RED INSURE TEAM OF THE YEAR – MAIDSTONE UNITED
PROMOTION to Step 2 football and an excellent FA Cup run was enough to earn Maidstone United the Red Insure Team of the Year National Game Award – but boss Jay Saunders does not want to stop there.
Although there’s only one team currently in the Football League from Kent (Gillingham), the Garden of England is definitely blooming at Non-League level.
Bromley won this year’s Vanarama Conference South title while on the Kent coast, Margate were promoted through the Ryman Premier play-offs.
Step 5 side Phoenix Sports also put the county in the spotlight as they went through to mid-April before suffering their first defeat in this year’s Southern Counties East League.
But the Stones shone even brighter, beating League Two Stevenage in front of the BT Sport cameras in an FA Cup first round replay, after a goalless draw at the Lamex, while waltzing to the Ryman Premier title where Step 2 football now awaits.
And Saunders knows momentum is key for Maidstone. He wants to take the winning form of this season into the new campaign, which starts in August.
Saunders said: “We are going to be new to the Vanarama National League South and have players that haven’t played at that level before. The two I’ve signed in Mitchell Pinnock and Manny Parry haven’t played at that level consistently but I’m hoping we have a nice blend.
“The season before we finished outside the play-offs in the Ryman Premier but we built on that and learnt from it. Next season will be a learning process for everyone.
“I’ve not managed at that level so it will be interesting for me to see the difference as well as the boys.
“I’d love to make the play-offs. You have to set yourself a target, even if it is perhaps unrealistic. I don’t want to go up there and just survive, we are looking at having a really good go at it.
“It’s not going to be an easy league, though. We will have a number of local derbies with Ebbsfleet, Margate and Dartford there too, but we had a good home record this year and I want to keep that going.”
Maidstone, who picked up the Football Foundation Community Club of the Year prize at the 2013 NGAs, were shortlisted for the team award this year along with Burgess Hill Town, FC United of Manchester, North Ferriby United, Glossop North End and Merthyr Town.
Readers’ votes gave them the win and Saunders recognised that it was more than just the 11 on the pitch that should be congratulated.
He added: “This award sums up what we’ve had this year. It’s been a big team effort. Last year, when we fell away, we didn’t have a squad and this year we went with a bigger squad.
“Keeping everyone happy is not always easy but we managed to do it and we reaped the rewards. It’s been a thoroughly enjoyable season, with the cup run as well.
“We stuttered over the line a little bit but to win the league, not having to deal with the play-off fiasco, then winning this award is a very nice feeling.”
