Maidstone United forward Sol Wanjau-Smith to miss FA Cup fourth-round tie at Ipswich Town but happy and proud to get this far

Sol Wanjau-Smith - the man whose hat-trick launched Maidstone’s glorious FA Cup run - is out of their trip to Ipswich.

The forward misses Saturday’s televised fourth-round tie at Portman Road with ankle ligament damage.

Wanjau-Smith hasn’t played since the Stones’ 1-0 victory over Stevenage in round three and is expected to be out for up to six weeks, with his foot currently in a protective boot.

He’d been in tears before the Stevenage game after a scare in training but managed to get through 80 minutes as Maidstone defeated the League 1 club at the Gallagher Stadium.

The Bristolian has come to terms with missing Ipswich, where Maidstone will be backed by 4,500 travelling fans, and hopes his team-mates can pull off the mother of all upsets against their Championship opponents.

“Unfortunately Ipswich is a no-go but I’m just happy and proud of myself for getting through the Stevenage game and proud of the boys for getting this far,” said Wanjau-Smith.

“Hopefully they can do the business and I can skip round four and play in round five. It would be awesome.

“I’ll still be there supporting them. Hopefully we’re going overnight on the Friday and I’ll be around the boys trying to be as supportive as possible.

“It’ll be a great experience for everyone. It’s important I’m still there and it’s the same for the other lads who can’t play, the ones who are cup-tied.”

Wanjau-Smith scored a hat-trick in September as Maidstone entered qualifying with a 4-1 win at Steyning.

It was the first of six victories in this season’s competition, with United through to the fourth round for the first time.

The former Hungerford man, whose debut campaign at the Gallagher was blighted by knee problems, suspected he’d be facing time on the sidelines