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Maidstone United
Full name	Maidstone United Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Stones, The Old Maiden, Invicta
Founded	1897. Reformed 1992.
Ground	Bourne Park, Sittingbourne (groundshare) (Capacity 3,000 (200 Seated))
Chairman	Paul Bowden-Brown
Manager	Lloyd Hume and Alan Walker
League	Isthmian League Premier Division
2006/07	Isthmian League Division One South Champions
Home colours 　 Away colours

Maidstone United Football Club are an English football team from Maidstone, Kent. Former members of the Football League between 1989 and 1992, they were forced out of the league by financial ruin but the youth squad formed the nucleus of a new club. The 'Stones' were elected to the Kent County League Fourth Division in 1993 and have since progressed through the pyramid. In 2006/07 they won the Isthmian League Division One South and will be playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division in the 2007/2008 season.

Contents 1 History 1.1 The first Maidstone United 1.2 Maidstone Invicta and the new club 2 Stadium 3 Current squad 4 Current staff 4.1 Managerial staff 4.2 Backroom staff 5 Noted Players 6 Achievements 6.1 Original Club 6.2 Since Reforming 7 Records 7.1 Original Club 7.2 Since Reforming 8 External links

The original Maidstone United club was formed in 1897 and played in various Amateur leagues such as the Corinthian, Athenian and latterly the Isthmian League before joining the Southern League, the major semi-professional league in southern England, in 1971/1972. At the time the club stated that it was their ambition to be in the Football League within 10 years and considerable improvements to the playing squad and facilities at the Athletic Ground on London Road were carried out.

After many years as a mediocre amateur club, their first season as a professional outfit almost brought instant success as the team finished 3rd in the Southern League Division 1 (South) just failing to win promotion behind Waterlooville and Ramsgate. Attendances were much improved from the amateur days with local derbies against Tonbridge and Gravesend & Northfleet drawing respectable attendances of more than 2000. The following season Maidstone finished top and were promoted to the Southern League Premier Division. They continued to progress and during their 6 year spell in the league they finished in the top 5 on 4 occasions. In 1979 they became founder members of the Alliance Premier League (now the Football Conference), and won the league title twice, in 1984 and 1989.

At the time of their first championship, Maidstone failed to gain promotion to the Football League because they lost out in the re- election system that the Football League employed at the time. It is generally accepted^{[citation needed]} that it was the Chairman of perennial strugglers Hartlepool United who canvassed sufficient support by promising to vote for dialogue for direct promotion and relegation between League Division Four and the Alliance Premier League. Hartlepool were re-elected back into the Football League by one of the smallest totals ever accrued by a surviving club.^{[citation needed]} By the time Maidstone United won the Conference again in 1989, the promised automatic promotion and relegation had been introduced, largely due to the efforts of the Stones' own chairman Jim Thompson,^{[citation needed]} who was a leading light on the Conference committee. Maidstone thus became members of the Football League Fourth Division. Coincidentally, Kent's only existing League club, Gillingham, had been relegated to Division Four in the same season, thereby setting up the League's first ever Kent derby. In 1987 the Stones had left their ground in Maidstone having sold the land on which it stood to MFI; they switched to ground-sharing with Dartford for their home matches, so Gillingham fans dubbed them "The Squatters".

After a shaky start in their first season in the Fourth Division (1989-90) they reached the promotion play-offs but lost to eventual winners Cambridge United in a dramatic two-leg semi-final which saw their opponents striker Dion Dublin score twice in the second period of extra time to seal victory. Their form in the following season went from very good to very poor in a short space of time, which prompted the controversial sacking of manager Keith Peacock. The next manager was former Blackpool and Northampton Town boss Graham Carr; he'd enjoyed some success at the Cobblers, winning promotion a few seasons before. Carr favoured a direct approach to football,an idea which is usually accepted by football fans so long as it is successful - sadly for Carr, at Maidstone it wasn't, and ugly football combined with some poor results led to a rapid disenchantment on the part of the fans.

By this time, the club were lurching into serious financial problems. Their attempts at finding a suitable site for a new stadium in Maidstone were floundering on planning difficulties; a preferred site to the East of Maidstone was thrown out by the council because it lay in a conservation area, whilst a further site to the west was also rejected by Tonbridge and Malling Council, in whose district it lay. Confident the latter would pass the planning process, the club had gambled and paid £400,000 for the land - a huge sum they could not afford. With dwindling gates, caused by the 50-mile round trip for fans to Dartford, the poor performances on the field and substantial running costs (including massive match-day police bills), the writing was on the wall.

Things could only get worse for Maidstone. Inevitably, the entire squad of players were put up for sale to raise cash, and the cherry-picking made the first team even worse. By the 1991-92 season, the team had reached rock bottom. The club was put up for sale but with huge debts, no ground and a poor team, nobody who could be taken seriously was interested. A consortium from the North East wanted to buy the club, move it to Tyneside and rename it 'Newcastle Blue Star'; that was about as good as the offers would get.

