Three headed goals exposed a weakness in the Wingate and Finchley defence that Maidstone United exploited to make it seven wins from seven home games; returning to the top of the Ryman League in the process.

Sunday football at the Gallagher Stadium – the game being moved at Wingate’s request due to celebrations for Yom Kippur – saw Maidstone’s largest gate of the season so far enjoy a football feast in the sunshine, with a samba drum band on hand to entertain before the match.

Steve Watt and Jack Parkinson headed home long throws from Alex Flisher in the first half, before Flisher found himself unmarked to covert Matt Bodkin’s cross just past the hour. It could (maybe should) have been more though, as Wingate goalkeeper Bobby Smith used his legs to good effect to deny the home side on five occasions, keeping the scoreline respectable.

The Stones’ manager, Jay Saunders, said “it wasn’t very often that Lee was troubled in our goal, until right at the end, so overall, we’ve got the job done. We sat a bit too deep in the first half, and even though we were not at our best, we’ve had an awful lot of chances. If anything, I’m disappointed we didn’t score more; I thought we deserved it.”

“They (Wingate & Finchley) are a good side, a lot better than last season. They played a lot in front of us, and although they had a lot of possession, they didn’t really threaten or look like hurting us. We’ve been solid this year and long may that continue.”

Maidstone started the game brightly with Alex Flisher and Ben Greenhalgh making threatening runs through the inside left channel, but it was the visitors who had the first telling effort; Karl Oliyide’s shot flying past the post. Too often, Wingate’s attempts from outside the box were more of a threat to the crowd in the Town end, rather than Worgan’s goal.

Their first attempt on goal saw Maidstone take the lead on the quarter hour, as weak marking allowed Steve Watt to rise unchallenged to meet a Flisher long through and send a thumping header past Bobby Smith.

As Jack Parkinson and James Rogers began to take control of the midfield, Maidstone’s wingers started to run riot.  Greenhalgh and Parkinson set up Flisher for a rasping drive that skimmed the bar, and Greenhalgh broke into the box, only for Smith to parry the shot away for a corner.

Frannie Collin had a rare miskick in front of goal as Maidstone pressurised the Wingate defence into mistakes, then Greenhalgh broke clear and tried to find Collin, only for Ahmet Rifat to deflect the ball through to Smith. Flisher met a Matt Bodkin cross, but could only glance his header wide, as it looked like a second goal was inevitable.

Wingate still showed a threat on the counter attack, with Oliyide’s tame shot being gathered easily by Lee Worgan. This was to be Worgan’s only shot to save until the stoppage time at the end of the game, as Wingate & Finchley’s lively build-up play was spoilt back a lack of invention in the final third.

Maidstone doubled their lead on 40 through Jack Parkinson; the goal being a virtual carbon copy of the first. Flisher’s long throw was directed more towards the back post, where Parkinson, climbing higher than the stationary markers around him, glanced a header into the corner of the net.

Flisher helped himself to his eighth goal in the last 11 games just past the hour to end a period of concerted pressure from the home side.  Bodkin was released beyond the back four and, holding off Mark Goodman’s challenge, drilled a shot against the legs of Smith. The ball rebounded to Greenhalgh, whose shot was deflected off Billy Jeffreys out to the right wing. Bodkin was on hand to send a cross into the middle, where the unmarked Flisher headed past the exposed Smith.

A team is never more vunerable than when they’ve just scored, and Watt & Worgan had to be alert to thwart Rob Laney’s burst into the area.

Bradley Jordan almost marked his home debut with a goal, as Smith’s legs denied him, and from the resulting corner, Watt looped a header over Smith, but off the outside of the post. Alex Brown had a shot blocked, and Parkinson saw a header cleared off the line by Ronayne Marsh-Brown, as Maidstone were carving their way through an increasingly porous Wingate defence at will.

Smith pulled off his best save in the last 10 minutes to deny Brown again, reacting quickly after Greenhalgh’s shot was blocked to Brown inside the 6 yard box; Smith spreading himself and using his left foot to block the effort on goal.

In stoppage time, Wingate finally tested Worgan in the Maidstone goal; the keeper flying high to his right to pluck a shot out of the air to deny Tommy Tejan-Sie, then relieved to see David Knight’s header aimed at him with virtually the last touch of the game.

 

MAIDSTONE UNITED: Lee Worgan, Aaron Simpson, Tom Mills, Steve Watt ©, Sonny Miles, James Rogers (Bradley Jordan 68), Matt Bodkin, Jack Parkinson, Ben Greenhalgh, Frannie Collin (Alex Brown 71), Alex Flisher (Jay May 65).

Subs not used: Phil Starkey, Will Godmon.

Goals: Steve Watt 15, Jack Parkinson 40, Alex Flisher 62.

Bookings: Alex Flisher 35, James Rogers 54.

WINGATE & FINCHLEY: Bobby Smith, Mark Goodman (Ronayne Marsh-Brown 68), Kieron Street, Tommy Tejan-Sie. Mark Weatherstone ©, Ahmet Rifat, David Knight, Carl McCluskey (Ola Sogbanmu 74), Nico Muir, Leon Fisher, Karl Oliyide (Rob Laney 49).

Subs not used: Paul Wright, Stuart Lake.

Booking: Kieron Street 85.

Attendance: 1,801
Referee: Mr Graeme Ions
Assistants: Mr Gerry Heron and Mr Adam Stacchini