Birchall: This feels like home
Adam Birchall couldn’t turn down the chance to join hometown club Maidstone.
It was the only move that interested the striker once Bromley said he could go out on loan.
He made his debut as a substitute against Chelmsford on Bank Holiday Monday, a matter of hours after his season-long deal was completed.
Birchall, 30, said: “I’ve been a Maidstone boy my whole life and I actually got scouted by Arsenal playing for Maidstone district.
“I know a lot of people that come down here, a lot of school friends and people I’ve grown up with.
“It’s a club going places and everyone in non-league knows that with the amount of fans they are generating and things like that. It’s an exciting place to come and play football.
“My dad used to tell me about Maidstone, so it’s ingrained in my family.
“You won’t get another loan player wanting to play for their loan club more than I do.”
Birchall moved to Gillingham after scoring 45 goals for Dover in 2010-11 but a serious knee injury in his first pre-season friendly sidelined him for a year.
It effectively wrecked his Gills career, although he did receive a medal when they won League 2 under Martin Allen.
Birchall said: “It’s one of those things. I’m a believer in fate and things happen for a reason.
“It happened and once it happened, I dealt with the problem.
“It’s the type of character I am that I came back from it. A lot of players wouldn’t have.
“People don’t realise how bad it was but I perservered in the gym, went through a lot of pain and now I’m back I don’t get any problems at all, so well done to the suregon as well.”
Birchall hasn’t felt fitter in the four years since he suffered his injury.
And having been in and out of the Bromley side who won Conference South last season, he’s desperate for a run of matches to show what he can do.
He said: “Strikers need games. I’m not the best at playing and then not playing for two months and then playing again.
“I’ve got to be careful what I say but in terms of a run of games, it’s important as a striker.
“Hopefully, if I get a run here and can get my name on the teamsheet every week, the goals will come.”
Birchall hasn’t had the chance to recapture his Dover form, simply due to a lack of action.
He knows strikers are judged on goals but there’s more to his game.
He said: “That’s the nature of the beast. It’s always been like that but hopefully I bring a lot more, as well as goals. Unfortunately, when I had that great season at Dover, you become just a goalscorer but Dover fans will tell you that I work my socks off every time I play.
“I’m a big team player and I believe in the team.”
The Chelmsford game was Birchall’s second look at Maidstone. He was in the crowd for the win over Hayes a fortnight ago while loan negotiations with Bromley were ongoing.
Birchall said: “There’s potential and strength in the squad. I know a lot of these players and there’s some good quality here.”