MANAGEMENT
JAY SAUNDERS
Jay rejoined the Stones from Margate for his second spell with the club in January 2011. He is an experienced midfield player who began his career at Gillingham before moving to Gravesend & Northfleet for the first of two spells at Stonebridge Road. In three periods at Hartsdown Park Jay made almost 300 appearances. He has also played for Lewes. He was appointed as the club’s caretaker manager following the departure of Andy Ford in March 2011 before being given the job on a permanent basis at the end of that season.
STEVE WARD
Steve joined the Stones this summer from Canvey Island as assistant manager to Jay Saunders. Steve played more than 20 games for the Gulls last season despite being 41-years-old. He is an extremely fit person and has played all of his club football for Essex teams despite being a Maidstone lad. He had two spells at Canvey spanning ten years plus four years with Grays Athletic. He also spent time with Chelmsford City. He is an England C international and has two FA Trophy winners’ medals.
GOALKEEPERS
DEREN IBRAHIM
Deren joins the Stones from Dartford where he was the No 2 keeper. Aged 21, Deren has a significant reputation as a fine shot stopper with an impressive ability with the ball at his feet. He won the Kent Senior Cup with the Darts and had good solid experience on loan at both Sittingbourne and Margate.
TONY KESSELL
A veteran of the local non-league scene, Tony came through Charlton’s youth system before making more than 400 appearances for Hastings, Folkestone, Thamesmead, Dartford, Cray and Chatham – and won promotion from step 4 with Hastings and Dartford.
CHARLIE MITTEN
Charlie is a very experienced goalkeeper who has played for plenty of clubs in the south east of England during his long career. He can list Folkestone Invicta, Dover Athletic, Gillingham, Margate, Ebbsfleet United, Welling United, Faversham Town and Croydon Athletic as clubs he represented before joining The Stones. Injury interrupted Charlie’s campaign last term and as a result he played only 19 games. He begins this new season fighting fit having overcome his hip problems.
DEFENDERS
GRAEME ANDREWS
Graeme began his football career locally with Bearsted (where his father is chairman and his brother is a goalkeeper) and then spent time at Charlton Athletic. He moved on to Crabble for a short spell at Dover Athletic before spending three seasons at Welling United in Conference South. He is a company director who lives in Kings Hill.
JERROME SOBERS
Six foot four Jerrome joined the Stones from Bromley having also spent time at Kingstonian this season. Last May he won the Ryman League Premier Division title with Billericay. He began his career at Ford United before being spotted by Ipswich Town, signing for the Tractorboys in 2004. He then spent time on loan at Brentford before returning to the non-league game with Chelmsford City.
NICKY HUMPHREY
Central defender Nicky signed for the Stones in June from Faversham Town. At 32, he is a very experienced player who spent nine seasons with Dover Athletic and Tonbridge Angels. In 2010 he signed for Metropolitan Police and was part of the successful-promotion winning side that season. He had a brief spell with Horsham at the start of 2011-12 before moving to Salters Lane where he was skipper.
STEVE WATT
Twenty-seven year-old Steve joined the Stones from Blue Square Bet South promotion-chasers Dover. Scotsman Watt made his way through the ranks at Aberdeen before moving to Chelsea, for whom he made two professional appearances during the Jose Mourinho era. After a loan spell at Barnsley he then moved onto Swansea before returning north of the border to play for Inverness and Ross County. Steven then moved to Grimsby before relocating back south, signing for Dover in the summer of 2011.
TOM MILLS
Tom is a 21-year-old defender who has played more than 100 times for the Stones. He is a product of Maidstone United’s youth system and has been a contract player since March 2011 and recently extended his deal to include the 2013/14 season. Last season Tom was voted supporters’ player-of-the-year. He is an exciting left-back who causes opponents problems with his pace, surging runs and pinpoint crosses. He lives in Minster-on-Sea on the Isle of Sheppey. His formative football years were spent with Sheppey United and Sheerness East.
TOMMY OSBORNE
Tommy joined the Stones in summer 2011 from Margate where he played for one full season. His career started at Gillingham before he moved to Hastings United where he spent four seasons. Following this spell at Pilot Field, Tommy then enjoyed six years with Dartford who he skippered to the Ryman League Division 1 North title. He then had spells at Cray Wanderers, Billericay Town and Thamesmead Town. Tommy is vice captain of the team.
MIDFIELDERS
ALEX BROWN
Alex joined the club on a contract until the end of the season after being made available by Gillingham. The Maidstone-based player made six appearances for the Stones on loan from the Gills earlier this season. The tenacious midfielder first joined the Gills Centre of Excellence at the age of 13, having previously been on the books of Charlton Athletic.
