January 9th, 1979 marked one of the most extraordinary occurrences in FA Cup history, and in a match involving Maidstone United.

The occasion was a 3rd-Round tie against Charlton Athletic of the Second Division at The Valley. The Southern League Stones incredibly led for over an hour before Mike Flanagan got an equaliser for the hosts. Then, with five minutes to go, the homes team’s fiery striker got into a punch-up with colleague Derek Hales, and the two were both sent off. United could not take advantage of their nine-man opposition, and lost the replay 1-2 six days later. This time , the Athletic Ground floodlights failed just before the end, but were restored after 17 minutes’ delay.