Sittingbourne continued their flying start to pre-season with a comfortable win over former lodgers Maidstone United.
Whist since their return to the county town, the Stones have risen to the National League and had that incredible run in last season’s FA Cup, the Brickies only last season began to meet their potential and were unfortunate to lose in the Isthmian League Play Off Semi Finals.
But say it quietly in Swale, but this may be Sittingbourne’s year as after starting pre-season at the weekend with a crushing 4-1 win in the Bob Amor Cup against Faversham, the Brickies first game back at the Staxson Stadium after last season’s heartache saw the Stones despatched with the same score in front of a decent Tuesday night crowd.
At the weekend, after returning keeper Harley Earle had made a terrific save to deny Sam Hasler, Sittingbourne took control when Ayman El-Mogharbel waltzed round the keeper to open the scoring and when Codey Cosgrave netted a magnificent second from a free kick just before the break, Ryan Maxwell’s side were well on top in a game well refereed by Mr Finnegan who himself was making a comeback after missing the entirety of last season through injury.
Half time cam with the usual array of pre-season substitutions with both managers keen to get much needed time into early legs, but it didn’t break the Brickies stranglehold and after Henry Sinai was brilliantly played through, he made it 3-0. Hasler did pull a goal back for the Lillywhite’s with his own terrific free-kick, but Mitch May came back off the bench in the closing stages after being replaced at the break, to complete the scoring and see the trophy head back to Woodstock.
Tuesday’s visit of Maidstone produced another really lively encounter particularly in a very even first half.
The home side took an early lead when Troy Howards low cross was turned into his own net by a defender before a Trialist beat Earle to his left with a shot that seemed to nick off a defender. The home side should been back in front before the break by Cosgrave’s penalty was well saved by Maidstone’s trialist keeper.
Level at the break was about right, but after the half time changes, which again numbered well into double figures for both sides, it was the home side who were hammered in front as Richie Hammill drove high into the net from the edge of the box. The home side kept creating chances with balls flashing across the Stones box and it was perhaps inevitable that from one such ball, a Maidstone leg diverted the ball into the Stones net for 3-1.
The home fans night was completed in some style just before the end when Sinai matched Cosgrave’s effort at Faversham as he stepped up to gloriously curl a free kick up over the defensive wall and into the top corner past a despairing keeper.
SITTINGBOURNE – Earle, Lokongo, Graham, Poku, Smith, Arthur, Howard, Cosgrave, Trialist, Ayman, Boache
Subs – Boayke, Hammill, Sinai, Beckford, Torsiello, Carvalho, Trailist, Trialist, Trialist
MAIDSTONE UNITED – (first half) – Trialist, Ekewa, Fowler, Higgs, Blair, Seaman, Kyprianou, Hatton, Gurung, Trialist, Trialist
(second half) – Trialist, Jackson-Hunt, Greenidge, Brown, Corne, Trialist, Krasniqi, Bentley, Court, Fonkeu, Hatton
Subs – Clark, Wenham, Trialist
REFEREE – Mr McDonald
Images courtesy of Paul Golding