Maidstone United lost more ground in their fight to stay up as they lost to their Yorkshire rivals three minutes from the end.

Halifax hadn’t scored in five games & Maidstone hadn’t won at home for six months, this was always looking like being a bit cagey but in truth they were both poor but Halifax in the end came for a point & ended up with three.

The game was only 10 minutes old when the first piece of action arrived, Shaun Donnellan’s bad back pass saw Dion-Curtis Henry race out to kick it clear but James Hardy tried to block the clearance & the ball went sideways but Henry & Hardy collided causing Henry eventually having to be stretchered off & new goalkeeper coach Chris Lewington coming on to make his debut, what else could go wrong for Maidstone.

In the 16th minute Justin Amuluzor tried his luck from 20 yards but Sam Johnson saved it. Halifax showed why they hadn’t scored for 5 games when in the 28th minute Hardy tried his luck from 25 yards but Lewington saved easy. Three minutes later Maidstone had their hearts in their mouths when it seemed that Jack Powell handballed it in the area but the Referee played on.

In the 35th minute a Michael Phillips cross was knocked back to Jake Cassidy who 15 yards out was just about to see his shot fly into the net when Nathan Clarke flew himself at him & blocked it. Five minutes later & Maidstone nearly took the lead when Elliott Romain on the left retrieved the ball & then crossed into the area where Amuluzor trying a bicycle kick missed it but it fell at Phillips feet & his rasping shot from 15 yards flew past the post.

Maidstone came out for the second half a lot sharper & dominated possession for 15 minutes, in the 49th minute Phillips passed sideways for Cassidy who threaded the ball forward for Powell whose shot from 20 yards went fizzing past the post. Four minutes later & Maidstone had a glorious chance to take the lead when Dan Meredith’s cross into the area was flicked on by Cassidy for Will De Havilland but from 3 yards he could not direct his header & Johnson was relieved to save it.

Halifax had been under pressure but in the 64th minute they should have taken the lead when Jarvis Edobar’s pass was intercepted by Matty Kosylo & he raced into the area before passing to Scott Quigley who from 15 yards saw his shot saved by the onrushing Lewington.

The game was getting stretched as both sides had chances, in the 70th Meredith on the right cut across the field & let fly from 20 yards but Johnson easily saved it, two minutes later Romain on the left cut in & from 20 yards his shot went past the far post. Halifax had the next chance when Clarke’s powerful header from a corner came back off the post.

As the game got closer to finishing you wondered if Halifax would pinch it & in the 86th minute they nearly did when Quigley running towards the penalty area passed it into the path of Jordan Preston but his first touch was bad but he still managed to get his shot away as it went just past the post but in the very next minute they did score when Kosylo on the edge of the area slipped the ball through for Quigley who from 8 yards shot past Lewington to score his first for the season.

The whole stadium went quiet apart from the 50 odd Halifax supporters. In the 90th+2 Jordan Preston latched onto a ball in the area & his side foot effort came back of the bar to the relief of Maidstone.

The final whistle went & the handful of Halifax supporters as well as the team celebrated a victory that pushed them up to fifteenth & left Maidstone with a battle to stay up.

MAIDSTONE UNITED:

D-C HENRY (14) 2. D.MEREDITH 3. G.McLENNAN 5. W. De HAVILLAND 6.A.DAVIES 8. J.POWELL 9. E.ROMAIN (81)

14. J.AMULUZOR 18. J.CASSIDY 22. M.PHILLIPS 27. S.DONNELLAN (45)

SUBS USED: 26. C.LEWINGTON (14, DEBUT ) 30. J.EDOBAR (45) 19. J.ROBINSON (81)

SUBS NOT USED: 10. J.PAXMAN 21. O.MULDOON

BOOKINGS: 18. J.CASSIDY (43) 8. J.POWELL (89)

F.C. HALIFAX TOWN:

S.JOHNSON 2. M.DUCKWORTH 3. R.SELLERS 4. N.CLARKE 5. M.BROWN 7. M.KOSYLO 9. D.SOUTHWELL (19 )

14. B.TOMLINSON (41) 18. J.BERRETT 31. N.MAHER 36. J.HARDY

SUBS USED: 37. S.QUIGLEY (19) 19. J.PRESTON (41) 10. J.EDWARDS (79)

SUBS NOT USED: 21. S.ROWLEY 6. J.STAUNTON

BOOKINGS: 18. J.BERRETT (52) 37. S.QUIGLEY (83)

 

REFEREE: Mr P.HOWARD

ASSISTANTS: Mr S.FARRER & Mr D.HARRISON

4TH OFFICIAL: Mr S.FINNIGAN

ATTENDANCE: 1813