After the home comforts of the past few weeks, it’s three consecutive away days now for the Fleet, starting with the short trip to the Gallagher Stadium this Tuesday to face Maidstone United, writes Libby O’Connell.
Form guide
Another three points were added to the running total for Josh Wright’s squad after Saturday saw another high-scoring victory. The 4-0 win over Maidenhead was a further dominant stint from the Fleet, and certainly another example of the impressive form this season.
It was a particularly strong showing Ben Chapman, who checked off his first-ever hat-trick as he scored twice within the first 25 minutes, before going head-to-head with Maidenhead keeper Jordi van Stappershoef in the 87th minute, scoring from a penalty.
It was Jake Vokins who made it four in the final moments of injury time, firing in off a Maidenhead boot, ending another game for the Fleet on a high.
For a good chunk of Saturday’s game, the Fleet took a hold on the top of the table. League leaders and Tuesday’s opposition, Maidstone, found themselves 1-0 down for the majority of their game at Torquay on Saturday but were able to gain a point after an 83rd-minute equaliser from Frankie Hvid, sending the Stones back to the top of the table.
Maidstone are now just one point clear of the Fleet, with the visitors benefitting from two games in hand, making Tuesday’s Kent Derby one that’ll certainly be worth watching. Luckily for fans, the game is being televised on DAZN, so those who can’t make the trip to the Gallagher can still watch Tuesday’s match. That’s available at the Morrow Stadium main bar for those not travelling.
Prior to Saturday’s draw, Maidstone had two victories on the bounce, beating both Horsham and Maidenhead 2-1. This was a much more positive spell than their two games beforehand, with back-to-back 2-1 defeats to Braintree and Truro. Those made up two of their three losses this season, the first being another 2-1 defeat away to Farnborough on the opening day of the season. This puts their current form at eight wins, two draws and three losses.
Last time out
The overall record between the two clubs currently sits firmly in Maidstone’s favour with their 27 wins to our 17, and 14 draws balancing those out. The most recent meetings last season saw a derby victory for the Fleet as Ronny Nelson provided the goal in a 1-0 win at home. However, the second National League South face-off was a 3-0 defeat for the Fleet, which followed a 4-0 reverse in the Kent Senior Cup.
Fleet’s recent record at the Gallagher (four defeats, without a goal) is in need of a reversal, though that run was preceded by four straight wins, so that sequence is certainly due a switch!
Who’s who?
One of Josh Wright’s recently returned players, Charlie Seaman, will be one who has represented both sides going into Tuesday. Seaman played for the Stones twice across his career, first during the 2020/21 season and then again during their run to the play-off final in 2024/25.
Young prospect Riley Court is certainly a fresh face to look out for on Tuesday. The 19-year-old academy graduate holds the top -scorer position at Maidstone, with 15 appearances and five goals.
Tied with Court as the top scorer is forward Tom Leahy, a Millwall academy graduate who signed from Tonbridge Angels in the summer. He’s previously spent time with the Stones, during the second half of the 2024/25 season, on loan from Millwall. The first half of the season saw him spend time on loan at Woking.
Forward Ken Charles signed for Maidstone in the summer, joining from The New Saints in Wales. He made 20 appearances for them after signing from St Albans City, with two of those appearances coming in the UEFA Conference League, and he also has experience of this level with Cheshunt.
The manager
Craig Fagan was appointed manager of Maidstone in July, having originally held the assistant position under former boss George Elokobi from the start of the 2023/24 season. Following the Stones’ strong start to the league campaign, he won the National League South Manager of the Month award in September.
Prior to joining Maidstone, he held assistant manager positions at clubs such as Welling and Malaysian league club Brunei DPMM, where he used to play. He’s also been an academy coach at Hull City and U23s manager at Southend United, where he was later promoted to assistant manager.
Fagan had a strong playing career, making more than 300 appearances in the Premier League, turning out for teams such as Birmingham City, Derby County and Hull City, as well as spending time at clubs including Bradford City, Colchester, Bury, Gillingham and Bristol City.
During his time as a player, he won the EFL Championship play-offs with Derby in 2007 and Hull in 2008.
The referee
Joe Woolmer is in charge of this eagerly awaited Kent derby. The Northamptonshire official is more than used to high-profile fixtures, however, having overseen our visit to Worthing on the last day of last season, along with our trip to Dorking Wanderers. He was also the referee for our January fixture at home against Dagenham & Redbridge, having been officiating at this level since 2024.
