute out-swinging cross and Sutton held on for an historic win. In the fourth round, they lost 8-0 at Norwich.

Woking were in the Isthmian League – English football’s sixth tier – when they headed to The Hawthorns and no-one gave them a prayer as they trailed 1-0 to West Brom, then in the old Second Division, at half-time. But a stunning hat-trick from Tim Buzaglo, a computer specialist who had played cricket for Gibraltar, turned the tie on its head and after a fourth goal from Terry Worsfold secured a spectacular upset, Woking’s jubilant players were applauded by the Baggies fans off the pitch.

Blue Square Bet Premier side Macclesfield dumped out Championship leaders Cardiff, 81 places higher in English football’s pecking order, to reach the FA Cup’s fourth round for the first time in their 139-year history. The Silkmen trailed to Cardiff striker Nat Jarvis’ close-range second-half finish, but Matthew Barnes-Homer struck twice in the final five minutes. He turned home Jack Mackreth’s cross and, with home celebrations still in full swing, converted a penalty to snatch an unlikely win.

Lincoln were National League leaders and on the rise when they clinched a place in the fourth round for the first time in 41 years. The Imps knocked out Ipswich, then in the Championship, thanks to Nathan Arnold’s stoppage-time winner. The Imps, who had drawn 2-2 at Portman Road, went on to beat Brighton, top of the Championship at the time, 3-1 in the fourth round and won 1-0 at then Premier League side Burnley in the fifth round to become the first non-league team in 103 years to reach the quarter-finals.

Maidstone United produced the biggest FA Cup upset at the weekend as the lowest-ranked team left in the competition beat Stevenage to reach the fourth round.

The sixth-tier club are waiting to learn who they face next after a 1-0 victory against the League One side sealed their sixth FA Cup win this season and a place in the hat for Monday night’s draw.

Here, the PA news agency turns the spotlight on The Stones, who have reached the fourth round for the first time.

Route to the fourth round

Second qualifying round – Steyning Town 1-4 Maidstone

Third qualifying round – Winchester City 0-2 Maidstone

Fourth qualifying round – Torquay 0-2 Maidstone

First round proper – Chesham United 0-2 Maidstone

Second round proper – Maidstone 2-1 Barrow

Third round proper – Maidstone 1-0 Stevenage

Upsetting the odds

Maidstone reached the third round proper for the first time since 1987 when coming from behind to beat League Two promotion-chasers Barrow 2-1 last month thanks to goals from Sam Corne and Bivesh Gurung, who fired a superb 74th-minute winner. Against Stevenage on Saturday, midfielder Corne kept a cool head to convert a first-half penalty and that was enough to dump out Steve Evans’ League One high-flyers, who are 69 places above The Stones in the league pyramid.

Elokobi eyes dream tie with Wolves

Manager George Elokobi said after his side’s win on Saturday that it would be a dream come true if they were drawn to play his former club Wolves in the fourth round. Elokobi, who moved to England from Cameroon aged 16, spent six years as a defender at Molineux before ending his playing career with The Stones and also had spells at Colchester, Oldham and Leyton Orient. “Whoever we draw, it’s a privilege and a great time to be a Maidstone United player, fan, for the management team, owners and backroom staff. It is a historic day,” he said.

Boom and bust

Maidstone won promotion to the Football League for the first time in 1989 but at the end of their third season in the old Fourth Division, the club’s debts had spiralled out of control and they were liquidated in 1992. A new club, Maidstone Invicta, was established in the Kent County League Fourth Division and in 1995 they changed their name to Maidstone United. They have had two spells in the National League since 2016 and were relegated to National League South last season.

Home from home

During their spell in the Football League, Maidstone were forced to play home games at Dartford as their ground was not up to standard and they were without a stadium of their own until 2012 when the £2.8million Gallagher Stadium was opened in the town on James Whatman Way. After several improvements, the ground now has a seated capacity of 4,200. Maidstone are currently fifth in the National League South table, 13 points behind leaders Yeovil.

Kevin De Bruyne admits he will need to hold himself back as he eases himself into action following a long lay-off.

De Bruyne made his first appearance in five months with an impressive substitute cameo in Manchester City’s 5-0 FA Cup third-round demolition of Championship Huddersfield on Sunday.

The Belgium playmaker was given the last 33 minutes of a one-sided tie at the Etihad Stadium and wasted no time as he set up his side’s fifth goal for another player returning from injury, Jeremy Doku.

De Bruyne had a hamstring operation in August after being troubled further by a problem that had affected him in the latter stages of last season’s treble-winning campaign.

“I worked hard and I’m happy to be back,” said the 32-year-old. “I felt good so I’m pleased about that but I’m still nowhere near where I need to be.

“It’s a good continuation of the process of the last few weeks. I feel good, the movements were good, I felt comfortable in what I was doing and that was the only thing I was really looking for.

“To get that ovation after being away for five months gives you more of a boost. There will be moments I want to play every game but I know in the back of my mind I need to take care of myself.

“It’s good being January where we have fewer games. I don’t expect to be playing too many games and Newcastle next week is a big game so I’ll expect to be back on the bench.”

Getting injured was an obvious frustration for De Bruyne but, given his heavy schedule for club and country in recent years, he tried to turn the situation into a positive.

He said: “To be honest I enjoyed it in a way.

“At the beginning it was a big blow but I knew I was going to be out for four or five months, so after the first reaction I thought to myself I needed to work hard when I’m working, but then I could enjoy the things that I’ve not been able to do with my family and friends.

“Maybe it was good to refresh a little bit. It’s not like I needed a break but I took it, to turn a disadvantage into an advantage.”

