Picture: Dajon Golding after scoring the opener in the 1-1 draw at Hemel last year, by Steve Terrell.
As the 2026-27 season enters its fourth month, Maidstone United sit third in the National League South with 29 points from 15 matches. JACK FOULGER previews this weekend’s trip to Hemel Hempstead Town, in the first of five games this November.
HISTORY
Despite adopting their current name as recently as 1999, Hemel’s history stretches back to 1885 when they first formed as Apsley End. Much of their early years were spent in local Hertfordshire leagues, where they won six league titles between 1895 and 1907 before eventually moving to the Spartan League in the early 1920s.
The following three decades marked a period of constant change for Apsley, as various promotions and relegations between the numerous Spartan divisions preceded a number of identity changes, with the club being renamed as “Hemel Hempstead” in 1947 before the “Town” part was added eight years later.
Around this period, the club continued to shuffle around the non-league system with spells in the Delphian, Athenian and Isthmian Leagues up until the millennium, in which time they had merged with Hemel Hempstead United, dropped the “Town” from their name, before finally readopting it for good in the 1990s.
Following non-league’s partial restructure in 2004, the Tudors once again transferred to the Southern League, suffering relegation from the Premier Division in their first season before bouncing straight back up from Division One West with a 3-2 play-off final victory over Brackley Town in the 2005-06 campaign.
Fast forward another eight seasons and Hemel finally achieved promotion to the Conference South for the first time in their history. After placing ninth in their first year at Step 2, the Tudors have remained an ever-present in the NLS since, with high points including twice finishing in the play-off places. The most recent of those finishes came last campaign, when then-boss Lee Allinson guided the Hertfordshire side to fifth-place, before eventually suffering a penalty-shootout defeat to Weston-super-Mare in the Eliminator.
THE SQUAD
With a number of familiar faces on their books, the Tudors come into Saturday’s encounter holding a combined total of 81 Stones appearances in the last 15 months.
The most recent player to have made the switch is former Wales U19 international Alfie Tuck, who joined Hemel last month after limited gametime under Craig Fagan, which saw him average just 22 minutes per league game in a short stint at ME14 earlier this season.
In addition, defensive duo David Sesay and David Agbontohoma also both opted for summer moves to Lee Bircham’s side following their respective releases from Maidstone at the end of the 2025/26 campaign. While injuries and stiff competition limited the latter to 22 appearances last season, the former would establish himself as a mainstay in George Elokobi’s side, missing just one league game all year and also scoring a decisive goal in February’s 1-0 win against Salisbury.
Elsewhere in Hemel’s squad, former Swindon Town striker Jake Tabor is still on the hunt for his first league goal of the season since joining from the Robins in July. The 23-year-old has previously made national headlines in recent years following an unprecedented run of form at Amersham Town that saw the forward net 122 goals in just 86 appearances for the Step 5 outfit.
THE GAFFER
Currently enjoying his second spell at HP2 this season is former Bedford Town boss Lee Bircham, who rejoined the Tudors last spring following an impressive three-year spell at the NL North side. In his time at the Eyrie, the 50-year-old won consecutive promotions as the Eagles emphatically rose from Step 4 to Step 2 before consolidating their NLN status with an 18th-place finish last season.
Bircham’s first stint with Hemel was largely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with his maiden season in 2020/21 being cut short after just 18 games as the NL South was declared null-and-void. Despite remaining in charge for the start of the following campaign, he was quickly dismissed in September 2021 after the Tudors lost five of their first six league matches.
FORM
Despite having finished in the play-off places last season, a turbulent start this time out has left Hemel precariously hanging just one position above the dropzone with 15 points in as many games so far. Following a respectable first four matches that saw the Tudors claim two wins and a draw, Lee Bircham’s side have left themselves in dire need of an upturn in form, having recorded just one victory in the 11 games since.
Most recently, a Halloween trip to Essex ended in a nightmare 5-0 defeat against Billericay Town. First-half efforts from Taylor Clark and Louis Lomas put the Blues in pole position heading into the break before further goals from former Stone Jon Benton, Charlie Ruff and Nico Valentine rounded off a miserable afternoon and confirmed Hemel’s third defeat in four games.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Many fans who watch either side on a regular basis may know that this fixture has been notorious for producing cagey encounters in recent years. Since Maidstone were relegated to the NL South in 2023, the two sides have taken each other on six times with four draws and a singular victory either way.
Neither team has scored more than one goal in any of these meetings with the most recent game ending in a 1-0 victory for the Tudors in January of this year. An acrobatic overhead kick from Millar Matthews-Lewis secured all three points at ME14 in a match that was largely dominated by a Stones side that ultimately wasn’t clinical enough on the day.
The county town also played host to Maidstone’s most recent win in this fixture, with Jon Benton’s first-half effort being the difference in October 2024 in a similarly tight 1-0 win for George Elokobi’s side.
THE STADIUM
Hemel Hempstead currently play their home games at Vauxhall Road Stadium, located just over a mile east from the neighbouring town centre. With a total capacity of just over 3,100, the Hertfordshire site is of typical standard for the sixth tier with a modern 3G pitch and a 250-capacity clubhouse known as “The Tudor Tavern”, which is typically used for various social events and pre-match gatherings.
With segregation in force, Saturday will see Stones fans housed at the western side of the pitch in the Adeyfield School end, which consists of fully covered terracing with there also being limited access to food and drink facilities nearby to the adjacent turnstiles.
