I'm here because I want to do well in the league, says Stones boss Jay Saunders

MAIDSTONE UNITED boss Jay Saunders reflects on a great year for the club.



The Stones made an emtional return back home after a 24-year exile and went down to a 5-0 defeat to Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion in front of a capacity crowd of 2,226 supporters on 14 July.

Crowds have flocked through the amber and black coloured turnstiles at The Gallagher Stadium and 15,808 people have watched their 10 Ryman League Division One South home games already this season.

The Stones went two points clear of Dulwich Hamlet at the top of the table following their 2-2 home draw against Worthing at the weekend.

There was only one other game in Kent played at the weekend – Erith Town suffering their first Kent League defeat of the season after Cray Valley (Paper Mills’) impressive 4-0 away win.

Maidstone United attracted a crowd of 1,765 against Worthing at the weekend and the club is certainly on the up.

A reflective Saunders said: “Great year! You just look at Saturday, if you told me a year ago at this time that we’ll be playing here in front of 1,700 people, I don’t know if I would have beleieved you, but it’s fantastic!

“It’s great for everyone that put in the hard work.”

When asked what he wants from 2013, Saunders replied, “Hopefully more of the same!  More wins and hopefully we’ll be top of the league but that’s the idea – we want to be promoted.

“It’s going to be tough. There’s a lot of teams up there.  I know Dulwich, Hythe, Faversham, all of them, are all pushing and there’s a long way to go.

“But we’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing.  We’ve just got to try to improve.  We always want to improve .”

Saunders has told his players’ to remain professional ahead of their busy festive programme.

The Stones travel to Ramsgate on Boxing Day, before travelling to Corinthian-Casuals on Saturday, before welcoming former landlords Sittingbourne on New Years’ Day.

Saunders said: “They won’t train now before the (Ramsgate) game but we’ll be in after that.  I’ve just said if anyone wants to go out and have a jolly up over Christmas they’ll come and see me and they can go because I won’t stand for it.

“I’m here because I want to do well in the league.  I trust all of them. I’ve got an honest bunch of lads here who want to do well, but they’re all sensible enough to prepare right and look after themselves.”

Tim Dixon’s Ramsgate go into the game sitting in eleventh-place in the table, with 25 points from 18 games and are six points behind fifth-placed side Burgess Hill Town.

“That will be a tough one,” warned Saunders.  “I know Timmy down there well and he’s got a good side this year.  I think they’re in a bit of a false position, like there’s a few teams in this league. I think they’ll be there or there abouts at the end of the season.  I think they’ll be pushing so it will be a real tough one.

“I’ve just said to the lads, the game will definitely be on there and we have to go and make sure we’re right and at it and just on the front foot a bit more because I thought we were just on the back foor against Worthing.

“We’ve got to go on the front foot and try and take some positives out of Saturday and get a good result.”

Meanwhile, the club’s Head Academy Coach, Jack Parkinson, 22, says the club are going in the right direction when it comes to youth football.

Parkinson, who coached Cray Wanderers youngsters’ last season, has previously played for Tonbridge Angels, VCD Athletic and Welling United, now plays part-time Blue Square Bet (Conference) Premier football for Woking.

The Stones’ kids benefit becasuse they can train on the club’s 3G artificial pitch at the club’s new stadium.

Parkinson said: “We’ve got our open trial days this Friday at the ground at 11:30.  This year is the first year the club’s run it. We’ve got 55 students all on a Level 3 B Tech. They do their classroom work in the morning and train in the afternoon.

“We’ve got four teams, one playing in the Conference Youth Alliance, two in the English Colleges’ League and one in the Kent Colleges League.

“Our boys are top of the Conference Youth Alliance and we’re also top of two English College Leagues.

“Next year we’re looking to take on another 35 students, have a team in the Conference Youth Alliance Premier Division and a team in the Conference Youth Alliance Regional Division and one in the English Colleges League.

“This Friday we’ve got an open day at the ground and any students in year 11 or yeaer 12 can come along and register their interst.”

Parkinson is delighted with the support that the club are now getting since their return home – and that Saunders is blooding youngsters in his first team squad.

“It is great to see and it’s great for Jay that the crowds are turning up week in week out,” said Parkinson.

“Sometimes you get it where a club does alright and they get a decent crowd for a few weeks but this is every home game that they’re hitting over the thousand mark.

“It’s great for Jay because he’s done fantastically well this year in all the Cup competitions and they’re top of the league.

“The club is in general going places and hopefully for Jay and the first team that this is the year they get out of that division and I think the club is geared and ready to go.

“On the coaching side of it it’s great working full-time with good players and it’s great to have the facility (3G pitch) we’ve got at the ground.

“Jay has been good as well. He’s used five of the boys in the first team squad.  It’s good to have those boys in and around it and it’s good for the other lads to see there is a progression if you’re good enough as Kaiyne Woolery has shown this year as well.  The reserve team is full of youth team players, which is great.

“In total our Academy we’ve had seven players represent Ryman League standard clubs.  We’ve got a lad who plays for Rye’s first team in Sussex.  It’s nice for them to get a bit of experience so whenever Jay ever calls upon them they’ve had a bit of a go in men’s football.”

Numerous players turn out for other clubs’ first team instead of playing for their own first team due to a lack of first team opportunities.

Parkinson added: “I think it depends what club you’re at.  I think the bigger the club the harder it is to break into the first team so it’s not always a bad thing for the lads to drop down.

“We’ve got 55 lads’ at the club and they’re not ready to play for Maidstone’s first team.  We speak to Jay and Jim (Bodle) the reserve team manager. There’s nothing wrong to get the boys’ invovled in men’s football.

“Some of them are still young, they’re only sixteen so they’re not ready yet, so if they can sit on the bench and be invovled elsewhere it will only benefit the club in the long run I think.”

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

Ramsgate  v  Maidstone United
Ryman League Division One South
Boxing Day, Wednesday 26^th December 2012
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Southwood Stadium, Prices Avenue, Ramsgate, Kent CT11 0AN