For a long time it looked as though one goal would be enough to decide this match, as despite Maidstone’s dominance, too often the final ball into the box didn’t find an amber shirt.

In the end, second half goals from Matt Bodkin and Alex Flisher gave the scoreline an appearance that probably flattered the home side.

Jay Saunders, Maidstone’s manager, was happy with the outcome, but believed “we’ve not taken our chances. I thought in the final third we were very sloppy today and our choice of final ball was poor. It looked like it would be one of those days, but the lads kept going to the end and earned their rewards. We felt we had to up the tempo, and when we did that, we found that quality and they found us harder to live with.”

“We were standing balls up, rather than drilling them across the goal, and some of the decision making; passing when we could shoot and shooting when the pass was on. But I thought we dominated and you always worry in games like that they would break away and score or get a replay, and we didn’t want that.”

The opening goal came moments after Saunders had taken off Jay May, and he explained “Jay had a couple of headers that he may have scored from, but really I could have taken off any one of three or four. I felt Flish (Alex Flisher) could trouble them with his pace, so I made the change, and lucky we scored straight after.”

“I thought Sonny (Miles) was outstanding today; Worgs (Lee Worgan) obviously said the whole of the back five, but Sonny’s distribution and reading was excellent, and he has kept Loick Pires quiet. Sonny, along with James Rogers in the middle was good today. A lot of James’ work goes unnoticed but he is very composed on the ball and he keeps us ticking over.”

And Saunders was full of praise for the sea of amber shirts that surrounded Langford Road, adding, “the crowd were outstanding from the first minute. They could have got at us with the missed chances, but they got right behind us all day, and we’ve got the result for them.”

From the start, Maidstone pressurised the Biggleswade defence high up the pitch trying to force mistakes, and were able to play a number of balls into the home area, without much joy. James Rogers’ first cross from the left led to a Matt Bodkin corner, from which Alex Flisher, arriving with a late run, couldn’t direct his header on target.

Flisher had a better chance on 10 minutes; Bodkin’s deliciously floated cross from the right towards the back post found Flisher powering in over the challenges of both Connor Roberts and goalkeeper Ian Brown, but again his header slipped the wrong side of the post.

Biggleswade seemed to have scouted Flisher’s long throws in the build-up to the game, as they brought all 11 players back into the box. But knowing about a threat is different to defending it, as Steve Watt latched onto a long throw to head downwards, but Brown made a smart save by his left upright.

The keeper repeated the save on 16 to deny Flisher. Jay chased down Aaron Simpson’s long ball May, dismissing Andrew Iwediuno in the process. May found Flisher, whose left foot shot was saved by Brown, one-handed by the post.

When they did attack, Biggleswade always looked comfortable in possession in the Maidstone half, looking to build around the box with short, sharp passing. Lee Smith had an opportunity after 20 minutes, but his effort was sliced high & wide.

While Maidstone were enjoying time and space on the wings, Frannie Collin and Jay May were finding it harder to link in the middle. May had a header blocked by Iwediuno, falling for Bodkin, whose first time shot was blocked by left back, Mark Coulson.

On 39, Maidstone were caught out for the only time in the half from a quick Coulson throw on halfway. Former Welling striker, Loick Pires flicked a header inside to Sam Ives, who moved the ball on quickly to Smith, who found himself in acres of space in the area. Fortunately, with only Lee Worgan to beat and challenges bearing down, Smith screwed his effort across goal and wide.

Maidstone had the last chance of the half on 45, as Simpson sprinted powerfully forward into the Biggleswade left back area, and drilled his cross into the middle. May was surprised by Iwediumo missing the cross and couldn’t direct his header under the bar.

The Stones started the second half on the front foot, with Flisher and Bodkin both putting crosses into the Biggleswade area, which eventually led to Watt directing a header on target from Sonny Miles’ cross. May then powered a header over the bar after a patient build-up involving Jack Parkinson, Rogers and Flisher.

On 54, Flisher was released in behind fullback Roberts by Bodkin’s raking crossfield ball. Flisher took a touch and fired a shot on target, which Brown did well to parry away to his left.

As in the first half, Biggleswade showed a threat when they injected pace into their game. It was another quick throw that saw the Maidstone defence cut apart, as Roberts found the lively Zane Banton, who drove at the heart of the Stones’ back line. As he reached the ‘D’, Banton shot and his effort was deflected just past the left upright off Miles’ sliding challenge.

Maidstone continued to have joy down both flanks, as Flisher found Bodkin to fire a shot at Brown, and the keeper dived out to touch away a Flisher cross as Collin tried to apply the finishing touch.

Despite all of the visitor’s pressure, Biggleswade were always going to have their moment in the game. Pires, pedalling rapidly backwards, couldn’t direct a header on target. Then, on 71, the outstanding Miles produced a perfectly timed tackle to deny Lee Allinson in the box, after Sam Ives’ burst from the left had released the midfielder.

Jay Saunders made the first change of the game, bringing on Ben Greenhalgh for May, which allowed Flisher to push forward, where he has been so effective recently. This move had an almost immediate impact as, with 15 minutes left, Flisher and Greenhalgh combined to free the overlapping Tom Mills. His cross fell under the feet of Flisher in the middle, and as Greenhalgh’s shot rebounded off Brown, the ball fell perfectly for Bodkin to fire into the empty net.

The Maidstone forwards were now running at pace at the Biggleswade back line, but too often the ball into the box fell to a home defender. The next real chance came from a Flisher long throw on 83 that caused panic in the home penalty area. Watt and Cam Mawer both missed their headers at the near post; Brown missed the ball inside his 6-yard box; and Collin couldn’t get a telling touch at the back post.

The game was sealed with 5 minutes left by Flisher’s 9th goal in 12 games. Parkinson and Watt broke up a Biggleswade attack, allowing the midfielder to switch play to Greenhalgh. The winger found Bodkin breaking beyond Coulson, and Bodkin’s driving cross evaded Collin’s slide, but fell perfectly for Flisher to tap home.

Saunders used Alex Brown and Bradley Jordan off the bench to replace Flisher and Bodkin, which allowed Maidstone to close the game out with Biggleswade unable to trouble Worgan.

The Stones can now look forward to Monday’s Fourth Qualifying Round draw, from which Saunders joked he was looking for “the lowest ranked possible team at home, but I’d like the home tie; I’m not wanting much! If you are going to draw one of the Conference sides, you’d want it to be a big one, an Ebbsfleet, a Dover, someone like that.”

BIGGLESWADE TOWN: Ian Brown, Conner Roberts (Ian Rees 84), Mark Coulson, Cam Mawer, Andrew Iwediuno, Lee Allinson, Zane Banton, Lee Reed (Stuart Farrell 77), Loick Pires, Lee Smith, Sam Ives.

Subs not used: Kyal McNulty, Jordan Davis, Craig Daniel, Tom Gowan.

MAIDSTONE UNITED: Lee Worgan, Aaron Simpson, Tom Mills, Steve Watt, Sonny Miles, James Rogers, Matt Bodkin (Alex Brown 86), Jack Parkinson, Jay May (Ben Greenhalgh ), Frannie Collin, Alex Flisher (Bradley Jordan 86).

Subs not used: Jamie Coyle, Charley Robertson, Ben Swift, Will Godmon.

Goals: Matt Bodkin 75, Alex Flisher 85.

Attendance: 450
Referee: Mr Wade Norcott
Assistants: Mr Thomas Fell and Mr David Tregaskes