George Elokobi hopes to give supporters a day they will never forget when Maidstone visit Championship big boys Ipswich in the FA Cup fourth round.

United will be backed by almost 4,500 travelling fans in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off, live on BBC1 (12.30pm).

The Cobbold Stand at Portman Road is set to be transformed into a sea of black and amber, with thousands of balloons released to greet Elokobi’s National League South side.

Maidstone, playing in round four for the first time in their history, are the last non-league club standing in this season’s competition.

They’re 98 places below an Ipswich outfit who are second in the Championship and fighting for promotion to the Premier League.

It’s a day for the club to enjoy, whatever the outcome.

Stones boss Elokobi said: “It’s fantastic to have Maidstone United in the last 32 as the only non-league club. It’s just incredible. Amazing.

“The community has come out in force again.

“They all deserve it and it’s a fantastic occasion for the football club, for everyone connected to us - the players, their families, the owners.

“It’s a historic moment and everyone wants to be a part of it at Ipswich.

“Whatever the outcome, we’re going to have a fantastic day and the players deserve that.

“I’m sure there’ll be a lot of emotion on the day in terms of the fans.

“The kids, the young Maidstone fans, they are the next generation and it’s going to be a day for them to remember and I’m sure even the grown-ups want to remember this day for the rest of their lives.

“It’s history and history is meant to be celebrated.

“We’ve put ourselves on the map and we’ve got a lot of admirers not just in the UK but also worldwide.

“I was in town the other day and I’m being recognised in Maidstone, so I’ve got to be careful now and make sure I stay on the right path!

“It’s incredible to see what it’s done to our community and we want to ensure we do that justice.

“The players have done this, they’ve brought this attention to our community and they deserve to be immortalised.”

Maidstone have earned more than £230,000 in prize money from their FA Cup run and will receive £110,000 in TV revenue this weekend, plus their share of gate receipts from what could be close to a 30,000 sell-out.

They’ve already upset League 2 Barrow and League 1 Steveange to reach this stage and while the odds are stacked against them pulling off another shock, you just never know.

“There’s a chance,” said Elokobi. “Where there’s a slim chance, there’s still a chance.

“It’s going to be a tough place to go.

“Ipswich are a fantastic Championship outfit vying for the Premier League and they’ve got an incredible fanbase behind them and some incredible players.

“It’s a chance for our players to test themselves against full-time Championship players and if they keep going the way they’re going, they’re going to be in the Premier League in the next few months, so what’s not to love about competing against them?

“Our players will give it their best shot on the day. They will give it a good go and we’ll see where that takes us as a football club.

“It’s sport. We know we are very much under-under–underdogs but it’s a win-win situation for Maidstone United and that’s how we’re going to treat it.

“We know exactly what we’re going to do as a team. We’ll go there and be competitive. That’s our job.

“Win, draw, lose, we will be competitive on the day.”

It’s back to reality on Tuesday when Maidstone host Punjab in the Kent Senior Cup quarter-finals.