Stones have years' on youthful opening day opponents

ALAN WALKER is confident experienced players will turn around Maidstone United’s fortunes this season, writes Stephen McCartney.

Bosses Walker and Lloyd Hume have been very busy during the summer to bring in experienced heads to ensure last season’s great escape is a thing of the past .

The Stones needed a 1-0 win at Folkestone Invicta on the last day of the season to maintain their Ryman Premier League status, a result that relegated Neil Cugley’s side.

Maidstone United kick-off their new campaign with a trip to Heybridge Swifts on Saturday before welcoming newly-promoted side Canvey Island to Bourne Park, Sittingbourne, next Tuesday.

“We’re as ready as we can be, we’ve got a couple of niggling injuries in the squad but everyone’s fit and raring to go,” Walker told www.kentishfootball.co.uk tonight.

James Peacock (calf) and new signing from Dulwich Hamlet, striker Meshach Nugent (groin) have both been ruled out for the trip to rural Essex.

Walker has been told some useful information about Heybridge Swifts, ahead of Saturday’s big kick-off.

“I believe they’ve got a few money problems but I’ve been told they’re a young, enthusiastic side,” revealed Walker.

But he warned: “You know what youngsters are like, they never stop running.”

The Stones unveiled the eighteen players that will be starting the campaign with the Bourne Park outfit.

“We’re hoping for a lot better showing than last year (when) we managed to stay up by the skin of our teeth,” said Walker.

“Keelan Mooney is 17, James Peacock is 19 and Meshach Nugent is 24 and every player is 27,28,29, at their peak, except for Ian Cox, who is 37, and Ian Selley, 34.

“The rest of the boys are at their best age of their career’s - so we have an awful lot of experience.”

“I think experience showed at the end of the season. We signed Ian Selley and Mark Saunders to get some great results at the end of the season to stay up.

“There’s no easy games in this division. We saw last year everyone’s capable of beating everyone else.

“It would be nice to start with a home game but you have to go to these places at some stage and it would be nice to go there and get a result.”

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

Heybridge Swifts v Maidstone United
Ryman Premier League
Saturday 16^th August 2008
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Scraley Road, Heybridge, Maldon, Essex CM9 8JA