Kentish Football 
Maidstone United 1-2 AFC Wimbledon - I'm proud of team but our red card cost us, admits Walker
Saturday 05th January 2008
MAIDSTONE UNITED 1-2 AFC WIMBLEDON
Ryman Premier League
Saturday 5th January 2008
Stephen McCartney reports from Bourne Park Alan Walker, the joint-manager of Maidstone United, admitted losing Irish midfielder Conor Hagan to a second booking early in the second half proved costly.
Belfast debutant Hagan, 25, received international clearance on the eve of this Ryman Premier League game following his free-transfer from Irish Premier League side Portadown, but after impressing he picked up two bookings in the space of just two minutes, which stunned the Stones for the remaining 34 minutes of the match.
All three goals were scored in a whirlwind opening 13 minutes of the game as the crowd of 1,224 – the largest at Bourne Park – also saw AFC Wimbledon striker Daniel Webb sent off after 26 minutes for a two-footed lunge on Hagan.
Walker, admitting he’s down to the “bare-bones” with a crippling injury list, picked up another three injuries today.
Errison Ahwan (hamstring), Chris Smalling (knee), Lynden Rowland (knee), James Peacock (the first of his two match ban) were already ruled-out.
Goalkeeper Steve Northwood failed a pre-match fitness test due to his thigh injury, and Steffan Gaisie was sent back to Boreham Wood after failing to impress during his loan spell.
If that was bad enough, defender Lee Shearer (dead leg) and the nippy Nathan Paul (a bad knock on a cut he received a couple of weeks ago) didn’t finish the game - but defender Ben Lewis soldiered on despite a groin strain.
And the Stones got off to the worst possible start as AFC Wimbledon opened the scoring with just 87 seconds on the clock from the penalty spot after Mark Beard’s shot struck Lewis’ arm.
Despite missing the last six games, goalkeeper Pat Mullin was sent the wrong way from Mark De Bolla’s right-footed penalty, which found the bottom left-hand corner for his seventh goal of the season.
And the former Gravesend & Northfleet star took the corner that led to AFC Wimbledon’s second - just nine minutes and 42 seconds into the game.
The corner was headed towards goal at the near post by Jake Leberl and former Metropolitan Police winger Tony Finn headed home his 12th of the season.
But Maidstone United immediately hit-back as striker Mo Takaloo netted his 11th goal of the season – just 159 seconds later.
Left-sided winger Nick Hegley cut the ball back to full-back Craig Roser and his accurate cross was met by Alex Tiesse’s header from eight-yards, which bounced off the crossbar.
But Takaloo was on hand to steer the ball past Lee Butcher to the delight of the Stones faithful.
Butcher, 19, who worked his way through the Arsenal youth ranks, was making his AFC Wimbledon debut, having signed on a four-week loan from Tottenham Hotspur on the eve of the game.
And he was relieved when Lewis’s shot looped against the crossbar after Hagan’s first corner of the game caused panic in the goal-mouth. Takaloo also poked the ball towards goal, which was bundled off the line.
Takaloo thought he had scored but he had a goal ruled out for offside and Hegley drove a low cross agonisingly past the far post, evading both strike partners, as the Stones were on top at this stage.
Substitute Anthony Howard, who had replaced Rob Quinn (pulled calf muscle), was left unmarked but he headed De Bolla’s corner over from 12-yards.
But the Dons were reduced to ten men after 26 minutes when striker Webb was shown a straight red card by Essex Referee Gary Jerden for his two-footed lunge on Hagan, which also saw a yellow card shown to Maidstone’s other manager, Lloyd Hume – a named substitute – for his protests.
Despite plenty of pressure from the midtable Kent side, they couldn’t find a way through.
De Bolla, who was playing behind striker Webb before the red card, was withdrawn at the break and record signing from Tonbridge Angels, Jon Main, partnered Steve Ferguson up front, as visiting manager Terry Brown made a tactical switch.
Maidstone United, however, created just three chances in the second half, as they lost all attacking imputes when Hagan took the walk of shame down the players tunnel.
“I like a tackle, it’s in my game,” the Irishman told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.
“I like good tackles but today I thought the ref could have been a bit more lenient. The first half was maybe not a yellow, maybe the second one, yes.”
But inside the opening six minutes Hegley’s shot towards the goal was poked into Butcher’s grateful arms by Takaloo.
But Hagan trudged off the pitch shaking his head as he picked up two bookings in as many minutes.
That proved costly, however, as substitute Sam Hatton, Main and Ferguson all tormented the Stones defence for the remainder of the game.
Hatton’s shot after 62 minutes was turned around the near post by Mullin.
