Maidstone United finally got their first win at home in the Conference with an emphatic victory over visitors Hayes & Yeading who lost not only their centre back but also their Manager to a red card.
The game started quickly for Maidstone as in the 11th minute they opened the scoring when a Mitchell Pinnock corner into the six yard box was met by Jay May who headed in unopposed, it was nearly two as Jack Paxman on the right passed squarely for Joe Healy 20 yards out & his first time shot cannoned back into play off the crossbar.
The game changed in a matter of minutes when firstly in the 26th minute a long ball forward saw Tom Mills & Lee Worgan hesitate in the area & Elliot Benyon nipped in but Worgan was adjudged to have fouled him & a penalty was given, up stepped Luke Williams but his weak effort was superbly saved by Worgan.
Two minutes later a long ball forward saw Alex Akrofi & Ed Sanders tussle & Akrofi was fouled in the area where a penalty was given but Sanders was deemed to be the last man stopping a goal & was given a straight red card which infuriated Tristian Lewis the Hayes & Yeading manager.
In the next minute Akrofi stepped up & shot into the bottom left hand corner. In the 34th minute May passed out wide for Pinnock who controlled it & cut inside before shooting but it was deflected wide & Mills latched onto it & his low cross found May but under pressure he could not stab it home from 3 yards.
In the minutes leading up to half time Maidstone relaxed & nearly paid the penalty as in the 38th minute Tyrell Miller-Rodney saw his overhead kick from 18 yards force Worgan to tip over the bar then three minutes later it’s lucky goal line technology is not used at this level as Miller-Rodney from 40 yards shot forcing Worgan to back pedal as he pushed it upwards & then punched clear, was it over the line we will never know.
In the 43rd minute Lewis was sent to the stands by the referee Colin Lymer for dissent & in the 3rd minute of added time Jake Nicholson saw his free kick from 25 yards tipped around the post by Worgan. The half time whistle went & Lewis Ferrell complaining to the referee got himself booked.
The second half took a bit of time to get going & in the 52nd minute Pinnock on the left cut inside but his weak effort was easily save by David Lincoln.
In the 68th minute a Frannie Collin corner was half cleared to Alex Brown on the edge of the area & his shot went through a lot of players & was heading for the top left hand corner until Lincoln threw himself at it & tipped it over the bar, in the very next minute a Collin corner found Steve Watt on his own & his flicked header found Akrofi but his stabbed effort from 3 yards was saved by Lincoln.
The very next minute & it was three when Matt Bodkin’s long diagonal cross to the far post found Bobbie-Joe Taylor whose header was heading for the net when Akrofi like all good strikers made sure it went in by heading in from 1 foot.
Hayes nearly got a consolation goal in the 72nd minute when Alex Osborn headed forward for Benyon beating the offside & he went into the area but scuffed his shot wide.
They did get their consolation goal in the 89th minute when Nicholson’s free kick into the area saw Worgan go for it but Watt headed across goal for Ismael Ehui who controlled it & drilled it into the net.
The final whistle went & Maidstone have stopped the rot with their first home victory but Jay Saunders will be disappointed they did not keep a clean sheet.
MAIDSTONE UNITED:
- WORGAN 2. C.DRIVER 3. T.MILLS 4. S.WATT 5. M.PARRY 6. A.BROWN 7. J.PAXMAN (66) 8. J.HEALY 9. J.MAY (66) 10. A.AKROFI 11. M.PINNOCK (60)
SUBS USED: 14. B-J TAYLOR (60) 15. F.COLLIN (66) 16. M.BODKIN (66)
SUBS NOT USED: 12. J.COYLE 17. S.JOHNSON
BOOKINGS: 9. J.MAY (63)
HAYES & YEADING:
- LINCOLN 2. J.FENLON 3. H.HALL 4. J.NICHOLSON 5. D. McKAIN 6. E.SANDERS 7. A.OSBORN 8. T MILLER-RODNEY 9. E.BUNYON (74) 10. L.WILLIAMS (57) 11. R. Murrell-WILLIAMSON (30)
SUBS USED: 16. L.FERRELL (30) 14. H.GRANT (37) 15. I.EHUI (74)
SUBS NOT USED: 12. M.WORSFOLD 13. C.CROWLEY
BOOKINGS: 16. L.FERRELL (45)
SENT OFF: 6. E SANDERS (29) & T LEWIS (THE MANAGER ) (43)
REFEREE: Mr C.LYMER
ASSISTANTS: Mr C.FELTON & Mr J.CONNELLY
ATTENDANCE: 1,906