National League South meets League Two as Maidstone host Barrow in the second round of the FA Cup this weekend.
Maidstone had to go through three rounds of qualifying to get to this stage, meaning that this will be their fifth game in the competition. They beat Steyning Town, Winchester City and Torquay United to progress to the first round where they faced Chesham and won 2-0. Their opponents Barrow entered at the first round as they upset League One Northampton Town, with goals from Emile Acquah, Tom White and Ben Whitfield securing a 3-1 victory.
Sitting second in National League South, Maidstone are firmly in the mix for not only the playoffs but also automatic promotion. They sit six points behind first-place Yeovil, though the leaders have a game in hand. They have won 10 of their first 20 games and lost just four. Similarly, Barrow are also seeking promotion. They currently hold the third automatic promotion spot as they bid to make the jump to League One for the first time. It has been a strong start for the Bluebirds, with 10 wins and three defeats and trailing just five points from the top.
Both sides come into this tie on a high, fresh from victories in midweek. Maidstone made it their fourth win in their last five games with a 3-1 success at home to Havant & Waterlooville, whilst Barrow scored a goal in either half to see off bottom-half Walsall. This marked their seventh win in a row in all competitions, an impressive streak they will be favoured to extend. They have scored 15 goals in this period. Their unbeaten run stretches back farther, with the side not losing a game since 10th October, a Football League Trophy loss to Morecambe. You will have to go back another week for the last time they lost in the league which was to Grimsby Town.
Pete Wild’s Barrow have already progressed further in this year’s competition than they did last. They fell at the very first hurdle, losing 1-0 at home to Mansfield Town. Their opponents did not even make it to the first round proper, failing to make it through the qualifying rounds with a 1-0 loss at Needham Market. Each team will be hoping to advance further than the third round for the first time in their histories.
If Maidstone are to pull off an upset, they will be relying on top scorer Levi Amantchi to provide a spark. The young striker has netted 11 times in 19 games in his first season with the club. On the other side, Emile Acquah has scored six goals in all competitions.
The two teams have met six times, with each side winning three apiece. All of the games took place between 2016 and 2018, when they both were playing their football in the National League. Barrow won their first-ever meeting 3-0, but all five games since have been decided by just the one goal. Whilst they haven’t faced each other in five years, a tight affair could be expected given the strong starts to the season for both clubs.
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