Maidstone United 1-0 Sittingbourne - When the lights went out I thought here we go again! - Saunders

MAIDSTONE UNITED  1-0  SITTINGBOURNE
Ryman League Division One South
Wednesday 7^th September 2011
Mike Green reports from Bourne Park


A SOLITARY first half strike from Ellis Green settled the first tennants vs landlords clash on a new era as unlike the first attempt eight days ago, the Bourne Park lights stayed on... just!

Stones player manager Jay Saunders was first to admit that his side’s performance hadn't been what he'd hoped for.  "It wasn't the best," he said.  "We started well and were doing Ok until the floodlights went out.  After that for some reason, we never got going again.  I thought they came back at us and bossed the last 20 minutes or so of the first half, and then in the second half, the boys told me that the wind really played a part and we could hardly get out of our own half. 

“At the end of the day, we've kept a clean sheet, and got the points when we really haven't played very well.  We'll take that as things can only get better.  That makes it three wins out of three - we said that once we won the first one we wanted to hopefully go on a run, and to be fair to the boys they've done that.  It wasn’t pretty but three points is three points at the end of the day.
 
Naturally, Sittingbourne boss Richard Brady was a disappointed man, "I thought the performance was good especially second half, as I think from about five minutes after we went a goal we dominated the game. 

“We peppered them in the second half, and their keepers made a great save, and we didn’t get the run of the green, but that’s football and we have to move on. 

“Don’t ask me why but after the lights went out we were the better side.  We got them in together and laid it on the line how massive the game was, and to be fair to the boys they responded.  We've got to put chances away whatever.  They put the ball in the area for the goal, but its bad defending from us."
 
Green's goal - a free kick whipped in with pace from the left - bounced through the Sittingbourne six yard box and with Graeme Andrews and Shaun Welford hurling themselves in the direction of the ball trying to steer the ball into the net, Brickies keeper Tim Roberts could only watch on as the ball bounced into the net. 

Although perhaps fortunate the Stones deserved the goal, as undoubtedly the Stones had been the better side in the opening stages with Green firing over on 14 minutes after Welford had beaten Roberts to a long throw.  Green then had a free kick well gathered in by Roberts, before what proved to be the games only goal arrived on 21 minutes. 

Sam Bewick's mazy run was then only ended when Roberts produced a smart save to a shot that bounced awkwardly just in front of the Brickies stopper.
 
There looked no way back for Sittingbourne as they had struggled to get into any kind of stride, until that is two banks of floodlights failed on 28 minutes!  As the ironic cheers rang round Bourne Park and referee Mr Darren Blunden looked on in disbelief, the lights eventually flickered back into life and the game resumed after a seven minute delay - and when it did resume, it was almost as though the Stones had been knocked out of their stride. 

"When the lights went out, I thought here we go again," admitted a relieved Saunders.  "But once they went out we stopped doing the right things, which was very disappointing from our point of view.  They got on top and had a right go at us, and they probably feel hard done by not getting something out of the game.  Its frustrating because it sums up the way we're playing at the moment but we are winning so I can’t go too mad at the boys if they keep winning!"
 
For the first time Ryan Golding shrugged off the attentions of Tom Mills and raced clear, only for the ball to take a horrible bounce and screw off the Sittingbourne strikers boot and go well wide of Charlie Mitten's left post.
 
Sittingbourne's momentum continued into the second half, as they territorially dominated yet failed to really test Stones keeper Mitten enough for boss Brady.
 
When they did Mitten produced a stunning save to palm away Jack Hooper's 78th minute lob as the Sittingbourne man raced clear of a very square Stones defence. From the resulting corner, the Stones just about managed to clear the danger, but only after the ball had bounced at least twice in the Maidstone box. 

Then, on 85 Brickies subs Elie Kayembe and Josh West combined, with Kayembe doing well down the left before centering and as the ball bobbled through to West, only a very smart and brave block from Mitten stopped the young sub from rescuing what would have been on the second ha’f display a deserved point for Sittingbourne.
 
Looking forward to the weekend, Maidstone head to Mayfield Road to play Croydon Athletic - a game that Saunders is looking forward to.  "Hopefully the pitch will suit us more that the one here at Bourne Park.  We know it will be a tough game, but we'll go there and give it a good go."
 
Sittingbourne meanwhile face a tough week when a trip to Merstham is sandwiched between two games with Bognor Regis - the first one of which is at Bourne Park. 

Brady admitted "We've had a tough start and now we've got a really tough week.  We've got to be looking for three points to get back up the table, but if we show the same commitment as we did tonight we wont have any problems. 

“We've got to look to improve our scoring record though as in five or six games we've scored four goals and its not rocket science as to where the problem is.  We're defending as a team well, we're playing as a team well, we've just got to get a spark up front to change it all."
 
Maidstone United: Charlie Mitten, Tommy Osborne, Karl Knight, Tom Mills, Graeme Andrews, Tim Olorunda, Ellis Green, Sam Bewick, Shaun Welford, Jimmy Humphris (Baff Addae 77), Alex Flisher.
Subs:  Sean Johnson, Lewis Mingle, James Abraham, Peter Gill

Goal:  Ellis Green 21

Booked:  Ellis Green 44, Jimmy Humphris 45
 
Sittingbourne:  Tim Roberts, Ryan Cooper, Dan Palfrey, Sam Groombridge, Jerry Nnamnai, Billy Manners, Jack Hooper, Colin Richmond (Elie Kayembe 81), Ryan Golding, Joe Goldsmith (Josh West 81), Hicham Akhazzan.
Subs:  Carl Harrold, Luke Girt, Matt Reed

Booked:  Dan Palfrey 44, Josh West 80
 
Attendance: 395
Referee: Mr Darren Blunden (Dartford)
Assistants:  Mr Alasdair King (London SE8) & Mr Chris Myatt (Dartford)