On the football side, Graham Carr was sacked after a predictable poor run of results at the start of the 91-92 season. His assistant Clive Walker (not the former Chelsea player) took over, and did a remarkable job of keeping the Stones off the foot of the table considering the threadbare and largely talentless squad he had inherited. Walker's managerial skills, combined with the efforts of the few capable players left at the club (notably a young Gary Breen, keeper Iain Hesford, Bradley Sandemann and an ageing but capable Liburd Henry) saw them through. There was no relegation that season due to football league expansion and Maidstone finished 18th though well clear of bottom spot. If Aldershot had not folded late that season they may have finished lower as their record was expunged. On the pitch Maidstone had nothing to worry about. The story off-pitch was a different matter altogether.

Due to their crippling debts, the Stones had their first game of the new Division Three season cancelled at the start of 1992-93. They were given 48 hours to guarantee that they would be able to complete the season's fixtures. Unable to come up with the necessary backing, Maidstone became only the third club to resign from the Football League mid-season and went into liquidation. Controversially, Dartford FC also went bankrupt, many^[specify] blaming this on the fact Stones chairman Jim Thompson was also on the Dartford board. It was also alleged that a housing company who purchased the old ground for development had strong links with Thompson. Subsequently, Jim Thompson was banned from involvement with football clubs by an FA disciplinary hearing. He remains a prominent figure in the town, having been Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce for many years. It is rumoured he now has involvement with cricket's 'Harlem Globetrotters' Lashings World XI, also based in Maidstone.

Ironically, the original Maidstone's demise may have saved their new rivals, Gillingham from relegation out of the League. Had Maidstone completed the season, there would have been two teams relegated to the Conference that season^{[citation needed]}, in order to reduce the League from the odd 93-club membership that it had adopted the previous season back to its previous 92-club membership. With Maidstone's bankruptcy, the League was able to revert to 92 clubs a season early, and only have one club relegated to the Conference. That club eventually proved to be Halifax Town, with Gillingham finishing one place above them.

A new club, Maidstone Invicta, was formed within days, and joined the Fourth Division of the Kent County League for the 1993-94 season. Initially, Jim Thompson ran the club, but after his ban Paul Bowden-Brown took over. Bowden-Brown remains in his post to this day.

In 1996 the original Maidstone United name was re-introduced, and in 2001 Maidstone won promotion to the Kent League Premier Division. The club's long term target is to return to the Football League. They won the Kent League in 2005-06, gaining promotion to the Isthmian League Division One South. They won this at the first attempt, therefore gaining promotion to the Isthmian League Premier Division for the 2007-08 season. This puts them three promotions away from returning to the Football League.

Maidstone currently play their home games in Sittingbourne, but in November 2004 were granted planning permission to build a new stadium on Whatman Way in Maidstone town centre, on the banks of the River Medway. After numerous delays due to legal wranglings, preliminary work began on 23rd January 2007, although little activity has happened since. The club are currently in talks with an investor who would build the ground within 20 weeks. When the Stones do finally return to Maidstone, it will be the first time the club has played senior football in the county town for over 20 years.

The club's squad includes the following players:

No. Position Player GK Pat Mullin GK Steve Northwood DF Nathan Paul DF Craig Roser DF Mario McNish DF Ben Lewis DF Lee Shearer DF Helio Guerreiro DF Chris Smalling DF Ashley Ulph DF Jimmy Bodle MF Ray Freeman

No. Position Player MF Errison Ahwan MF James Peacock MF Aaron Lacy MF Sam Tydeman MF Nick Hegley MF Rob Owen FW Alex Tiesse FW Lynden Rowland FW Mo Takalobighashi FW Sam Morrison FW Jamie Maxton FW Steffan Gaisie (on loan from Bishop's Stortford)

• Manager - Lloyd Hume
• Manager - Alan Walker
• Scout - Chris Hiscock
• Sports Therapist - Frank Brooks
• Physio - Tim Warden

• Honorary Life President - George Gray
• Honorary Vice Presidents - Mal Watkins and Dick Yorke
• Chairman - Paul Bowden - Brown
• Vice Chairman - Richard Bowden - Brown
• General Manager - Bill Williams
• Club Secretary - Darren Lovell
• Commercial Manager - Steve Fuller
• Communications Manager - Ian Tucker
• Website Editors - Jonathan Parr/Mark Pettifer
• Matchday PR - Ruth Tunnell
• Club Photogrpaher - Steve Terrell

