It's a crazy league - it's screaming out for a couple of teams to pull away, says Jay Saunders

MAIDSTONE UNITED boss Jay Saunders says he is expecting another tough encounter when he takes his side to in-form Faversham Town on Saturday.



The Stones reclaimed top-spot in the Ryman League Division One South table following their 3-0 home win over Chipstead last night.

Faversham, who extended their eight-match unbeaten run with their 1-1 draw at Dulwich Hamlet last weekend, despite playing the game with ten-men for 34 minutes after having defender James Peacock sent-off for two yellow cards on two challenges on former Stones winger Ellis Green, climbed up to second place, but slipped down to fourth-place after midweek wins for The Stones and Hythe Town.

Saunders is looking forward to playing Ray Turner’s side at Salters Lane at the weekend.

“We were on this sort of run last year when we went there and lost and that really turned our season as we ended up losing five on the trot,” recalled Saunders.

“They are going well and I’ve got a lot of time for Ray Turner. He’s a lovely fella, who I keep in contact with and he’s got some good players and a good side this year.

“I expected them to do well, but we’ve been to some tough places recently, Merstham, Eastbourne and Bedford, shown a bit of character and put on a performance.”

There are only eleven points separating top-of-the-table Maidstone United to basement side Walton Casuals,  who held Sittingbourne to a 1-1 draw at Bourne Park last night.

“It’s a crazy league,” admitted Saunders. “It’s screaming out for a couple of teams to pull away a bit.

“We’ve been on a good run, got into a good position with games in hand, but we’ve got to keep it going, one game at a time and hopefully we can extend the run.”

Saunders will be without goalkeeper Charlie Mitten and Tim Olorunda against Faversham, but former Dartford stopper Deren Ibrahim will reclaim the number one shirt.

He said: “It’s a shame as both have been doing well, but we’ve got a decent sized squad this year and have got people who can come in and cover.

“We’ve got plenty of options. Deren was our number one keeper at the start of the season, had an injury and Charlie’s come in and been superb and now it’s Deren who gets his chance.

“If people come in and do well, it’s up to them to keep the shirt.”

When asked whether he will feature in the Kent derby, Saunders replied, “I’d love to be back. At the moment I need fitness, but it is hard to get that when we’ve got games midweek, so I had a run our for the Vets the other day, scoring twice.”

Visit Maidstone United’s website: www.maidstoneunited.com

Faversham Town  v   Maidstone United
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 3^rd November 2012
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Salters Lane, Faversham, Kent ME13 8ND