FOOTBALL
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LOCAL
Gills manager Mark Stimson looks
ahead to a crucial run of games
HOT PROSPECT: Chris Smalling moved to Premier
League champions Manchester United last week
CHRIS Smalling's transfer to Premier
League champions Manchester United
won't trigger any extra funds to his former
side, Maidstone United, it has emerged.
The central defender, who came through
the youth ranks and made 12 first-team
appearances at the Ryman Premier League
club, completed a transfer to the Premier
League champions from Fulham, believed
to be worth �8 million last week.
The 20-year-old former Chatham
Grammar schoolboy, who joined Roy
Hodgson's Fulham in May 2008 from the
Stones, has become one of English football's
hottest prospects.
The young defender initially captained
Fulham's reserves, but has since broken
into the first-team, making four Premier
League appearances. He has also been one
of Hodgson's first choice defenders in
Fulham's Europa League campaign.
Maidstone United chairman Paul Bowden-
Brown is proud of the club's former player,
but is not expecting to receive any further
funds from Smalling's move to Old Trafford.
He also admitted the club are not looking into
setting up a pre-season friendly with United.
He said: "I'm really proud of Chris, we all
knew he had something about him as a foot-
baller and he has proved that with his move.
I'm sure one day he will play for England. I
wish him and his family all the best."
Smalling was on a non-contract basis
while at Maidstone two years ago and was
eligible to play for the England Schoolboys
side where he was spotted by Fulham.
When he joined the Cottagers, the Premier
League club agreed to give Maidstone two
sums of money in the form of a gesture of
appreciation. The second sum is to be
awarded once he has made ten Premier
League appearances, but the club won't be
getting any money as a result of his move to
Old Trafford, despite reports to the contrary.
Smalling's move to
Old Trafford won't
benefit Maidstone
FOOTBALL LEAGUE TABLES
(Not including midweek games)
RYMANPREMIERDIVISION
P W D L GD Pt
1 Dartford 21 16 4 1 +41 52
2 Kingstonian 24 13 3 8 +5 42
3 Hastings United 25 12 4 9 +6 40
4 Boreham Wood 23 12 3 8 +12 39
5 Tooting & Mitcham United 25 11 6 8 +4 39
6 Sutton United 23 11 3 9 +11 36
7 Ashford Town (Middx) 25 9 9 7 0 36
8 Wealdstone 19 9 8 2 +5 35
9 Horsham 23 10 5 8 +4 35
10 AFC Hornchurch 24 8 9 7 +2 33
11 Canvey Island 23 9 5 9 +2 32
12 Maidstone United 22 8 5 9 -2 29
13 Harrow Borough 23 7 7 9 -3 28
14 Cray Wanderers 26 8 4 14 -18 28
15 Aveley 23 7 5 11 -1 26
16 Tonbridge Angels 23 7 5 11 -7 26
17 Hendon 20 7 4 9 -3 25
18 Carshalton Athletic 21 6 7 8 -7 25
19 Margate 22 6 6 10 -13 24
20 Billericay Town 21 5 8 8 -5 23
21 Bognor Regis Town 23 4 8 11 -14 20
22 Waltham Abbey 23 4 6 13 -19 18
FIXTURES
(Saturday): Ryman Premier Division: Aveley v Maidstone United
JOE Denly has signed a two-year contract to
keep the Kent and England opening batsman
at the county until the end of the 2011 season.
The 23-year-old was out of contract at the
end of the 2010 season and has been negotiat-
ing a deal together with his agent David
Fulton to secure his future before he goes away
to Bangladesh on England duty next month.
Kent head coach Paul Farbrace said the club
had two meetings with Denly and Fulton
which proved fruitful.The batsman put pen to
paper on a contract extension last Thursday,
joining the likes of Rob Key,Geraint Jones and
Martin van Jaarsveld, who signed new deals
before the end of the season.
