29th July 2008. 7.45pm

Maidstone United Football Club are looking for players for their new ladies’ football team.

The team, Maidstone United Rascals, will play in the South East Counties Women's Football League and will be managed by John Harvey, assisted by coaches Dan Hales, Simon Overland and Tyke Harvey.

Ahead of the league campaign, there will be coaching sessions every Thursday evening from 7.30pm to 9pm at Astor Sports and Leisure Complex, off Tonbridge Road in Maidstone. Sessions are open to ladies aged 18 and over and cost £2.50 per session.

FA qualified coaches will lead the sessions, which are designed to provide fun and informative coaching and fitness training to help players improve their core football skills.

For more information contact Head of Ladies’ Football Mike Littleboy on 07968 604365 or Team Manager John Harvey on 07836 201230.

14th July 2008. 9.00am

Following the release of the Ryman League fixtures for the new season, maidstoneunited.co.uk spoke to co-manager Lloyd Hume to guage his reaction to the fixtures. “

With the opener being away (to Heybridge Swifts) I have mixed feelings. I’d prefer a home fixture to start with but to be honest, if we are well prepared we can win that opener. However, having said that, you have to respect the opposition and for all we know, they may have gone out and spent some money and signed some new players. We’ll have them watched before the opening day that’s for sure.”

“From our first three games I’d like to pick up six points. On paper, these three teams may not be appear to be amongst the pre-season favourites in this league but we certainly won’t take any of them lightly. We failed to beat Heybridge last year and only beat Harlow with a very late winner at their place, whilst although we did play Canvey twice in cup games, we only beat them once and of course they won the play-offs to gain promotion.”

The Christmas fixture should be absolutely great. To be involved in a game like this one with Dover is what you really want at this level. It’ll be a big crowd and Hess will have a strong team this year but so will we. That fixture and the games with Tonbridge and Dartford should all have big crowds and be big games.”

“Hopefully for Easter Monday we’ll be able to sort something out for the Dover home game with the owners of Bourne Park. As a club we need the money from what will probably be a massive gate for us and to have the game on a Tuesday night would be very disappointing. I’m sure that we’ll speak to the landlords fairly early to try and work out a way to play the game on the Monday. If either of Dover or us are there or thereabouts for promotion at Easter it will really add something to an already big fixture.”

“The last three games of the season will be potentially tough, especially if we are looking for points to push on. Dover at Easter is the first of those and that’s followed by Ashford Town (Middx) away. We won there last year but to be honest they finished last season as nigh on the strongest and in-form team in the whole division. The last game is at home to Billericay and they are always tough to beat so that should be a good game.”

11th July 2008. 6.30pm

Pre-season training continued apace this week. All of this season's squad have now put in an appearance following holidays etc and the general atmosphere and feeling amongst the group is very positive.

Alan Walker and Lloyd Hume have, together with the assistance of Reserve Team Manager Peter Nott, whittled down the large number of trialists and hopefuls to barely a handful and this has made the first team training sessions far more intense, with those players remaining putting in strong efforts to try and earn a place with the club.

There is just one further training session before the first fixture of the new season at Great Wakering Rovers next Tuesday and Alan Walker will trim his match squad to a maximum of 20 players for that game.

An interested observer at training on Thursday was Bobby Zamora. (No he's not having trials with us!)

Promising reserve team player Keenan Mooney has been impressing the management

Lloyd Blackman continues his pre-season trial period with the club

New keeper Andy Walker in action

James Pinnock takes a deserved fluid break

Ben Lewis and Alan Walker discuss training ground matters

3rd July 2008. 11.40pm

Manager Lloyd Hume viewed the beginning of the club’s pre-season programme as “pleasing” after Thursday evening’s opening training session in Mote Park.

Both the first team and the reserves set out on a couple of gentle runs around the lake before trainer Tim Warden put the first team through a tough circuit session. Lloyd Hume had a group of 20 or so players, whilst Reserve Team manager Peter Nott and his assistant Tony Cornwell had their young reserve squad plus a whole host of trialists and hopefuls. In all there were in excess of 50 players at the session.

Hume commented “I’m reasonably pleased with the condition that the players have returned in. Nobody appears to have over indulged during the break and it’s good to see that the players have the self discipline and professionalism to maintain their own personal fitness regimes.”

“We have a couple of players still away on holiday, notably Ben Lewis and two of our new signings Roland Edge and James Pinnock. The only injury problem we currently have is Sam Tydeman and even he turned up tonight to show his face and to meet the new guys.”

“I’m keen to let the players get on with ball work as soon as possible in pre-season and that is possible for this squad as they have all come back with a good level of fitness. Tonight we finished with a 20 minute 14 vs. 7 session focusing on touch, control and movement and I think that the players enjoyed that.”

The number of players that have contacted the club for trials has been staggering this summer and Peter Nott has been given the task of assessing the various standards of those who are wishing to chance their arm. Peter explained “Myself and Tony (Cornwell) will have to split our current squad and the trialists over the next few sessions. If we see anybody who is obviously worthy of being viewed by Lloyd and Alan then we will send them straight over to join the first team. Some of the CVs sent through to us are quite strong but the proof of the pudding will be in actually seeing these guys perform. We’ll have to be quite ruthless and some of these hopeful players might have to go home disappointed sooner rather than later.”

Ian Cox completes the final formalities of signing for Maidstone United with Club Secretary Darren Lovell.

