29th May 2009 1.00pm

The new league constititution was announced by the FA today and the big news is that Margate have been reprieved from relegation to Ryman Div 1 South.

Margate's reprieve came at the expense of Fisher who went bust in the Conference South, so only Bognor Regis were relegated to our league.

However there are a number of new faces arriving in the Premier Division, with Aveley, Bognor Regis Town, Kingstonian, Waltham Abbey and last but not least, former Kent League and Ryman South rivals Cray Wanderers, who won promotion via the play-offs at the end of this season.

The full constitution for next season is:

AFC Hornchurch
Ashford Town (Middx)
Aveley (Div 1 North Champions)
Billericay Town
Bognor Regis Town (Relegated Conf South)
Boreham Wood
Canvey Island
Carshalton Athletic
Cray Wanderers (Div 1 South Play Off Winners)
Dartford
Harrow Borough
Hastings United
Hendon
Horsham
Kingstonian (Div 1 South Champions)
Maidstone United
Margate
Sutton United
Tonbridge Angels
Tooting & Mitcham United
Waltham Abbey (Div 1 North Play Off Winners)
Wealdstone

27th May 2009 10.45pm

The club are now able to announce the following confirmed pre-season fixtures:

Tuesday 21st July - 7.45
Ashford Town vs Maidstone United

Thursday 23rd July - 7.45
Faversham Town vs Maidstone United

Tuesday 28th July - 7.45
Chatham Town vs Maidstone United

Saturday 8th August - 3.00
Ramsgate vs Maidstone United

The club are also in the process of confirming fixtures on the following dates: Tuesday 14th July, Saturday 18th July, Saturday 1st August and Tuesday 4th August.

Please pencil these dates into your diaries and keep checking back to www.maidstoneunited.co.uk for further additions to The Stones' pre-season itinerary.

27th May 2009 10.30pm

Maidstone United is delighted to hear that the Maidstone United unofficial fanzine "Show Me The Way To Go Home" has won two major awards in the 2009 Football Fans' Census Fanzine Awards.

"SMTWTGH" won two awards in this nationally recognised competition. The first award was that for the category "Best Non League Fanzine." The judges made the following comment:

Best Non-League Fanzine – ‘Show Me The Way To Go Home’ – Maidstone Utd FC
"SMTWTGH is an outstanding publication - with a glossy cover, 52 pages of dynamic content and a vibrant online community it attains Premier League standards on a Non League budget."

Arguably however, "Show" trumped the winning of that prestigious award by winning one of the major categories, that of "Best Editor." Justifiably, editor Bryan Reed was ecstatic at this news. The competition organisers commented as follows on this award:

Best Editor – Bryan Reed, editor of Show Me the Way to go Home – Maidstone Utd FC
"Well respected and admired by Stones fans, Bryan Reed, editor of SMTWTGH, is described by his editorial team as being able to sustain a fine balance between serious comment, earthy jocularity, and that football supporter staple, passionate whingeing. Judges were particularly impressed by the exceptionally high standard of the fanzine given the size of the clubs’ supporter base."

The club would like to congratulate everybody that is involved in the production "SMTWTGH", from all of the many contributors to the editor himself. All concerned can indeed pat themselves on the back and say "well done" to themselves for promoting Maidstone United in such a positive way.

The full results of the 2009 Football Fans' Census Fanzine Awards can be found at www.footballfanzineawards.com/winners.php

22nd May 2009 6.30pm

Following on from the signings of Jamie Turner and Meshach Nugent this week, Maidstone United co-manager Alan Walker was delighted to reveal that he had secured the signature of defender Peter Hawkins on a permanent deal on Friday.

Hawkins had spent three months with Maidstone United last season in a loan spell from Conference national side Ebbsfleet United but as with many clubs the country over, significant budget cuts at Stonebridge Road have lead to Fleet manager Liam Daish releasing several senior professionals.

Hawkins said after signing:

"It's been a difficult time for me as all I've done since I left school is play football. I'm now looking a starting a life away from full time football and it will take some getting used to.

"I've had some offers from a couple of other clubs but I really enjoyed my spell with Maidstone last season and Walks has been able to persuade me to stay permanently which I more than pleased to be able to do."

Alan Walker was delighted in securing the defender's signature:

"Peter's signing is really important to us as we have obtained a very hgh quality player. It means that we will have a very strong spine to our side next season as we have now secured Jamie Turner, Peter Hawkins, Jay Saunders and Meshach Nugent. Add to that Roland Edge, Nathan Paul and James Pinnock and you start to see the quality straight away.

"To say that Lloyd and I are happy with Peter's signing is a massive understatement!"

21st May 2009 10.00pm

The club are delighted to announce that they have managed to retain the services of striker Meshach Nugent for the new season.

Manager Alan Walker was extremely happy to have obtained Nugent's signature and stated

"This is such an important signing for us for the new season. Last season was Shack's first at this level of football and it proved to be a steep learning curve for him but it was a learning curve he was prepared to work hard at and by the end of the season we could see what a frightening prospect he could eventually be for opposition defences.

"We thought that we had lost him to another club in our division this weekend as he had received an incredibly attractive offer that would have paid him almost double what he earned with us last season.

