An injury to winger Alex Flisher overshadowed a vital win for Maidstone as they beat Bognor Regis Town 2-1.
Maidstone came into the game after a hard fought win over Leatherhead in their return to the Ryman Premier League ensured that they remained just five points behind leaders Margate with four games in hand as a result of their impressive cup run which ended with a 3-1 defeat away to Wrexham. Jay Saunders only made one change from the side which beat Leatherhead the previous week with Phil Starkey taking the place of Tom Mill son the left side of defence.
Bognor Regis, despite starting the day in 9th would be tough opponents; they last beat high flying Hendon and their recent form showed that they were fighting for a playoff place.
Maidstone have been making a habit of scoring early recently and this continued when Jack Parkinson fired home after three minutes. From a long Alex Flisher throw in from the right wing the ball was well cleared by Bognor’s defence where it fell to Matt Bodkin who, under pressure, did well to play the ball back to Aaron Simpson who hit a hopeful ball forward which was flicked on by Alex Flisher into the feet of Parkinson who adjusted his feet and hit a powerful shot to the goalkeeper’s left.
Bognor Regis came straight back and began to test Lee Worgan with a series of shots but the goalkeeper was equal to everything The Rocks put at him, first a header from Ollie Pearce was well saved before Worgan only needed to watch Stuart Green’s off balance shot fly over.
The visitor’s pressure continued but after a cross from the right wing found Pearce unmarked at the far post the attacker steered his looping header wide.
Maidstone came forward after a slow period of play and nearly lit up the game instantly, a long ball to Alex Flisher meant the winger collected the ball far down the left wing with minimal support, from this situation he put the ball towards the six yard box where it swerved and clipped the top of the crossbar. Maidstone’s pressure continued when Matt Bodkin found Aaron Simpson on an overlapping run before the full back put a low cross towards Frannie Collin but the striker was unable to keep his shot under control as it flew out for a goal kick.
The momentum soon changed again and Lee Worgan was called into action when a cross from the left wing needed to be clawed away from the goal line before punching away consecutive crosses from the opposite wing before he watched a shot from Jake Thompson go wide.
As half time edged nearer Bognor Regis continued to look for an equaliser and they got it in the 38th minute. Maidstone were unable to clear Ollie Pearce’s free kick and Stuart Green took no time to get onto a loose ball and hammer a volley into the near post to give his side a chance to get all three points from their visit to the Gallagher Stadium- they were the only team to beat the Stones at home last season.
Maidstone’s final chance of the first half came minutes after the equalising goal, Aaron Simpson made another powerful run down the right wing before slowing play down to wait for Jay May who received the ball 25 yards from goal and hit a left footed shot towards goal; the shot hit Dan Sackman on its way through forcing Chris Winterton in goal to adjust his position to ensure the easy save and keep the game level at half time.
Maidstone kicked off the second half and within the first five minutes they had a chance to restore their one goal lead; Phil Starkey, making his fourth league start of the season, did well to put a cross into the penalty area which needed to be tipped away from the goalmouth by Winterton into the path of Matt Bodkin whose shot was well saved from 10 yards out before Jack Parkinson’s effort was well held by the goalkeeper.
Stones fans were left frustrated when Sonny Miles was pulled down in the penalty area from a corner on the right but the referee refused to give the home side a penalty.
The questionable refereeing continued when Maidstone believed that Harvey Whyte handled the ball as he attempted to clear the ball but, yet again, the referee didn’t point to the spot.
The mood around the Gallagher Stadium was lifted when after 71 minutes another powerful run from Aaron Simpson ended in a low cross to the feet of Flisher who was able to place a volley across the goalkeeper as his shot rolled in at the far post.
Despite the result, the game ended with a bad series of tackles and arguments after Alex Flisher was forced off through a severe looking injury, after receiving the ball just inside of his preferred left wing Harvey Whyte lunged in at the winger. Whyte was not disciplined for the tackle but Flisher was taken away on a stretcher with his left leg in a brace, it is believed to be his ankle which was damaged.
The attacking style of play from both teams which was witnessed in the first half came to a halt throughout the final ten minutes, both teams continued to make heavy challenges and, after finally regaining control of the match the referee blew the final whistle.
That win now means that Maidstone now have 52 points, six points more than third placed Dulwich Hamlet. Because of Margate’s 3-3 draw against Hendon the gap at the top of the table is reduced to three points with the Stones still having four games in hand thanks to their FA Cup run. They will now prepare for their trip to play Billericay on Monday before fourth placed Hendon travel to the Gallagher Stadium.
Maidstone United: Worgan, Simpson, Starkey, Coyle, Miles, Rogers, Bodkin (Brown), Parkinson, May, Collin (Akrofi), Flisher (Greenhalgh)
Subs not used: Jordan, Godman
Booked: Parkinson, May
Bognor Regis Town: Winterton, Whyte, Crane, Tuck (Oatway), Sackman, Robson, Green, Thompson Lawson), Prior, Pearce, Parsons
Subs not used: Johnson, Branford
Booked: Tuck
Attendance: 1,711