ALEX FLISHER
Alex is an all-action attacking midfielder who has progressed through the club’s youth and reserve structure to the first team. He was a member of the Kent County FA U18 side who won the FA County Youth Cup in 2009-10. He was placed on contract by the club last season after his performances attracted interest from clubs further up the footballing ladder. He is 20-years-old and lives in Maidstone. Flisher has played 100 games for the Stones and is set to make many more appearances after signing up for the 2013/14 season.
JON HARLEY
The Maidstone-born left back began his career at Chelsea, for whom he now works for as a youth coach, joining the club as a teenager before going on to make 42 senior appearances. He then moved onto Fulham, and can also call upon West Ham, Sheffield United, Watford and Portsmouth in an impressive-looking CV.
RORY HILL
Rory signed for Maidstone from neighbours Tonbridge Angels in February. The 22-year-old midfielder was at Bromley in between two stints at Longmead.
DANNY LYE
Danny signed for the Stones from Faversham Town in November 2010. He is a tough-tackling defensive midfielder who has played for Welling United, Ashford Town, Tonbridge Angels and Gravesend & Northfleet. He has played more than 50 times for the Stones and his solitary goal for the club was a spectacular strike from the edge of the box in a 6-0 League Cup win over Merstham last season.
TIM OLORUNDA
Tim played one game for the Stones last season (in the 1-0 win vs Sittingbourne) when he was signed on a dual registration basis from Kent rivals Tonbridge Angels. However, this summer he has made the move to Maidstone permanent. A tough midfielder, Tim has had a couple of spells at Longmead as well as three spells at his hometown club Hastings United. His other clubs include Rye United, St Leonards (Stamco) and spell as a youngster at Southampton.
MICHAEL PHILLIPS
Michael initially joined the Stones from Hastings United in January 2011 before briefly leaving the club at the end of that season. He then re-joined the club in October 2011. He began his career at Gillingham where he spent six seasons before injury curtailed his full-time football ambitions. Subsequently he played for both Ramsgate and Tonbridge Angels and had a short spell at Erith Town in between his spells with the Stones.
KAIYNE WOOLERY
Youngster Kaiyne joined us in the summer of 2012 after impressing Jay Saunders whilst playing for the Soccer Elite academy, based in Lenham. A vibrant attacking wide player, Kaiyne is equally comfortable on either side of the midfield or front line. Kaiyne will continue to train and study with Soccer Elite while playing for Maidstone this season.
STRIKERS
PAUL BOOTH
Boothy joined the Stones this summer from Lewes. He is an extremely experienced striker who has spent the majority of his career playing Conference football. At 35 years old, he finally has the chance to play for his hometown team. A fitness fanatic, Paul includes Gillingham, Gravesend & Northfleet, Welling United, Havant & Waterlooville, Tonbridge Angels, Cambridge City and Farnborough among his former clubs. He spent March 2013 with Cray Wanderers before returning to the Stones before the top of the table clash against Dulwich Hamlet.
IAN DRAYCOTT
Ian spent the last two seasons at Lewes and moved to Maidstone United this summer. He is a 24-year-old striker who hails from Bedford but recently moved to the County Town. As a student he represented England Colleges at Under-23 level. His other clubs include Hitchin Town and Bedford Town, where he had Southern League play-off success, winning promotion to Conference South with the Eagles.
STUART KING
Stuart’s transfer from Folkestone Invicta to the Stones in December 2012 was described as a transfer coup. He forged a reputation as a prolific marksman in the Ryman South, notching up 44 goals in 47 matches for Invicta. Stuart first came to prominence playing for Whitstable Town, where he won the 2006/07 Kent League Golden Boot as the Oysterboys won promotion to the Ryman League Division One South. He then moved on to both Ramsgate and Herne Bay and spent a short amount of time at Thamesmead Town before joining Folkestone.
ADE OLORUNDA
Ade is a tough and uncompromising centre-forward who has joined the Stones along with his younger brother Tim from Tonbridge Angels. He has also had various spells at both Hastings United and Tonbridge Angels and played for St Leonards (Stamco) as well as Rye United. Ade lives in Hastings and works as a PE teacher in the town.
ALEX WAUGH
Bearsted-based striker Alex is proof there are good quality players in local football. He played for local side MALGO for whom he had a prodigious goalscoring record. He started his non-league career at Margate two seasons ago before swiftly moving on to Faversham Town. Jay Saunders recruited him to the Stones last summer and Alex rewarded that faith with a very good season, making 44 appearances and scoring 16 goals. Alex is currently on dual-registration with Erith & Belvedere.
SHAUN WELFORD
Team captain Shaun is originally from the north east town of Ashington, the home of the Charlton brothers and “Wor” Jackie Milburn. His football career has seen him play for Corinthian, Ramsgate, Dover Athletic and Margate prior to his move last summer to Maidstone United. Standing at more than 6ft and with a powerful build, Shaun was the leading goalscorer last season with 32 from 43 games. The highlight of Shaun’s season last year was bagging five goals in the Stones’ 9-0 away win over Corinthian in the FA Cup.
