Back in May 2022 I penned an article about the challenges of promotion to the National League. Despite the pleasure and satisfaction of winning the National League South title in style, I wrote, reality was about to hit home in the form of the National League being the division from hell. Why so ? Well travel and playing squad costs are higher, bar income is far lower due to pitchside drinking restrictions, competition is huge and the step up is simply gigantic.
Well this turned out to be a fateful prophecy. As I write this Maidstone United are bottom of the National League, struggling to pick up points and already relegated mathematically with five matches still to play. With a defeat-weary squad, a debilitating run of serious injuries to senior players and handicapped by some poor recruitment decisions back in May, it would have taken a miracle for us to stay up.
It has been a hard fall indeed this season, made all the more painful for fans and owners because last season was so exceptionally successful. Maidstone United won the league, National League South, with games to spare. From November onwards it felt like we would win every single match. Indeed we won all but one Kent derby match, seven in all, while in all ten previous seasons we had hardly won any. We had a close, talented squad of players for the level we were at, a hard-working manager and excellent team spirit. Confidence flowed through our collective veins. Results on the pitch led to revenues rising off it. This enabled us recently to announce a tenth consecutive year of profits, a record that everybody associated with the club can be proud of. It really was a season to savour for our supporters…
But promotion to the National League opened the door to a whole new ball game. Wrexham are funded by wealthy Hollywood owner Ryan Reynolds, other clubs like Notts County have 20,000 seater stadia which would not look out of place in the Premier League. Chesterfield, Southend, Oldham, Dagenham and Scunthorpe are all big clubs at this level. It is some adjustment from playing in front of a few hundred fans scattered around grounds at National League South level.