• Jimmy McMullan
• David Sadler - born in Yalding and attended Maidstone Technical School (now Oakwood Grammar), he started his career at Maidstone before going on to win the League title and a European Cup medal with Manchester United in 1968. Capped 4 times for England as a centre half.
• Warren Barton - pacey full-back who in 1990 was sold to top-flight Wimbledon for a club record £300,000. In 1995, following a call up to the England national team, he was sold to Newcastle United for £4,000,000.
• Mark Beeney - goalkeeper who represented Gillingham, Brighton & Hove Albion and Leeds United.
• Roy Hodgson - manager of Bristol City, Blackburn Rovers, Malmö FF, Sampdoria, Viking F.K., the Finland and Switzerland national teams.
• Glen Coupland - centre-forward who also represented Charlton Athletic, Dartford and Dover Athletic. In a famous 1975 F.A.Cup 1st round replay, Maidstone United defeated Colchester United 4-1, with two goals from Glen Coupland.
• Peter Taylor - former Southend United, Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur, Leyton Orient, Oldham Athletic and England winger who has managed several clubs, including Hull City.
• Gary Breen- played for Coventry City, West Ham United, currently plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers. International for the Republic of Ireland, scored in the 2002 World Cup against Saudi Arabia in a 3-0 win.
• Chris Kinnear - Former Margate manager who successfully got them promoted up to Conference level before financial trouble saw them face successive relegation, eventually leading to his suspension.
• Bobby Houghton - Maidstone's player/coach in their first professional season in the Southern League Div 1 South (1971/72). Houghton later managed Malmö FF to the Swedish title and a European Cup final appearance against Nottingham Forest. Houghton (along with Roy Hodgson) is widely regarded as being responsible for the transformation of Swedish football [1].

• Football Conference (known as Alliance Premier League before 1986)
  • Champions 1983-84, 1988-89
  • Runners-Up 1982-83
• Southern League
  • Division One South Champions 1972-73
• Athenian League
  • Runners-Up 1957-58
• Corinthian League
  • Champions 1955-56
• Kent League
  • Champions 1898-99, 1899-1900, 1900-01
  • Division One Runners-Up 1897-98, 1919-20

• Isthmian League
  • Division One South Champions 2006-07
• Kent League
  • Premier Division
    • Champions 2001-02, 2005-06
    • Runners-Up 2002-03
  • Premier Division Cup Winners 2002, 2006
  • Charity Shield Winners 2002, 2003
• Kent County League
  • Division One Champions 1998-99
  • Division Two Champions 1994-95
  • Division Four Champions 1993-94
• Kent Senior Trophy
  • Winners 2003
• Kent Junior Cup
  • Winners 1995
• Weald of Kent Charity Cup
  • Winners 2000, 2001
• West Kent Challenge Shield
  • Winners 1994, 1999
  • Runners-Up 1995
• Tunbridge Wells Charity Cup
  • Winners 1994

League Positions/Cup Runs:

• FA Cup Best Run - 3rd Round (replay) - 1978/79
• FA Trophy Best Run - Quarter Final (replay) - 1986/87
• Best League Position - Football League Fourth Division - 5th - 1989/90

Home Attendances:

• FA Cup - 29/09/2002 - 937 - Boreham Wood
• FA Trophy - 05/11/2006 - 321 - Ashford Town (Middlesex)
• FA Vase - 19/11/2005 - 423 - Andover
• Isthmian League - 03/03/2007 - 814 - Dartford
• Kent League - 25/03/2006 - 573 - Beckenham Town
• Kent County League - 16/04/2001 - 320 - Snodland
• Friendly - 12/03/2002 - 1589 - Gillingham

Results:

• Victory - 26/03/1994 - 12-1 - Aylesford - Kent County League Div 4
• Defeat - 25/08/2007 - 0-7 - Chelmsford City - Isthmian League Premier Division

League Positions/Cup Runs:

• FA Cup Best Run - 3rd Qualifying Round (replay) - 2003/04
• FA Trophy Best Run - 3rd Qualifying Round - 2007/08
• FA Vase Best Run - 3rd Round (replay) - 2005/06
• Best League Position - Isthmian League Division 1 South - 1st - 2006/07

• Maidstone United Official Website
• Show Me The Way To Go Home - an unofficial Maidstone United fanzine
• Maidstone365 - The definitive site for all things Maidstone!

Isthmian League Premier Division 2007/08 v • d • e
AFC Hornchurch | AFC Wimbledon | Ashford Town (Middx) | Billericay Town | Boreham Wood | Carshalton Athletic | Chelmsford City | East Thurrock United | Folkestone Invicta | Harlow Town | Harrow Borough | Hastings United | Hendon | Heybridge Swifts | Horsham | Leyton | Maidstone United | Margate | Ramsgate | Staines Town | Tonbridge Angels | Wealdstone
Kent League First Division 2007/08 v • d • e
Chatham Town | Cray Wanderers | Dartford | Erith & Belvedere | Erith Town | Folkestone Invicta | Maidstone United | Margate | Ramsgate | Sevenoaks Town | Thamesmead Town | Whitstable Town (all reserve teams)
Football in England v • d • e
League competitions The FA Cup competitions Premier League England (B) (C) FA Cup The Football League (Champ, 1, 2) (U-21) (U-20) (U-19) Football League Cup Football Conference (Nat, N, S) (U-18) (U-17) (U-16) FA Community Shield Northern Premier (Prem, 1N, 1S) List of clubs Football League Trophy Southern League (Prem, 1Mid, 1S&W) List of venues FA Trophy Isthmian League (Prem, 1N, 1S) (by capacity) Conference League Cup English football league system List of leagues FA Vase Records FA NLS Cup Foreign players