On Saturday December 20th, Hampton & Richmond Borough welcome Maidstone United for the first reverse fixture of the season.
It was defeat for the Beavers in Alan Dowson’s return to management at the Bev, as we fell 1-3 to admittedly a very good Maidenhead United side. There were a few positives to take, with the three new loan signings all getting minutes under their belt as well as Ronan Silva getting back amongst the goals for his fourth of the season.
Alan Dowson will be hoping for a better performance this weekend, and his side still needs to gel and settle into the different style and demands of a new manager. A full week of training and a first 90 minutes together in the new system will no doubt help the squad immensely in their preparations for this weekend’s festive fixture.
We last faced The Stones at the beginning of the season on Matchday three, falling 0-2 away from home courtesy of a goal from striker Deon Moore and an unfortunate Davide Rodari own goal.
Maidstone sit 9th in the National League South table and have won 3 and lost 3 in their last six games.
However, their two latest fixtures came in cup competitions, first besting Charlton U21s in the Kent Senior Cup 3-2 on Tuesday before losing on penalties to Yeovil Town in the third round of the FA Trophy this past Saturday.
Their last two results in the league were wins against 18th placed Salisbury and 19th placed Bath City respectively, after being defeated away from home by Enfield Town on the 25th of November.
Last time out, the Stones did well to negate any Yeovil wide attacks, thanks to their full backs David Sesay and Leo Hamblin.
Four-time Sierra Leone international Sesay joined in the summer from Eastbourne Borough and was once the Young Player of the Year at League Two Crawley Town.
Hamblin, another new signing, joined from Weymouth FC in the summer.
The equaliser against Yeovil was finished by a player who wasn't in the squad when we last faced the Kent side. Towering striker Hamzad Kargo finished a Reuben Carvalho cross in the dying embers.
The 23-year-old Kargo stands at 6ft4 and has been used as a super-sub of sorts for Elokobi’s side. He spent last season at Newport Country after coming up through the ranks at Queen’s Park Rangers.
The danger men for Maidstone have been their strikers Deon Moore and Dajon Golding who have nine league goals between them. The Guyanese international Moore scored an excellently placed header last time out against the Beavers.
It is another tough test for Dowson and the lads will need the Bev in full voice.
As it’s the holiday period we expect a good crowd to watch some festive football and hopefully we’ll all get an early present of three points!
Grab your tickets here!
Up the Beavers.
By Jack Lonergan