Maidstone United 2-1 Burgess Hill Town. We need your support at home, insists Stones chairman

MAIDSTONE UNITED 2-1 BURGESS HILL TOWN
Sunday 3^rd September 2006
FA Cup (E.ON) Preliminary Round
Stephen McCartney reports from Bourne Park

Maidstone United chairman Mr Paul Bowden-Brown asks the club’s stay away fans to support the Ryman League Division One South club at Sittingbourne’s Bourne Park.

The Stones have been hugely supported on their travels so far this season with 721 watching their opening day win at Hastings United and 790 saw their August Bank Holiday Monday draw at neighbours Chatham Town.

But Mr Bowden-Brown is concerned that only 309 watched their first home game against Fleet Town and 382 watched their defeat against ten-man Whyteleafe.

However, a crowd of 400 - their highest home crowd of the season - saw the Stones deservedly progress into the first qualifying round of the FA Cup today, beating their league rivals Burgess Hill Town.

But the victory would have been greater if it wasn’t for an impressive display from Hillians’ 20-year-old goalkeeper Andre Foster.

Foster had already made saves from Nick Barnes, Nick Hegley and Sam Tydeman before Barnes second goal of the season gave the Kent side a deserved tenth minute lead.

And Lynden Rowland’s third goal of the season four minutes before the break proved to be enough for the Stones.

Kane Rice’s long throw into the penalty area was flicked on by Leroy Huggins and the ball fell to Barnes, whose 16-yard drive deceived Foster and found the corner.

The former Tonbridge Angels’ midfielder had been denied in the fourth minute when his shot was parried at the near post by the former Trinidad & Tobago youth international, whose currently studying at Southampton University.

Then Nick Hegley’s hooked effort was parried by Foster before the goalkeeper made another fine save, clawing Sam Tydeman’s 30-yard wind assisted chip around the post.

But he was finally beaten by Barnes’ sweet strike.

Burgess Hill Town’s first chance on goal came on 16 minutes but Neil Watts was never going to beat Pat Mullin with a whipped in effort from the right from 40-yards, which dropped over the bar.

Nathan Paul was desperately unlucky not to double the Stones’ lead in the 29^th minute when his left-footed drive, across the goalkeeper, bounced off the far post.

But the visitors best chance of the half came three minutes later when Mullin was relived to see Kevin Budge’s 20-yard drive flash agonisingly past the foot of the post.

Maidstone scored their second goal with four minutes to go before the interval.

Foster’s clearance was met by a powerful header up field by Hegley and the striker latched onto it.

And with the goalkeeper advancing, Rowland chipped the ball high over his head and was able to celebrate when he saw the ball drop underneath the bar.

The visitors came close to pulling a goal back on the stroke of half time when their skipper Shaun Grice powered a header straight into Mullin’s grateful arms, following Joe Bye’s corner.

Craig Roser, returning to football following his very short retirement, and sporting a short hair cut, played the ball over the top of the Hillians’ defence on 61 minutes.

Tydeman lobbed the ball over the advancing goalkeeper straight onto Huggins’ head in the middle, but his looping header bounced off the top of the right post.

Budge was denied by a superb save from Mullin when he dived to his left to claw out the goal bound header with fifteen minutes remaining and there were a few anxious moments when the visitors pulled a goal back in the 89^th minute when Kevin Budge poked home.

But it was Maidstone United who will be travelling to Ashford Town (Middlesex) in the next round on 16 September.

Mr Bowden-Brown, meanwhile, pleads with the stay away fans to watch the club in action when Metropolitan Police visit Bourne Park next Saturday.

Writing in his programme notes, he said: “I must say our away support has been fantastic. My only problem is why the home support, although good and as you know is personally appreciated, has not reached the expectant budget criteria reached after collating pre-season assumptions.

“Once again we are making other clubs in our league have a great payday when we visit their grounds, and if my spies are correct they are having a much larger contingent of Maidstone United supporters travelling to away matches rather than going to home matches.

“If this is correct and it continues I will have no alternative but to reconsider my operating budgets as I cannot support a revenue reduction.

“This represents against a fixed cost that is not in line with our laid down budgets.

“As it was said to me on Monday by a supporter, “When you return to Maidstone, Mr Chairman, you will have crowds like this every home match.”

“That’s all right but as a business we cannot budget today’s playing costs against the revenue when we return home, it must be against revenue earned this season.

“This is something I hope will rectify itself before needing my attention, but be assured I will not allow the club to start operating at an unacceptable loss for the benefit of the future.”

Today’s win has banked the club £1,000 in prize money, and another £2,250 will be banked if they win at Short Lane in thirteen days time.

“It will be a tougher nut to crack (as) they’re higher league opponents,” joint-manager Lloyd Hume told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“The FA Cup never seems fair to us in terms of draws. I mean we could have had any team today and we draw one from our level but that’s the way it goes. Cup games are always more exciting anyway.”

Looking ahead to their trip to Ryman Premier League side Ashford Town (Middlesex), he added: “It’s a game if we perform to our potential and put away some of our chances, we can get something from it and progress.”

Hume was, however, frustrated that his side didn’t win by more, adding: “It’s frustrating today that the fact we’ve had so many chances.

“Even before we scored I counted four very, very strong chances that you would look to convert and it seems teams only need one chance against us to get a goal and that’s been the story of our season so far.

“But I’m glad to see we performed a lot better today as a side. We created loads of chances and I don’t think 2-1 shows a true reflection on the game today.”

But Hume is confident the stay-away fans will flock through the Bourne Park turnstiles if the club progress in the competition.

He said: “At the end of the day results gets fans watching games and so do good team performances - we played well today.

“It was a Sunday so there was a good few here watching and they got behind the team, which is good to see.

“But hopefully if we win and go on good cup runs and we’re up there in the league and challenging, fans will come and watch us here but away from home their absolutely fantastic.

“But they need to realise that the club generates money from them coming to watch us at home as well and that puts money into the chairman’s pocket that allows us to pay players and get better players in that we’re trying to do all the time. The more than come back the better!”

Hume handed Lew Watts his debut, having signed the central defender from Tonbridge Angels two weeks ago.

Roser (in for Jason Barton), Watts (for Ryan Royston), Tydeman (for the suspended Jim Strouts) and Huggins (for top scorer Mo Takalobighashi) all played their part in today’s cup win.