23rd October 2005. 11.10am (Updated 12.30pm & 2.30pm)

The draw was made for the Second Qualifying Round of the FA Trophy today and The Stones will face Ashford Town (Middlesex) - AGAIN!

Fans will need no introduction to the side from Middlesex after our exit to them in the FA Cup. But Alan Walker felt this was a great opportunity for the Stones to set the record straight; "The players will certainly want to put right a wrong, they knew they let themselves down last time we played them and they'll also be a lot more confident following our recent performances, not least the result on Saturday. I think this gives us a very good chance of making further progress in the competition, we have a home draw and we know that we are a better side than the last time we played them. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then with changes both to personnel and the attitude of the players as well. We may also find a situation similar to Chelmsford where Ashford come into the game too confident and I know that my players will have a passion and a hunger to make up for the FA Cup defeat"

With the game scheduled as a home fixture and Sittingbourne playing at home either in the FA Trophy (If they win their replay) or the league against Dulwich, the game is confirmed to take place on Sunday 5th November with a kick-off time of 3pm.

Following Saturday's dramatic victory at Chelmsford, the Stones hit the headlines in today's Times where they carry a full report on Saturday's game. CLICK HERE for article (Opens a new page)

One other piece of news and Alex Tiesse was unable to join the squad on Saturday due to his registration not going through. Tiesse was actually registered with Bromley at the start of the season and his registration could not be released in time to allow him to sign. Hopefully this will be sorted out this week to allow him to be available for next Saturday's game at home to Dulwich Hamlet.

20th October 2006. 10.30am

Lloyd Hume and Alan Walker are facing their usual problem of new injuries as they prepare for the trip to Chelmsford City in the FA Trophy.

This time it's Jimmy Strouts who will be missing from the squad after tearing his hamstring on Wednesday night. Commenting yet again on another injury setback to the squad Alan Walker said; "I really don't understand why we have suffered an increase in hamstring injuries this season," which has included Lynden Rowland, Sam Tydeman, Errison Ahwan and now Jimmy Strouts. He continued; "We haven't changed our training techniques and if anything we should be stronger with the lads now training twice a week. What is even more confusing is that it is affecting the fittest members of our squad. You'd expect those that aren't used to this level of training to maybe come down with an injury or two, but it's hitting those who are more than able to cope with the increased demands of Ryman League football. The best example is Errison Ahwan, he's a tremendous athlete yet gets hit by injury and the same for Jimmy Strouts, whose job demands a very high level of fitness as well."

Thankfully Stones are able to offset the loss of Strouts with the return of Nick Barnes to the squad after his 3-match ban. Joining him in the squad will be new signing Alex Tiesse. Walker commented about the striker or right sided attacking midfielder; "I remember seeing Alex as a trainee at Millwall and he looked a great talent then but he failed to live up to expectations for one reason or another. Hopefully, with the correct guidance he will once again show what a talent he can be and be a valuable addition to the squad."

Speaking about this Saturday's encounter with Chelmsford at the weekend, arguably the Stones' biggest competitive game since reforming Walker said; "Motivation for this game is not a problem as this is really our cup final. We come into the game having witnessed the unpredictable nature of football, having only got one point from a really good performance against Horsham, yet a below par performance saw us get all three points. I'll be looking for a repeat of the performances against Horsham and Bury and if we perform as we know we are capable of then I can see us getting the right result. But it all depends on how we start. If we start well, then the players will take heart from that, but a poor one could see us struggle. The aim though is obviously to give a good account of ourselves, but the main aim is to win and we remain confident that if we play well we can win."

One other piece of team news is that goalkeeper Mickel Czanner will not be available for Saturday due to work commitments.

Finally, it's a big thanks to everyone who contributed to the bucket collection on Wednesday night where we raised nearly £95 for the Ground Fund, which has passed the £400 mark in just one week! Don't forget you can donate online or forward any contributions by post so click here for details. And if you fancy a bet on the outcome of Saturday's game, the Stones find themselves at 73/20 for the win or 3/1 for the draw on BWIN.com

19th October 2006. 12.00pm

Stones made a further signing last night when they swooped for Alex Tiesse from Lewes.

Midfielder/Striker Tiesse hails from the Ivory Coast and started his career in England as a trainee at Millwall before moving to Woking and Redbridge. Last season he played for Beckenham Town but moved to Football League side Bury during the season. Sadly, lack of opportuities saw him make a return to non-league football and was playing with Lewes before joining the Stones last night.

13th October 2006. 10.30am

It's a case of more changes for the Stones squad this weekend, with two players unable to play at the weekend.

