Maidstone United will be well on the way to meeting £200,000 cost of replacing their 3G pitch if they beat Barrow in FA Cup Second Round

Co-owner Terry Casey says it would be a financial game-changer should Maidstone upset Barrow in the FA Cup Second Round.

The Stones need £200,000 to replace their 3G pitch at the Gallagher Stadium and will be well over halfway there in prize money alone if they reach the Third Round for the first time since losing 1-0 at Sheffield United in 1988.

They’ve collected £59,375 for winning four ties so far and there’s £67,000 on offer this Saturday (3pm).

FA Cup runs do so much to help non-league clubs and Maidstone are no different, with every penny going towards replacing their pitch next summer.

It won’t be easy - visitors Barrow are third in League 2 - but victory would do wonders for the Stones.

“I don’t think we could have picked a tougher draw, unless we’d got them away, but I think we’ve got a good chance,” said Casey, who’s anticipating a crowd of about 3,000.

“And, of course, the financial involvement is so crucial to us because we’re trying to put a new pitch down and it’s a £60,000+ payday if we win so it’s a very big day for us.

“It’s big money and it’s game-changing money. It puts us ahead in terms of budgetary planning if we get the £60,000+ and we can look with confidence about putting a new pitch down.

“We’ve had a terrific run - we’ve done really well - especially playing every single game away from home until now.

“Everything we make in terms of income, all the income is heading towards the new pitch.

“We should make a profit this year - we didn’t last year because of various different things, including the cost of being in the National League - and everything we’ve earned in the FA Cup goes straight to the bottom line for reinvestment.

“That’s what we’ve done for 12 years - we reinvest all our profits - and