It was snowing in Racing HQ. Not fancying another Saturday morning trawling through loads of fixtures and chancing my luck at finding a game that had beaten the rain, sleet and snow I decided to take life easier (for once) and play my trump card with an eagerly-awaited visit to Maidstone United FC.

As many enthusiastic hoppers readily appreciate a trip here is usually best made as a last resort. Let me try and explain. By this I’m in no way decrying the merits of this fine football club (not at all) but merely suggesting that when the weather is really bad and most matches are being called off you can certainly guarantee (well, almost) that a game here will be on.

I had been putting this ground on hold for several weeks but finally succumbed after all else failed in my quest for ninety minutes uninterrupted entertaiment closer to home. Given the magnificent rain defying properties of its superb 4G surface I had no hesitation in making my journey down to Kent and visit the Gallagher Stadium for my footy fix today.

After a fairly straightforward journey down to Maidstone thanks to some pretty empty motorway roads en route and vastly improving weather conditions, my initial concern was where to park the car once I arrived at the club. The centrally located Gallagher Stadium found on James Whatman Way only provides parking facilities for permit holders (and those who had pre-booked before the game) so I had to look elsewhere with a few options listed on the excellent club website. The best alternatives included the nearby Invicta House and Maidstone East rail station, both pay and display.

Thankfully a couple of Stones fans walking to the ground told me that it was just as cheap (and possibly nearer) to leave my car across the road at the White Rabbit public house (next to the White Rabbit roundabout!). I found the tariff (a £1 per hour) to be a real bargain and the site was less than a five minute walk from the ground. Hoppers take note.

At a cost of £2.6 million, the Gallagher Stadium was opened in July 2012 and hosted the first game here when Football Championship League side Brighton and Hove Albion FC provided the opposition. The fan base has increased greatly since the club has come back home  following their nomadic existence in recent years with ground-share agreements at Sittingbourne and Ashford.     

Today’s game saw the visit of Eastbourne Town to the James Whatman Way for an eagerly awaited Ryman League Division One South fixture. The Stones have enjoyed a cracking season so far and currently sit at the top of the table with a cluster of clubs (Dulwich Hamlet, Faversham Town and Hythe Town) also vying for promotion. Although their opponents from the south coast occupied a more modest mid table position they had improved lately losing only once in the last ten games.

For the record United made it five wins in six matches by winning the game 2-0 to hold onto top spot of Ryman One South. The opening goal of the game came towards the end of the first half when Shaun Welford (40) ran onto an excellent through ball from Tommy Osborne before being brought down by Town’s Steve Elliott. It was Welford who stepped up to score his thirteenth goal of the season from the penalty spot. The Stones who always had the upper hand left it late to double their lead when Alex Flisher (making his 200^th appearance) cut inside his marker to deliver a perfect pass to Ade Olorunda (90+5) who was never going to miss from close range and registered his eleventh goal of the campaign.

The game played in mostly dull and overcast conditions (incredibly without any sign of snow in the vicinity) attracted an appreciative crowd of 1657. To be honest I soon forgot that the match was being played on an artificial 4G surface as the players reacted to the conditions as if it was a normal grass pitch. During the game I spent some time chatting to several Stones fans (the majority dressed in black and amber scarves and woolly hats) who all spoke affectionately about their club. Now the season was entering the business end several were busy checking the scores from the other crucial games in the division on their mobiles (with internet access). Many intend to make the journey to south London on Tuesday when the club takes on second placed Dulwich Hamlet at Champion Hill in an important league fixture which will have a massive bearing on possible promotion come May. Many feel that this is a definite ‘six pointer’ in every sense of the word. I also met personable Surrey-based hopper Mick Dodd (a regular visitor to FGIF) at the game. As always it was great to catch up on our recent travels and agreed that our hobby has become a most frustrating one in recent weeks thanks to the elements. Cheers mate!

A glossy and newsy 40 page programme was sold for £2. Although heavy on advertising (as you would expect) the content is pretty informative and covers club news, match stats and reports. Refreshments were available from a large mobile catering van situated on the concourse at the entrance end and offered a wide range of hot drinks and convenience food. A well patronised small beer tent for real ale enthusiasts was also in operation close by.

Much has already been written about the ground so to avoid repetition I will allow the match day album photos to serve as a useful ground description. The pro-active club is very well supported and with increasingly large crowds turning up for games the question over ground capacity is now becoming a major topic of discussion especially in relation to Health & Safety criteria. Concern has been rightly expressed at the current crowd limit (somewhere between 2200 and 2500 depending on who you chat to) as this has been breached a couple of times already this campaign. When Sittingbourne (2291) and Burgess Hill (1901) played here the kick-off for both games had to be put back in order to safely accommodate the fans.

In an effort to increase the ground capacity plans have been made to address the situation in time for the start of next season. I was told that over the summer months much work (all paid for by the club) will be carried out to extend the main stand and those behind both goals with further seating added. A new toilet block is on the agenda as well as several new steps of terracing which will be built along the River Medway side of the ground (a good idea as viewing along this side can be difficult if you don’t find a place along the perimeter fence early enough).

As far as the pitch is concerned it appears that the 4G surface has been a real winner this season ensuring matches go ahead when the weather has been bad. The club have also benefitted from a regular income through extensive community use when the facility has been hired throughout evenings and weekends by numerous groups and clubs for recreational, training and local league purposes. Additional finance has come through social events including wedding receptions, concerts and conferences also held at the venue. Surely this approach is the way forward isn’t it? How far the club can progress up the pyramid playing on this surface (as sanctioned by the FA) will no doubt be decided in due course. After so much work it would seem a terrible shame if it cost them promotion one day.  

If you’ve not been here yet, a visit to Maidstone United Football Club comes highly recommended. I found everyone here to be really upbeat about their team creating a great match atmosphere. I will certainly be  following the club’s fortunes keenly over the coming weeks of the campaign in their bid to gain promotion to the Ryman Premier.