“They wanted it more than we did simple as that!” The frank summation of Maidstone United boss Jay Saunders after his side, who had been looking to return to the top of the Ryman Premier with three points, crashed to their heaviest defeat of the season, as lowly Thamesmead Town took on one of the best the Ryman Premier League had to offer – and simply blew them away!

On the night everyone of those dressed in green were magnificent and did their manager Keith McMahon proud, two goals from Tommy Whitnell (the second a superb solo effort that any striker from the top of the Barclays Premier League would have been proud of), a stunning strike from Sean Roberts and a towering header from Junior Baker gave the Mead the points they needed to finally after 29 games of trying lift themselves out of the bottom four for the first time this season.

McMahon though rightly had his eyes firmly focused as he said, “It was a great win for the lads but one that’s been coming for a few weeks now. We took our chances and defended with our lives – I’m so pleased for the boys that I can barely put it into words.”

Saunders meantime was rueful when he admitted his disappointment. “Of course I’m disappointed, we could have gone top of the League, but it does just show that there are no easy games in this League!”

“It’s one of those Leagues – everyone beats everyone else, and a team finally gets to the top and has a horrible tumble – and I honestly believe that if a side puts a run of four or five wins together they’ll really pull away. I was hoping,” Saunders said shrugging his shoulders, “that I’d set the boys a target of maximum points this week and we’ve no got anywhere near it!”

To be fair to Saunders the possession chart for the game and the chances table would have laid very heavily in the Stones favour, but in reality despite a number of very close scares at the other end, the Mead looked more likely to score with near enough every attack.

Indeed after an opening quarter hour where Maidstone did well until the final ball, Thamesmead took the lead on 14 minutes. Derek Duncan did well coming off the left before being brought down 30 yards out.

After his magnificent free kick winner against Grays Athletic three days earlier, there was only going to be one player to take the kick, and Duncan duly brushed himself down before curling a magnificent free kick beyond the despairing dive of Stones keeper Lee Worgan, only for the ball to come back off the angle of post and bar and with the Stones keeper on the floor, Tommy Whitnell was on hand to tap home the rebound.

The Stones again upped their game and dominated the game for the next ten minutes but they just couldn’t find a way through the Green wall across the Mead eighteen yard box that was superbly marshalled by Richard Butler and Junior Baker. Alex Flisher did though have a golden chance to level for the Stones but his drive flew across the face of goal and wide of the far post.

The home side doubled the lead seven minutes before half time when Roberts got on the end of a long free kick from keeper Sam Mott (that had been knocked down brilliantly by the hard working Shamir Mullings) before drilling the ball again beyond Worgan’s desperate reach and into the bottom corner of the net.

Flisher then went close again at the other end with a header that he really should have done better with after Frannie Collin had crossed from the right. On the stroke of half time came the classic penalty area scramble in the home box where the ball got stuck under feet; shots were charged down and bodies were flying all over the place as the home side held onto their lead.

The visitors came out after the break looking for the goal that in truth their efforts probably deserved. Jack Parkinson headed a free kick from brother Dan over the bar before he sent a drive in that deflected just wide.

From the resulting corner, keeper Mott did brilliantly to claw the ball away from underneath the bar. And it was from another corner that the Stones did finally give themselves a way back into the game, as on the hour Jerone Sobers powered home a header from yet another corner.

Saunders knew that it was important for his side to get a foothold which left him shaking his head as the home side re established their two goal cushion. It was another Duncan free kick that found Baker at the far post climb who timed his jump to perfection to send a looping header high over Worgan which Mullings helped over the line just to make sure.

Maidstone were shell shocked and rocking well and truly by now and they were well and truly finished if half way through the second half as Duncan played a defense splitting pass which Whitnell raced onto and as Worgan advanced from his goal, the new Thamesmead striker showed supreme composure as he rolled the ball past him and into the net sending the home players and supporters into a delight that they probably haven’t got near since their Play Off victory last May.

To their eternal credit Maidstone kept going and creating chances – Collin sent a stooping header wide; Zac Attwood fired across the face of goal; Alex Brown then had a shot that flew wide; Flisher fired in a shot that Mott did brilliantly to hold onto before another mad scramble saw Baker pull off another amazing block just as Attwood was about to shoot.

The only down side for the home side was a red card shown to Simon Glover on the stroke of full time for a second yellow card (the first of which on the stroke of half time seemed very harsh) but nothing could take away from what Thamesmead had achieved come the final whistle as the Stones boss led the tributes to the victors.

Saunders said, “you can’t say that it wasn’t a right result as Thamesmead took their chances as I thought the biggest points was that they showed much more desire in both boxes than we did.”

“I thought we had more chances during the game – had more corners – but if you don’t take them, you get nothing and that’s our problem at the moment – we’re not taking our chances and getting punished at the other end.

Final word must go to the Mead and their jubiliant boss. McMahon said, “I’m delighted for all the boys and all the club we’re out of the bottom four we’ve got to keep going.”

“Every one of the games that we’ve got to play from now on is going to be a big game for us. We’re going to lose games between now and the end of the season, but we know and have now proved that we can live with the best that this division has to offer. Now to Wingate on Saturday and start again!”

THAMESMEAD TOWN – Sam Mott, Luke Edgar, Jay Porter, Junior Baker, Richard Butler, Simon Glover, Sean Roberts, Derek Duncan, Shamir Mullings (George Savage 89), Tommy Whitnell (Theo Fairweather Johnson 86), Rashid Kamara (Danny Phillips 75)

Subs – Lanre Azeez and Rob Budd

MAIDSTONE UNITED – Lee Worgan, Dan Parkinson (Jack Harris 68), Tom Mills, Jerome Sobers, Graeme Andrews, Michael Phillips (Charley Robertson HT), Alex Brown, Jack Parkinson, Zac Attwood, Frannie Collin, Alex Flisher

Subs – Fabio Saraiva, Elliot Cox and Will Godmon