Stones given one last chance

Thursday 14th January 2010

MAIDSTONE UNITED have been given one last chance to get their much delayed FA Carlsberg Trophy tie against Histon played at home, writes Stephen McCartney.

The first round tie has already been postponed six times due to the poor condition of the Homelands pitch and the Football Association have given the Stones an ultimatum of getting the game played next Tuesday, 19^th January at their shared base at Ashford Town.

“We want the game played, but we want all of our games played at the moment, to be fair,” Stones joint-manager Lloyd Hume told www.kentishfootball.co.uk this lunchtime.

“It’s important financially we get some home games played. I think it’s very, very public and it’s important for us that the game is on Tuesday night.

“It’s not just Homelands that are having games cancelled, it’s the whole country at the moment, even the Premier League. We’re all facing the same problem, but we need games played, I can’t hide from the fact.”

There was talk that Maidstone United would have to travel up to Histon next Monday to get the game played, but they will have to make that journey if Tuesday’s game doesn’t go ahead.

Hume added: “I sent the FA and Histon an email and the reality is we wouldn’t be able to get a team to Histon on a Monday night.

“It’s fairly straightforward so luckily they’ve given us another date that we’re allowed to play at Homelands. If the game’s off Tuesday it will have to be at Histon on the Wednesday apparently.”

Blue Square Premier side Salisbury City await the winner of this tie in the second round on a date to be arranged, with the winners of that tie travelling to either Cambridge United or Eastbourne Borough in the last sixteen on 30^th January.

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