City were already well in control when De Bruyne entered the fray after first-half goals from Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez. A third goal came after an Oscar Bobb cross deflected in off Ben Jackson and Foden doubled his tally before Doku wrapped up the scoring.

Despite his return, De Bruyne confirmed Kyle Walker will remain as the team’s regular captain having worn the armband throughout the Belgian’s absence.

“I’m number two, Walks is number one,” said De Bruyne.

Huddersfield boss Darren Moore felt his team acquitted themselves well and hopes that spirit can be carried forward as they look to pull away from the bottom end of the Sky Bet Championship.

Moore said: “It’s no disgrace to lose against arguably the best team in the world.

“It is about what we can take into next week and the second half of the season. For me as a manager a lot has been learnt, and certainly the players learnt a lot.”

Mauricio Pochettino warned his Chelsea players they will come unstuck in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Middlesbrough if they begin the game as they did Saturday’s FA Cup meeting with Preston.

The Sky Bet Championship side did a comfortable job of containing the Blues during the first half at Stamford Bridge, with the hosts displaying little attacking threat against a team currently 14th in the second tier, before clicking into gear after the break to claim a 4-0 win.

Three goals in 11 second-half minutes from Armando Broja, Thiago Silva and Raheem Sterling ultimately broke the resolve of Ryan Lowe’s side, before Enzo Fernandez added a fourth in the final moments.

It was a far cry from the stolid performance given in the first 45 minutes, with home supporters forced to endure another listless display in the final third, where Chelsea’s build-up play typically broke down.

And Pochettino said a repeat performance at the Riverside against Michael Carrick’s team on Tuesday could see his side miss out on the opportunity to claim their first trophy since 2021.

“It’s going to be tough,” he said. “Middlesbrough is a very good team that we need to respect. (Saturday) was a great example that we need to respect the opponent if we want to beat them.

“If we start the game like (against Preston), we will find it difficult. We need to use this as an example that we need to start like we played the second half.

“We need to be respectful, not to approach the game showing not the right attitude. (The first half) upset me, but the players were disappointed also at half-time. The attitude was completely different in the second half.”

Chelsea last lifted silverware in December 2021 when they beat Brazilian side Palmeiras to win the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi, seven months after victory in the Champions League final against Manchester City in Porto.

Pochettino said he is not allowing his players to think about the Carabao Cup final at Wembley while there is still a final hurdle to clear.

“I don’t want to think on (the final),” he said. “I prefer to think only about Middlesbrough. I know that it’s important for the club and for this team because it’s going to be a boost of energy if we get to the final.

“But we need to go step by step because if we think too much long-term, even if it’s only two months, I think we will expend energy and we will be not right.

“What the group needs is to build their confidence step by step. (Saturday) is a good example, in a good way but also not in a good way. We need to realise that on Tuesday we need to play 90 minutes like we played in the second half.”

Erik ten Hag has blamed injuries for ruining Donny van de Beek’s spell at Manchester United and insisted his experience should not put off other players from signing for the club.

Van de Beek, 26, has joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan until the end of the season, having failed to establish himself under any of three different managers – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick and Ten Hag – at United since joining from Ajax in the summer of 2020.

The £35million midfielder made only 23 starts during his three and a half years at Old Trafford, and already spent time away on loan when he joined Everton for the second half of the 2021-22 campaign, again being limited by injuries at Goodison Park.

Ten Hag worked with Van de Beek at Ajax but hopes that a reunion in Manchester might revive the midfielder’s fortunes proved misplaced.

“He has had many injuries, first of all,” Ten Hag said. “From the first moment I came in here at Manchester United, he wasn’t the player he was at Ajax because he was injured. So many times he was not available and then he struggled for a long time to recover from that injury.

“That is probably the main reason why he was not playing. We decided for a loan in the summer but it didn’t come and then his opportunities are few because also we make appointments and we make agreements with players and contract players in that position. The competition was high.”

Van de Beek is among a number of players who have joined United in big-money deals in recent seasons but then struggled to live up to the billing, with £72million winger Jadon Sancho also close to leaving on loan in this transfer window after a public falling out with Ten Hag.

But asked if others might look at Van de Beek’s experience and be wary of moving to Old Trafford, Ten Hag disagreed.

“That is always on those players and how much confidence you have in your capabilities,” he said. “But I can tell you one thing – the Premier League is tough. Man United, that is tough to play there because it’s more easy to play in almost any other team than Man United because the pressure is that high always.

“You have to deal with that. But if you have confidence in yourself, this is the best challenge and this is definitely the best club you want to be at as a player. It depends on player to player, and it depends especially on the character of the player, their personality.”

Ten Hag will take his United side to Wigan on Monday night for their FA Cup third-round tie.

Andre Onana will be in the squad and should also be available to face Tottenham next weekend before joining up late with Cameroon for the Africa Cup of Nations.

But Onana’s back-up Altay Bayindir is yet to make his debut after a summer move from Fenerbahce and the trip to the DW Stadium could be an opportunity to give the Turkey goalkeeper a taste of first-team action before he is needed more regularly.

Ten Hag insisted he had confidence in all of his goalkeepers despite the decision not to use Bayindir in the Carabao Cup before Christmas.

“At some point Andre will go,” he said. “We are totally happy and we constructed this group of keepers because we are comfortable with this. We have confidence in them both and both are very good goalkeepers, both experienced at the highest levels.

“I think we can have a lot of belief that we have coverage, but not only coverage but competition between two or three. We are sure that if Andre has to go that we are good, we are in a good place and have a good replacement to fill that gap.”