Maidstone United’s highest crowd of the season saw a seven goal thriller which either side could have won it.

The kick off was delayed for fifteen minutes to let the crowd in & they cannot complain about the entertainment value.

The game was only four minutes old when the first chance of the game came when Kiernan Hughes Mason making his debut got to the by-line & his low cross found Jack Harris back from his loan spell at Faversham but his stabbed shot was easily saved by Tim Brown.

Dulwich’s first chance came after 15 minutes when Tommy Whitnell was put through & his shot was saved by Lee Worgan. Another chance came in the 18^th minute when Hughes-Mason & Harris combined again with Harris’s shot saved by Brown, in the very next minute a Alex Flisher long throw into the area found Jerome Sobers flicked header forced Brown to save at the second attempt.

Dulwich by now were playing some good football with Erhun Oztumer instrumental in most of their attacks which is probably why he had been on trial at Burnley.

In the 22^nd minute Oztumer twenty yards out cut in & his shot was easily saved by Worgan but four minutes later Nyren Clunis received the ball from Ahmed Deen & went forward before unleashing a brilliant curling shot past Worgan from twenty yards.

They nearly went two up when Oztumer in the 30^th minute saw his shot parried away by Worgan. In the 32^nd minute a Flisher long throw was cleared but only to Tom Mills who’s shot from thirty yards flew just over the bar.

In the 36^th minute Elliott Cox went on a weaving run forward & his cross hit Peter Adeniyi on the hand but no penalty was given but in the very next minute Maidstone equalised when Flisher forty yards went on a mazy run even being fouled but got up carried on into the area & then shooting past Brown.

The second half started with Dulwich taking control & in the 50^th minute they went back in front when Deen’s cross into the six yard box found Whitnell who stabbed home past Worgan, nine minutes later it was even again as Luke Rooney on the right cut inside & shot from fifteen yards only for Brown to parry it out but Harris reacted the quickest & volleyed in from eight yards.

Maidstone were now on the front foot & in the 65^th minute they took the lead for the first time when Rooney on the right saw his low cross evade everyone except Harris on the back post & he stabbed it home, two minutes later just as it looked like Dulwich were out of it they conjured up an equaliser when the ball into the Maidstone area found Oztumer who was eight yards out when he flicked the ball over Worgan.

Two minutes later came a chance for Maidstone to regain their lead when Harris in the area received the ball from Flisher & he turned & passed to Alex Brown who eight yards out on his own saw his shot go sailing over the bar.

Maidstone were now in control & in the 77^th minute Cox cross into the area found Flisher but his header went over the bar then in the 79^th minute Rooney’s free kick into the area saw Sobers header saved by Brown.

Dulwich kept their football going & in the 88^th minute they nearly regained the lead when Tommy Kavanagh running forward chipped into the area for Oztumer whose header forced Worgan to push it away before Cox cleared it.

Another chance came in the 90^th minute when Oztumer & Clunis combined leaving Clunis in the area fifteen yards out & his shot was saved by Worgan’s leg & hit the post.

Maidstone nicked the points in the 93^rd minute when a Flisher corner was cleared back to him & his cross shot was saved by Brown but only to Dan Parkinson who from ten yards blasted the ball into the back of the net.

The final whistle went & there was relief & joy around the stadium as Maidstone had somehow stopped the rot & were now in second place in the table, while Dulwich trooped off wondering how they had lost that game, but for the neutral what a great advert for Ryman Premier Football, both sides should be congratulated for a great game.

MAIDSTONE:

1. L.WORGAN  2. E.COX  3. T.MILLS  4. J.SOBERS  5. G.ANDREWS  6. A.BROWN  7. K.HUGHES-MASON ( DEBUT, 72) 8.    L.ROONEY   9. J.HARRIS (74)  10. D.PARKINSON  11. A.FLISHER

SUBS USED: 14. Z.ATTWOOD (74)  15. R.HILL (72)

UNUSED SUBS: 12. M.PHILLIPS  16. C.ROBERTSON  21. W.GODMON

BOOKINGS: 6. A.BROWN (81)  10. D.PARKINSON (23)  8.L.ROONEY (67)

 

DULWICH HAMLET:

1. T.BROWN  2. M.BOYER  3. A.DEEN  4. T.KAVANAGH  5. P.ADENIYI  6. L.GONSALVES  7. N.CLUNIS 8. K.JAMES (74)  9. T.WHINELL (90)  10. E.OZTUMER  11. X.VIDAL (87)

SUBS USED:  12. J.WALKER (87)  14. I.DALY (90)  17. B.CROOK (74)

UNUSED SUBS: 15.E.PINNOCK  16. M.OKAYE

 

REFEREE: Mr C.O’DONNELL

ASSISTANT REFEREES: MrR.O’SULLIVAN & Mr D.JOHNSTON

ATTENDANCE: 2,296