Lloyd Hume and Peter Nott discuss trial players.

(R-L) New signings Jay Saunders, Andy Walker and Kevin Watson

What's that coming over the hill? The players complete a "monstrous" run

Remember me? Two weeks after returning from the USA Elliot Bradbrook is back training with The Stones

1st July 2008. 10.30am

The 2008-2009 football season edged that little bit closer today as the Football Association announced the draws for both the FA Cup and FA Trophy competitions.

Maidstone United were handed home draws in both of the competitions but on each occasion were pitted against opposition from the Ryman League Premier Division rather than opposition from Step 4 or Step 5. In the FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round The Stones were drawn against newly promoted Tooting & Mitcham United. The last time the two sides met was in our promotion season from Ryman League Division 1 South when The Terrors won on both occasions.

The game at Bourne Park finished 3-2 to the visitors in a dramatic game. Maidstone went 2-0 up but had Craig Roser controversially dismissed. Tooting for their part also received two red cards in that game but stormed to a 3-2 win courtesy of a hat trick from striker Paul Vines. The Stones then went on an unbeaten run from that game in October until early February when the two sides met again at Imperial Fields. The South London side took the honours that day with a 3-1 victory in a game played on an extremely heavy pitch.

In the FA Trophy The Stones have been handed another tough draw when AFC Hornchurch visit Bourne Park. The Urchins made the promotion play-offs last season before losing out in the semi-finals to AFC Wimbledon. Our two sides met on three occasions during last season, with the Essex side winning 2-0 at Sittingbourne and by the same score line at Bridge Avenue. Inbetween the two league games was a League Cup fixture that The Urchins won comfortably by 3-0 as The Stones fielded several debutants and youth players at the home of the Essex club.

The FA Cup draw has given several Kent clubs some potentially interesting ties. In the Extra Preliminary Round cash strapped Slade Green will host Kent League rivals Tunbridge Wells, whilst Faversham Town who are co-managed by former Maidstone United favourite Jimmy Strouts and who also include both Lee Shearer and Lynden Rowland amongst their number, will host recently relegated Horsham YMCA at Salters Lane.

The Preliminary Round sees a potential Kent Derby at Greatness Park. Should Sevenoaks Town overcome Ash United of the Combined Counties League then they will face an attractive tie against Neil Cugley’s Folkestone Invicta. If Lordswood overcome an away trip to Camberley Town they will host Worthing at Martyn’s Grove, whilst our landlords Sittingbourne will welcome either Chertsey Town or Kent League Deal Town. There could be one other all Kent game in this round but at present it is a case of either/or, with Faversham Town potentially hosting the winner of the Slade Green vs Tunbridge Wells tie.

The 1st Qualifying Round is where the Step 3 Premier Division sides make their entrance to the competition. Ramsgate will be looking closely at the outcome of Ash United or Sevenoaks Town vs Folkestone Invicta as Jim Ward’s side are away to the eventual winners of that tie. Likewise, Margate will be looking at the progress of the potential Lordswood vs Worthing game as an away trip is on the cards for Barry Ashby’s team.

Princes Park will host an all Ryman League Premier Division clash as Dartford face a tricky game against Hastings United. There is the potential for a Hythe Town vs VCD Athletic fixture but they are just two of six teams that could play each other in that particular tie. Given the same circumstances there is also the potential for a Herne Bay vs Chatham Town game at Winches Field and in the same vein, Kent League Erith & Belvedere may face Sittingbourne if both teams win through their initial ties.

Cray Wanderers face a daunting trip to Gander Green Lane to face Premier Division new boys Sutton United if they beat either Crawley Down or Chichester City United. Meanwhile, there is maybe the tie of the round at Longmead as Tommy Warrilow’s Tonbridge Angels face Andy Hessenthaler’s Dover Athletic. A bumper crowd is assured as the two teams meet for the first time since The Angels beat Dover 3-2 in the Division One South Play-Off Final two seasons ago.

The FA Trophy sees far more inter Ryman League competition because of the regionalisation of the draw. Thamesmead Town make their debut in the competition with a short trip over the Thames to face East Thurrock United. Cheriton Road will see an intriguing game as Folkestone Invicta play Chatham Town. Whitstable Town have a tough game away to Kingstonian, whilst Sittingbourne also travel to Surrey, this time visiting Fetcham Grove the home of Leatherhead.

The Premier Division clubs enter at the 1st Qualifying Round and amazingly/disappointingly (dependent on your viewpoint) there are seven all Ryman League Premier Division ties. Is it no wonder that clubs from our league don’t go very far in the Trophy?

Dartford, as in the Cup, have Premier Division opponents at Princes Park as Harlow Town are the visitors, whilst newly promoted Canvey Island (who are twice FA Trophy winners) face a trip to Cambridge City who were demoted for off the field matters from Conference South last term.

Margate are due to host Hendon whilst Dover Athletic are again given a second tough away draw as they have to travel to Staines Town. There is a great Surrey Derby as Sutton United play near neighbours Tooting And Mitcham United and equally interesting is Tonbridge Angels’ home tie with Ramsgate.

FA Competition Draws

FA CUP 1st Qualifying Round

Maidstone United vs Tooting And Mitcham United

FA TROPHY 1st Qualifying Round

Maidstone United vs AFC Hornchurch

FA YOUTH CUP 1st Qualifying Round

Maidstone United vs Dartford