Ferguson’s pace caused Stones substitute Aaron Lacy problems, but after cutting inside, the striker’s shot lacked conviction and rolled into Mullin’s arms.
Ferguson then drilled another right-footed shot that flashed agonisingly past the far post and Main unleashed a couple of right-footed shots that flew over.
Despite all that pressure, Maidstone United had a late chance to level but Lewis looped his header wider following Lacy’s flag-kick.
But despite their 12th league defeat, Walker was a proud man, despite losing to the big-spenders.
“I have to say that I’m very, very proud of my players,” he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk.
“You look at the gulf in salaries sort of thing, that side of it, and support and all that, they’re a massive club.
“But no-one would have known, a neutral wouldn’t have known the team that were that side of it today but we did very, very well.
“We got off to the worst possible start and 2-0 down inside the first (ten) minutes but after that I thought we took the game to them fantastically, scored, had one disallowed, hit the bar, created a number of chances and that’s before they had their guy sent off. I thought we did very, very well.
“Second half I felt there was going to be one winner really. We had a great game plan set out but unfortunately Conor Hagan, making his debut, got caught up in the emotional side of it and got two silly bookings and got sent off and it evened it up.
“I still thought we were in with a chance but then we lost Lee Shearer – and Nathan Paul – to injury, Ben Lewis is struggling with a groin strain and we had to bring a young lad on (Rob Lyall) and we had to go for it obviously because they’re winning and I thought they could have nicked a few in the end.
“As annoyed I was with them last week (for losing 2-1 at struggling Carshalton Athletic) I think they done really well today.”
Walker expressed his feelings on the game’s two red cards, starting with Webb’s horror challenge on Hagan.
“He took Conor on the knee and Conor’s got stud marks all across his knee,” Walker fumed.
“When he took him out I thought that was a straight red.
“The ones that Conor got sent off for in my opinion, two bookable offences.
“I think he got caught up in the emotion. It’s his debut, big game, big crowd, he’s desperate to do well and I thought he was playing very well but unfortunately a moment of madness or a couple moments of madness and without a shadow of a doubt I think Conor’s lost us three points today because I think if he stayed on the pitch with a game plan that we had we would have turned them over today and got three points.”
But Walker insisted Hagan will be a very good player for the Stones.
“He’s moved over here to live with his uncle in Rainham,” said Walker.
“He’s been fantastically keen and been at training, been at all the games since he’s been over and we’ve managed to get his international clearance and his devastated in the dressing room.
“He's apologised to all the boys but the Maidstone fans have got to take a look at what he did before he got sent off.
“I thought he was superb. He will bring a lot of quality to us.”
Walker believes he will be able to bring in two new additions by the time they travel to Boreham Wood next Saturday.
“We’re trying to get a couple of players in this week, which will help us out and hopefully we may get one or two people maybe back (from injury) for next week,” he said.
“We’ve lost a couple today so we’re just patching them up and sending out who we can at the moment.
"We're going to take a roll-call and see whose fit next week to see if we can even train - it's going to be a tough week for us.
"We're working hard to bring in a couple of players for next week and I think I've managed to do something but we'll talk about that later in ther week but we are very much down to the bare bones.
"It's probably the worst that I've had, I've been saying this for a few weeks now, it's the worst situation injuries wise I've ever known at any club."
Walker didn’t want to reveal the identities of his targets, but added: “I’d rather keep it under my hat at the moment because they will be two very big signings for the club if it does come off.”
Maidstone United: Pat Mullin, Nathan Paul (Rob Lyall 67), Craig Roser (Ray Freeman 87), Ben Lewis, Lee Shearer (Aaron Lacy 54), Conor Hagan, Sam Tydeman, Rob Owen, Mo Takaloo, Alex Tiesse, Nick Hegley.
Subs: Lloyd Hume, Steve Northwood.
Booked: Lloyd Hume 26, Conor Hagan 54, Rob Lyall 80, Mo Takaloo 90
Sent off: Conor Hagan 56
AFC Wimbledon: Lee Butcher, Will Salmon, Michael Haswell, Mark Beard, Jason Goodliffe, Rob Quinn (Anthony Howard 14), Steve Ferguson, Jake Leberl, Daniel Webb, Mark De Bolla (Jon Main 45), Tony Finn (Sam Hatton 31).
Subs: Richard Jolly, Chris Hussey.
Goals: Mark De Bolla 2 (pen), Tony Finn 10
Booked: Mark Beard 25
Sent off: Daniel Webb 26
Attendance: 1,224
Referee: Mr Gary Jerden (Grays, Essex)
Assistants: Mr J Macey & Mr P Burton
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