He said:"It means our top six are all signed
up for the next two or three years which is
absolutely brilliant and we are delighted
with that. Joe is at the stage in his career
where he wants to cement a place in the
England side, particularly in one-day cricket,
and the added distraction of being out of con-
tract at the end of the year probably influ-
enced his decision to sort that out quickly. By
signing for two years he can now concentrate
on scoring big runs for Kent and England."
The Whitstable-born right-hander, who
now lives in Chilham near Canterbury, has
quickly established his place in the Kent side
and forged a good opening partnership with
Key.He has scored 3,058 runs in 52 first-class
games for his county at an average of 36.84
and will be hoping to improve on that further
as he returns to Division One of the County
Championship with Kent this season.
The county have also sealed the signing of
Sri Lanka leg-spinner Malinga Bandara as
one of their overseas players.The 30-year-old
is due to arrive in May and will be available
for the rest of the season, taking over from
Australia seamer Stuart Clark, who will play
for the county in the first half of the cam-
paign.
CRICKET
Stones crash out of trophy
with limp display at City
CONCEDING in the first minute
and having a player sent off con-
spired to see Maidstone United's
progress in the FA Trophy come to
a shuddering halt.
After being reinstated into the competition
as a result of Histon being found guilty of field-
ing an ineligible player in the previous round,
Maidstone travelled to Conference side
Salisbury hoping to cause an upset.
The game started in the worst possible way for
the Stones, as they fell behind in the opening
minute. Matt Tubbs' deep cross found Bradley
Gray unmarked in the area and he made no
mistake with his finish past Jamie Turner.
Just before the half hour mark the game took
a further twist in Salisbury's favour, as a reck-
less challenge by James Peacock saw him pun-
ished with a straight red card. A melee ensued
and Tubbs was also shown a yellow card.
Peter Hawkins and Jay Saunders both had
chances to equalise as Maidstone battled on
with ten men. The Stones remained in the
game, with the score 1-0 at the break.
However, Salisbury made a bright start to
the second-half and doubled their advantage
on 51 minutes, which effectively killed off the
game. Darrell Clarke's effort was initially
saved by Turner, but the rebound fell to Tubbs,
who poked the ball home.
The Stones had a great chance to pull a goal
back midway through the half, but Nathan
Paul could only plant his free header into the
hands of goalkeeper James Bittner.
Stones joint-manager Lloyd Hume admitted
his side learnt a lot from the experience, but
believes they were hard done by after losing
Peacock for a large proportion of the game.
He said: "The boys really battled hard and
we had chances, but we just couldn't take
them. We can learn a lot from games like this
though, as the Conference level is what we
aspire to play at.
"We were disappointed with the way some of
the decisions went. In cup games against high-
er opposition you need a bit of luck and good
fortune, but nothing really went for us. We
started badly and after all we said about not
conceding in the first 15 minutes, we conceded
after a minute.
"To lose a player after 26 minutes made it
really tough for us. It was a reckless challenge
and it deserved a booking, but what went on
afterwards was ridiculous. When you're play-
ing against a Conference side you need an
extra player � rather than one less."
SENT OFF: James Peacock received his marching orders
after a reckless challenge in an action-packed first-half
PictureSTEVETERRELL
PictureADYKERRY
yourmaidstone.co.ukTelephone editorial: 01303 817200 Email yourmaidstone@kosmedia.co.uk 47
PictureSTEVETERRELL
Kent opener Denly signs
new county contract
SECURED: Highly-rated batsman Joe Denly is the
latest player to commit themselves to Kent
FA TROPHY SECOND ROUND
s BY YOURMAIDSTONE REPORTER
Salisbury City 2
Maidstone United 0
Gary 1, Tubbs 51
Turner
Darlington Peacock Parkinson Paul
Edge Peacock Saunders Barnes
Pinnock Hockton
Maidstone United starting XI
Subsused:Hernandez-Bradshaw(Darlington80), Odunaike(Pinnock76),Rowland(Hockton68)

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