Ellis Sims shares his thoughts after scoring his first career hat-trick as Coventry City beat National League South side Maidstone United 5-0 to book their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Ellis Sims scored three points in the first half and helped defeat Stones in the fifth round.
Fabio Tavares was the scorer, scoring in a packed house, much to the delight of Sky Blue fans and manager Mark Robins.
As for his hat trick…
“I am personally happy to have won the match ball and the man of the match award, but the most important thing is that we got the result.
“This is the first hat-trick of my career so I hope I can build on that and gain some momentum and confidence.
“It’s great to gain confidence and momentum as we play more games.
“It’s great. The manager trusts me to go up there and lead the way, so I have to give back to him, the fans and the whole team. Put in the shifts and work hard. The rest will resolve itself.
“It was important to advance to the next round, especially after Friday’s disappointing result.
“We had to make things right tonight.”
Perfect first half…
“It’s generally good to score goals early to calm the nerves.
“As a team, we were ruthless today. We started right away, so it was a great night for us.”
Casey Palmer’s involvement in the goal…
“Casey is a top player. He has vision. I’m running from behind and he’s finding me.
“It’s great to play with a player like him.”
Dedication to Tatsuhiro Sakamoto…
“We were in the huddle and talked about if someone scores a goal, we’re going to dedicate that goal to him.
“As you all know, he was injured in the last game and could be out for a long time.
“I would like to dedicate (the goal) to him because he is a popular member of the team.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had that many Japanese players at the club, so it’s very welcome for him to move between countries and settle in the way he has.
“He is studying English and speaks it fluently, but he will be out for a few weeks.
“I hope that when he comes back, we can all be happy and smiling again.”
About Tavares’ goal…
“We’re all happy for him! We know he was out for a long time with an injury. But now he’s back!
“He has been training regularly so I’m sure tonight’s two goals will give him a boost and build confidence and momentum for the next game.”
The next round of the FA Cup is…
“I don’t have any particular preferences. There’s no one in particular.
“There are only top teams left in this tournament, so we know it will be a difficult match no matter who wins.
“We’ll just have to wait and see, but we hope we can prepare properly for the game and move forward again.”
As for support…
“Especially for the fans at home, they’re like an extra man and they’re right behind us.
“But on the other hand, our away support always meets their quota.
“So it would be preferable (a draw) at home, but if not then away. I’m sure we’ll bring a lot of supporters and they’ll be behind us right away.”