Maidstone beat Ebsfleet on penalties to gain promotion to the top level of Non League football . They have achieved this in just 5years since being in Ryman South.Congratulations especially to Lee Wogan...a great favourite of ours when at Hastings Utd.This shows what can be achieved.
But it's not a like for like with any other Ryman club. The nearest comparison here must be Afc Wimbledon a former league club reforming and working it's way back. But well done to them
Incredible story. I remember going to Ashford in 2010-2011 and seeing Pogue and Olorunda tear Maidstone apart in front of 300 odd spectators, most of them Hastings. I think they may have been relegated that same season. Here we are 6 years later....amazing. Have a lot of time for Maidstone as some of our older supporters may remember that a large group of their supporters used to come down at Xmas and support us when they didn't have a game. Good bunch in those days.
Little local one for you to go along to then John! We drove past Villa Park on the way to Wales today, but I think Maidstone would have some upgrading to do..! Not on the pitch, just off it!
Thanks for the kind words about our rapid rise. Years ago we knew we could get moving again if we could just make it back to the town. Only with a change of owners did that come though. Initial crowds of 1500 and now regular 2000+ shows that it was there.
I had a few trips to Hastings in those days. I remember driving from Rugby to Oxford and then on to Hastings for a midweeker only for you to smash us 4-0. I then followed that up with a trip to Chelmsford on the Saturday to see us lose 7-0. 600 miles in total to lose 11-0! Not a great footballing week. I was also at Ashford on the bank holiday when you smashed us 0-5. I had gone to the game believing we would get our first home win of the season. Upon arriving back in Oxford my travelling companion wrote on our forum, "I have just got back. It is another hour before NWS gets home and he is not happy. Get yourselves out!". Despite the adversity they were still enjoyable days.
Just to correct one thing. We were never relegated from Ryman South. We survived at the end of one season by playing all the teams at the bottom at the end and winning 3 out of 4.
For those of you that were there I was the Maidstone fan in my shirt that was at Tooting when you won the play off final at their ground 0-2. If you put Tooting v Hastings in you tube I think it is me that comes up in the picture. That was a most enjoyable day with plenty of noise from Hastings fans (and two of us).
Thanks for that NWS. You've got some quality memories there and probably one of the most humble posts I've read on a forum from a member that isn't a Hastings fan. Although I'm pretty sure that we shaped Lee Worgan to become the keeper he is today
Cheers Liam. yes, I am a lot less of an aggravation on the forum these days. Thanks for the shaping of Mr Worgan. He has been top notch since he arrived at Maidstone. I would also note the Olorunda brothers as something special in our shared histories. I remember watching Ade in that play off win and thinking that it would be good if he came to Maidstone. Later on, he did. His scrambled goal in a 1-1 top of the RS table clash at Dulwich with around 500 Maidstonians there on a Tuesday night was something we will remember for some time.
I will wish Hastings all the best for the season. Always a club I've liked coming to (love Pilot Field - if you are still there?) and always seemed to have a decent support.
