SUCCESS IS MAID TO MEASURE FOR HAKAN
IT’S WEDNESDAY afternoon, just a few days after Maidstone United have sealed the National League South title to secure their place back alongside Non-League’s big boys.
It’s a division Stones boss Hakan Hayrettin and his assistant Terry Harris know inside out. They’ve won it, of course, as part of John Still’s Luton Town management team in 2014, the same boss Harris won two promotions with at Dagenham & Redbridge.
With Hayrettin’s promotion with Grays Athletic, that makes it seven between the two – not including their playing careers – and now they’ve led Maidstone to the top of an unforgiving Step 2 division.
So they also know the hard work starts immediately and, after enjoying the weekend so much there were still fumes of celebration when they went to Welling United on Bank Holiday Monday, the pair are busily putting plans in place when The NLP call.
“It’s an amazing achievement by the boys,” Hayrettin says. “Great team spirit, great work ethic, it was just a phenomenal end to the season. For us to go on the run we did was unbelievable.”
That run included 20 wins in 24 games as they clawed back Dorking Wanderers’ advantage and then extend an unassailable lead. Dorking boss Marc White was the first on the phone to congratulate Hayrettin.
“We’ve been there before – together and at different clubs,” Hayrettin says, referring to Harris in the background. “Between us this is our seventh promotion. I’ve now got three under my belt, Terry has gone up with Dagenham, twice, Luton and Maidstone and went to Wembley with Boreham Wood.
“So we had plenty of experience and we knew it was about making sure we did our homework diligently, making sure we covered everything on the opposition. I have a saying – you don’t have to have the best player, you don’t have to be in the best team, you’ve got to be in the winning team. And we found that.
“But it was hard. We went about our business under the radar. We slowly picked up pace. The beauty of our team, we get stronger as the game goes on.
“But for months we had Havant being favourites, Dorking being favourites, Ebbsfleet being favourites, Dartford… which is all good. For nine months we were lucky. For nine months the squad wasn’t good enough.
For nine months the referee was on our side. Not once did they say to it was good practice. Not once did they say it was a good squad, good management. Until they realised.
Turnaround
“I called it after we played Tonbridge at Christmas. They gave us two exceptional games. That’s when I said to the players, ‘We’re in a championship race now’.
“From our experience of doing it, Christmas is always the time when people start jostling and getting into position. I knew then we’d have a good crack.”
The crowds have grown through the season as the
Kent town got behind their side once again. This isn’t new territory but it marks a return to the division the club had worked so hard to get to under legendary boss Jay Saunders with three promotions in four years.
Then, in 2018-19, it unravelled and by the time Hayrettin arrived with Still, who was head of football but later retired, there was just that bit too much to do. It’s been quite a turnaround.
“When we got relegated that year from the National League, that hurt me,” Hayrettin, inset, says. “That really hurt me. The team we inherited, and I’ve said this before, if we came in a little bit earlier, things could have been different. We weren’t even there for a third to the season.
“But there was no soul to the changing room. It was soulless. It was like Dead Men Walking. I vowed to myself that, if I had the opportunity to turn it around, I would give it my best shot. I am pretty sure if Covid never hit last season we would have been there or thereabouts.
Ingredient
“But we did it this year round because we had a good group, good mentality, good discipline. But, most of all, we had good players that were willing to work hard for each other. I think that was the ingredient that was missing.” Joan Luque has been a sensation – before his recent season-ending injury – while Jack Barham has 18 goals in 25 games.
“Imagine if he played all the games,” Hayrettin says. “We’re just going through it now. We haven’t used a big squad. How many players, Tel, 22-23? They’ve given us everything they have.
“Joe Ellul missed more than ten games. George Elokobi missed a third of the season. Jack Barham missed even more than a third. Reece Grant hasn’t kicked a ball in vain. Regan Booty was missing for games, Joan Luque has missed games. And we still came up trumps. I believe we recruited the right way, the right players. Me and Terry worked hard on that. Even last season we would have come close with no Covid.
“We did it in style, we worked really hard. It’s the hardest league I’ve been involved with for a long, long while. There are some good, good teams in there.
“We won seven out of eight local derbies – the last one we played (Welling on Monday) I made some changes and I can tell you, most of the players were intoxicated from enjoying the win! I know I was because it was an unbelievable achievement.”