Hume finds a way to keep his strike force happy

Table topping manager Lloyd Hume insists hard work and a good team spirit are the key to Maidstone United’s excellent run of form, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Stones romped to a 4-1 victory over local rivals Dartford on a poor playing surface at Bourne Park on Saturday to remain two points clear of Hastings United, with two games in hand, at the top of the Ryman League Division One South.

Both Hume and Alan Walker collected their second successive manager of the month awards before the game - and have now lost just one game from their last 18 league outings.

“Before I came today I just wanted any sort of result for us and I would have taken a draw or a win but the performance I think it’s a result we deserved,” Hume told www.kentishfootball.co.uk after their eighteenth league win of the season.

The Stones adapted to the poor conditions better than their visitors.

“We Have to play here every other week so we know the conditions,” said Hume “We know how we play here and to be fair we done our jobs all over the pitch today.

“We asked players to play a certain way here and they done fantastic today so the credit goes to them - it’s a good performance.”

Hume explained why Lynden Rowland was brought back into the starting line up, and his faith in the striker was rewarded with two goals - and a very unusual dance whilst celebrating his second strike.

“Our thinking was we’ve got four fantastic centre forwards at the club and we’re blessed to have that,” said Hume.

“We said to all four centre forwards if anyone’s standards drop, even in just one game, then they’ll sit on the bench and someone else will get a go.

“Last week at Croydon, all though we won 4-1 our centre half (Ryan Royston) got three of the goals and our centre forwards didn’t play as well as they could have done.

“And even Mo (Takaloo) or Alex (Tiesse) would have been left out today. Mo trained really well in the week, which got him his starting place, so we made a decision last week that Lynden would be brought back in and Lynden was made aware of that on Thursday night.”

With so many sides in this division surrendering top spot when they get there, Hume insists the Stones can go on and win the title - and promotion into the Ryman Premier League - at the first attempt.

“We can go all the way,” he said. “I said at the start of the season we’d like to finish in the top half.

“I made no secret the fact that me and Alan thought we’d finish in the top six.

“What we said and we’ve said it at every club we’ve ever been at, if you go on a sustained run, which we’ve done now, that’s now one loss in eighteen games and we’ve won our last seven, you’re going to be at the top of the league.

“The challenge is to the players, not us. Can they keep playing like that between now and the end of the season? If they do we’ll win the league.”

The Stones have a free weekend before their trip to Molesey on Saturday.

“We don’t do an awful lot of training at our club,” revealed Hume. “We will do one night this week and we’ll look forward to our next game.

“The spirit in the tem at the moment is fantastic. Winning is a good habit and it’s one we’re finding fairly easy at the moment.

“We’re doing it through hard work and as long as we’re doing that - bring the next game on.”

Visit Maidstone United’s website: www.maidstoneunited.co.uk