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The Maidstone United revival continues with high-profile FA Cup tie at Tonbridge

Rupert Metcalf
Friday 30 August 2002 00:00 BST
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For most of the country's football fans, the name of Maidstone United has not been in the spotlight since their ill-fated three-year adventure in the Football League came to an end a decade ago.

The Stones are well and truly alive, though, and tomorrow they will play in what should be one of the best supported of almost 200 FA Cup preliminary round ties this weekend.

Almost as soon as the old Maidstone United resigned from the Football League and folded in August 1992, a new club was formed. After working their way through Kent's minor leagues, the new Stones are now in the county's senior league, the Go Travel Kent League.

Last season Maidstone won the Kent League at the first attempt but were denied promotion to the Dr Martens League because they share a ground at Sittingbourne. It is 13 years since the Stones have played senior football in their home town, because during the old club's spell in the Football League they had to play at Dartford. But plans are well advanced to build a new stadium within Maidstone.

That, though, is in the future. The current concern of the manager, Jim Ward, and his Maidstone team is their FA Cup campaign. With both BBC and Sky Sports cameras present, United gained a 1-1 draw at their Kent League rivals Ramsgate last Saturday in the extra preliminary round.

For Tuesday's replay, watched by a club record home crowd of 432 at Central Park, Sittingbourne, Maidstone were without their experienced former Gillingham striker Steve Butler, who played in their last FA Cup campaign 11 years ago, because of a hamstring strain. But the Stones prevailed due to a 77th-minute winner from their captain, Paul Foley.

Tomorrow a crowd of up to 1,000 is anticipated at Longmead stadium for the next stage in Maidstone's FA Cup adventure, a preliminary round tie away to the Dr Martens League outfit Tonbridge Angels.

"This is the tie I wanted," said the Tonbridge manager, the former Millwall centre-half Alan Walker, who played for the Stones late in his career. It will be quite an occasion in the rebirth of Maidstone United.

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