"However, Shack has decided that after having a long discussion with the manager and chairman of the other club that he will stay with Maidstone United after all. It is really refreshing to see that a young player like Shack is prepared to ignore the lure of very good money to stay with a club that he enjoys and believes in."

Speaking after signing for The Stones Nugent said

"The offer I received was really good but I believe that I have unfinished business at Maidstone. I loved my first season with the club and despite doing well, I think that I have a lot more to show to the management and the fans. I think that I've got business to finish. Hopefully everyone will see a bigger contribution from me next season."

21st May 2009 6.00pm

Maidstone United Supporters' Association Player Of The Year Andy Walker, is the second big name player to leave The Stones this week following the earlier departure of Elliot Bradbrook.

As goalkeeper Walker moves on, the management team of Lloyd Hume and Alan Walker have moved very quickly to sign a quality replacement in Jamie Turner.

Alan Walker explained the reason for the change in goalkeeping personnel.

"Lloyd and myself are extremely disappointed to lose Andy and his departure is due in some ways to the budgetary restraints that have been applied to the team budget for this season.Andy was made an offer to stay which was in line with the new budget and he quite rightly asked for time to think the offer over.

"We tried to get him to commit to Maidstone but he then asked for further time to think this and offers from other clubs over."During this time, Lloyd and myself were left with the possibility of having no first choice keeper if Andy did turn us down. We knew that there was a possibility of obtaining the services of Jamie Turner who has just finished the season at Ramsgate after signing for them just before Christmas.

"Jamie is an excellent keeper with bags of experience and Lloyd and myself had him in our side at Tonbridge so we know a lot about him. With other clubs showing strong interest in Jamie we had to move quickly to secure his signature and with Andy Walker unable to commit immediately it made the decision for us really.

"I believe that Andy did want to re-sign for Maidstone but Lloyd and I just could not risk losing out on two keepers, so we took the decision to sign Jamie straight away. I can only give Andy Walker the highest amount of praise possible because he was superb for us last season and he never let us down once. I sincerely wish him all the best at his new club, wherever that may be and I know that the supporters will wish him the best of luck too."

20th May 2009 12.30pm

Oliver Ash, who represents shareholder Richmond Participations, and Patrick Hole, who joined the board as Richmond’s advisor, have both resigned as directors of Maidstone United Football Club.

Richmond acquired their 25% stake in February 2008 and offered a two-year loan to the club, at a time when it was hoped to obtain grant funding for development at Whatman Way.

Following the failure of the application Richmond have decided to step down from the board and take an independent view on the progress the club are making in securing its long-term future. However, Richmond are still committed to help the club survive these difficult times.

Oliver Ash said:

“I am still very keen to continue to support the club; all Maidstone United’s teams and supporters deserve a financially healthier, more stable club. However, it is no secret that the Richmond loan is becoming due. We know that Paul Bowden-Brown is working very hard with his colleagues to try and find short and long-term solutions to the cash shortfalls so that the club can build a ground in Maidstone.

“As shareholders we certainly back these efforts and would be prepared to back Paul or any serious new investor who can provide additional funds for the club long-term. Indeed we ourselves are also endeavouring to identify potential new investors. However right now we have no alternative than to review progress regularly and leave our options open, while hoping that Paul can do what is needed for the club.”

Maidstone United chairman Paul Bowden-Brown said:

“This development has not only given me the opportunity to take a hard look at how the club is organised and financed, but also provides the opportunity to reflect on some past experiences. Together with my colleagues I have decided to review our plan to secure the club’s immediate future and then plan the best way to bring the club home to Maidstone as quickly as possible.

“It is my job as chairman to make sure that the club is run correctly and that we have the right professional staff in place. I have therefore made the decision to release some of my control in the club, including part of the management of the day-to-day decisions. I have therefore asked Bill Williams, my General Manger, and a number of the club’s executive committee to help share with me with the huge workload that is now required to tackle this massive job that lies ahead of us.

“The details of our new management structure will be released once everyone that I am talking to has seen and agreed their new responsibilities. We have good people here at the club who do a wonderful job, but we can always do with extra help, so anyone who feels that they have something to add to the structure, please don’t hesitate to contact me.”

18th May 2009 10.00pm

Maidstone United Football Club will be looking for a new venue to play their home matches next season.

Chairman Paul Bowden-Brown and the board of directors have announced that after eight seasons of ground sharing with Sittingbourne FC, firstly at Central Park and most recently at Bourne Park, the agreement between the two clubs has come to an end.

Paul Bowden-Brown paid tribute to his opposite number at Sittingbourne FC. He said:

"Everybody at Maidstone United owes an incredible amount of gratitude to Andy Spice and his staff for their help and support over the past eight seasons.

"After promotion to the Kent League it was Sittingbourne FC that came forward to help the club in our hour of need - to provide us with the facilities we needed to play at a senior level of football again.

"During our tenure with Sittingbourne there have been highs and lows for both clubs, especially when learning that Central Park was no longer available to either club and that Bourne Park had to be built virtually from scratch.

"In the seasons that have passed since then, I believe that both clubs have benefited from this ground share arrangement.

"It is only right that everybody at Sittingbourne FC who has assisted with both their own club and our fortunes over the period of this agreement receives a resounding vote of thanks for their efforts and contribution in assisting with the renaissance of Maidstone United."