LL 2012-13: No.68 - Sat 22nd December 2012; Maidstone United (0) 2 Worthing (1) 2;                  Isthmian League Division 1 South; 3pm at The Gallagher Stadium; James Whatman Way; Maidstone; Kent.

Leon writes: 'Finally used my joker, saved for days such as today, and made the trip down to Maidstone. Thoroughly impressed by this new build; sure, it lacks the aesthetic grandeur of Princes Park or indeed it's architectural quirks but it's town centre setting and instant backdrop of office buildings and greenery give it immediate appeal which many out-of-towns lack. I particularly liked the fact it's set down from road level, allowing for some pretty steep banking (always guaranteed to give a ground a bit of character) into which the large main stand is build. Fairly rudimentary this one, with a roof similar to the new one at Corby and exposed breeze block and concrete. White safety barriers down the sides and at the front, complementing the pitch surrounds - looks like the bank to the right of the stand has been landscaped and it will be interesting to see how it looks in Spring when the plants begin to bloom. Two Atcost style stands behind each goal, and a good, spacious club (the 'Spitfire Club') completes the scene. Well, almost - throw in over seveteen-hundred folks and that leaves little room around the pitch and a superb setting for a game of football. The 3G played well I thought and only towards the end did water begin to show on the surface. Worthing scored within 3 minutes through the excellent Brotherton as Maidstone struggled to get their game going. Daniel added to the visitors lead early in the second half and they could have been out of sight had their finishing been better. Stones began to get into it more and scored through a King lob before the game really opened up into the exciting game I had expected. Five minutes from time, Ade Olurunda scored a good solo goal to level things up but despite the 5 minutes injury time, there was no winner. Genuinely impressed and reassuring to see that new builds in this country CAN have a little character and still be built on a modest budget. Lots of familiar faces in attendance unsurprisingly'.

Scorers: (H) King (68); A Oorunda (85) and (A) Brotherton (3); Daniel (55)

Att: 1765; Admission: £10; Programme: £2; Match rating: 4/5; Ground rating: 5/5

contributed on 06/01/13