By Jack Foulger
Following last weekend’s impressive victory against promotion contenders Dorking Wanderers, the Stones welcome Salisbury to ME14 this Saturday as they kick-off a bank holiday weekend double-header.
HISTORY
Initially reforming in 2015 as a phoenix club following the dissolution of then Conference side Salisbury City a year earlier, the Wiltshire outfit have spent most of their current history playing catch-up to their former selves. Two promotions in their first three seasons saw them quickly rise up the non-league pyramid, eventually settling at Step 3 where they would remain for the following six campaigns.
The 2023/24 season would see them reach their highest level in their current form following a 4-3 penalty shootout victory over AFC Totton in the Southern League Premier Division South Play-off Final. This saw the Whites promoted to the National League South where they have established themselves ever since, with 20th and 17th-place finishes in the past two seasons ensuring they remain above the dotted line.
THE GAFFER
Managing the Whites once again this campaign is former Walsall boss Brian Dutton, embarking on his fifth season at the helm since replacing outgoing manager Steve Claridge in October 2022. Under his reign, he has overseen some of Salisbury’s most notable achievements including promotion to the NL South in his first full season alongside keeping the club above the drop zone in the following two campaigns. Prior to management, Dutton enjoyed a 16-year playing career across the non-league circuit, including two spells with Salisbury City that saw him rack up over 150 appearances and achieve club captain status before the club was liquidated in 2014.
THE SQUAD
With just six players remaining from the team that finished the 2025/26 season, this summer has seen a high turnover within Salisbury’s squad. Of the 13 pre-season additions for the Wiltshire side, key signings include Yeovil Town loanee Dan Ellison who makes the temporary move from Huish Park following numerous praiseworthy spells across Steps 1 and 2 in recent seasons. Meanwhile, midfielder Jeremy Sivi returns to the English game with the Whites following a couple of years abroad that included short stints in Slovakia, Ireland and Serbia.
Entering his 10th senior campaign in white this campaign is skipper Josh Sommerton as he looks poised to make his 300th appearance for his boyhood club later this season. Attacking midfielder Josh Hedges also begins his fourth season in Wiltshire, having played an instrumental role in his side’s successful promotion and survival campaigns since initially joining in 2023, scoring 17 goals across his two seasons at Step 2.
FORM
Having played one game less than the Stones, Salisbury enter Saturday’s fixture sat 15th in the league table having experienced a victory, draw and defeat in their opening three fixtures. Their campaign arguably couldn’t have got off to a better start as a second-half hat-trick from debutant Jaiden Bartolo inspired the Whites to an emphatic 5-0 victory over Hampton & Richmond Borough on the opening day.
This week however, Brian Dutton’s outfit travel to Kent looking to bounce back from last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat to Hemel Hempstead Town, where a dominant performance from Salisbury was undone in the game’s closing stages following a late double for Hemel courtesy of goals from David Longe-King and Remaye Campbell.
TJ Bramble’s overhead kick gave Maidstone a 1-0 win in this fixture last year. Picture by Helen Cooper.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Despite not facing their current incarnation until 2024, Maidstone’s history with the Wiltshire side dates back 16 years, with a 2-0 FA Trophy defeat away to Salisbury City in 2010 marking their first meeting shortly before the Stones themselves would also run out 2-0 winners in the same competition just two years later (this time at James Whatman Way).
Since reforming in 2015, the sides have met four times (all coming in the NL South), with Maidstone coming out on top on every occasion so far. Most recently, the Stones were able to claim a slender 1-0 away victory back in February, following a late goal from substitute David Sesay that helped prolong his side’s hunt for a play-off place.
THE STADIUM
Sat two miles north of the city centre, Salisbury play their home matches in the village of Old Sarum at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium. Originally opened in 1997, the ground boasts a total capacity of 5,000 spectators (officially capped at 4,000) with the majority of its architecture situated at the northern and western sides of the pitch. Situated there is a mix of covered seating and terracing for approximately 2,200 supporters. Visiting fans are typically housed in the open-air southern section of the “Ray Mac” with a limited number of seats usually available in the neighbouring Family Stand.