Sam Tydeman has been forced to pull out of Saturday's squad on medical advice following more problems with his hamstring. Although he has not pulled it, he has been advised to rest it to avoid further aggravating the injury, which could also see him miss the Ashford game. Also missing will be Jimmy Strouts who has had to withdraw from the squad because of work commitments, although he will be available for next Wednesday.

However returning to the squad will be Aaron Lacy after he completed his 4 week suspension this week and back in the squad is Kane Rice who missed last weeks game having to play for the Kent FA Youth side.

Joint Manager Alan Walker was obviously disappointed in having to change things in the squad yet again; "I can't remember having being able to play the same squad twice this season such has been the disruption in the squad, and typically, just as we begin to find some form we have to make further changes. But it's a case of two out and two in so we still have a strong squad going into what will be a very tough game at Horsham YMCA. However what I will say is that after the unrest of last week, the fans responded in the best possible way and I was delighted that the players were able to respond to the support they received last Saturday. As I keep saying, your support can make a difference to the players and we look forward to that continuing on Saturday down at Horsham.

One other piece of news and Stones attempts to bring in a new striker this week failed to materialise. Despite the player being impressed by the setup at Maidstone, being a young player, he was unwilling to make a move down to the Ryman South. However the management are in talks with another striker.

Finally, if you haven't already seen the link on the main page, following this weeks announcement on the ground by the Chairman, the Official Website has set up a fundraising page for fans which to donate to the club to help with the development of the new ground. There is now a facility to make a donation online and details can be found here.

6th October 2006. 10.45am

The club today confirmed the departure of two players from the club, both for differing reasons. Ray Powell asked to leave the club after discussion with Alan Walker this week. Reacting to the decision Walker explained; "I had a long discussion with Ray after Saturday's game about how we could put things right but on Tuesday he phoned to say he could not attend training. As far as I'm concerned if a player is being paid to play for a club then he should accept that his expenses will be reduced if he is unable to attend. I explained this but later that evening he responded by asking to leave the club. "

"With Leroy Huggins, it has been clear that his fitness levels are way behind the rest of the squad and that showed on Saturday. With that in mind I explained that we can't afford to keep players who are struggling to stay fit and Leroy has opted to leave the club to work on his fitness with a view to rejoining the club when his fitness levels are at a level where he can cope with Ryman League football."

"In both cases I am disappointed, but at the same time I can't have players who are not 100% commited to playing for Maidstone."

In response to the two departures, the management have moved quickly to put in a 7-day approach for an unamed Ryman Premier League striker and will hear back from him on Wednesday.

But there was positive news from the camp this week with Lynden Rowland, Jimmy Strouts and Errison Ahwen all successfully coming through training and all three will be back in the squad for Saturday. Walker continued; "The disappointment of losing two players is balanced out by the fact that we have these players back in the squad alongside Craig Roser. We have obviously missed Lynden in recent weeks so his return is a big bonus and playing alongside Simon Austin who was arguably the best player last week we still have a formidable striking partnership. It's also very pleasing to see Errison available, he has been absolutely awesome in training and he's great to have around the dressing room to lift the players spirits."

"I can only emphasise to fans that both the management and players are working hard to turn things around and although we may lose games, it only takes a few wins to get the club back in the play-off spots such is the high standard of this league. We can certainly play every game with an extra man if we have you as supporters backing us. There is no doubt that critical comments made by supporters which have been directed at players does affect them particularly the younger members of the squad, who have been shocked at the level of critcism from their own fans. I hope that this will stop, it is not their fault we have been hit by a series of injuries and suspensions which leaves us with a very unsettled squad. People must also remember we are still adapting to life at a higher level and that with over 40 games to play, you are always going to hit a bad patch. We understand that performances in recent games have been unacceptable, but we do know what needs to be done to put things right. We will sign whoever is necessary to take this club forward whether they're from Tonbridge or Timbuktu, andI hope fans can see that what we're doing at the moment is trying to improve the squad and things will get better . Myself and Lloyd have the track record to succeed at this level and we will do again with Maidstone United."

Other team news and Nick Barnes begins his 3 match ban this Saturday and the Stones could also be without Kane Rice who has been selected to play for the Kent FA representative side, which has priority over club matches. The club remain in discssions with the FA to see whether we can withdraw him from the squad. If you fancy a flutter this weekend, the Stones are 6/5 to win at the weekend with BWIN.com and remeber if you click on the links on this site, Stones will earn valuable commission.

Finally the club will be providing an update to fans via the Official Website next Wednesday on progress with the new ground together with news from the Chairman regarding his future with the club.

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