MIND THE GAP

STOKE made the headlines for all the wrong reasons yesterday, the one and only Premier League side to suffer defeat at the hands of lower-league opponents. League Two side Coventry defied a 53-place gulf to run out 2-1 winners. Four other clubs — Notts County, Yeovil, Peterborough and MK Dons — beat teams from divisions above them. When it comes to third-round exits QPR are almost in a league of their own, having exited the competition at that stage 49 times, a record they now share with Plymouth. Coventry 2 Stoke 1: 53 places Brentford 0 Notts Co 1: 39 places Yeovil 2 Bradford 0: 39 places A Villa 1 Peterboro 3: 27 places QPR 0 MK Dons 1: 26 places