Maidstone United 2-0 Hythe Town - We're being punished for our mistakes, says Scott Porter

MAIDSTONE UNITED 2-0 HYTHE TOWN
Ryman League Division One South
Wednesday 5^th October 2011
Mike Green reports from Bourne Park

An unfortunate own goal from former Stone Laurence Harvey and a trademark predatory second late on from James Pinnock secured Maidstone United's seventh straight league win condemned Hythe Town to defeat in a fiercely contested Kent derby on a blustery night at Bourne Park.

Since losing their first two league games of the season, Jay Saunders has seen his side take a maximum twenty points from the seven Ryman League Division One South games played, although the Stones boss admitted that he wasn't totally satisfied with sides evening. 

He said: "Happy to win yes, but not with the first half performance. We knew what Hythe would be about and the way they play - they do it well to be honest what with (Aaron) Lacy's throws they try and turn you early and I didn't think that we dealt with it first half and we gave them a bit of a rollocking at half time. They came out second half and showed what they could do."
 
In a game played in an increasingly cold swirling wind, Saunders admitted, "It was awkward to play tonight but I thought they adapted to them much better than we did - it was a blow losing Danny Lye before the game who gives you that presence in there, but it’s about making the right decisions in there.  

“I thought our centre halves played well tonight - they weren't great first half but in the second I thought they were both superb - but that goes for the whole back four who all played really well tonight. Even Charlie (Mitten) made a couple of very good saves for us, which made up for Saturday - it was important for him to keep a clean sheet tonight, We know he's a good keeper and he had one of those days unfortunately."
 
Hythe Town boss Scott Porter was left rueing what might have been for his newly promoted side - he said: "We frustrated them for a long time and hit the post ourselves a couple of times, but we're making too many silly mistakes are costing us at the moment.

“We put everything into that game tonight and Maidstone did get frustrated and we've limited them to a couple of chances, but if you're up the top you seem to get the luck and if you're not you don’t and I have to say that that’s what it feels like tonight!

“The corner for the first goal proved the point - they've dragged the lad off of the near post and we needed someone to take command and clear the ball away. And then there was a sloppy second goal one where we've just gone up the other end, and hit the post. But that sums up the way we're going at the moment - we're putting in a lot of hard work but not getting any rewards out of it!"
 
The first half was very much a stop start affair which wasn’t helped my some very fussy officiating by Mr Webb, with neither keeper really being tested. 

Indeed it was the visitors who went closest nine minutes from half time when Brendon Cass headed Lee Winfield's free kick against the Stones right post. 

The home side created a couple of half chances - one saw Baff Addae create room for himself on the edge of the box before curling a fine effort narrowly wide of Paul Egan's right post, and the second saw Graeme Andrews flash a header inches wide following a whipped free kick wide on the left. 

The Stones lost Ellis Green to a hamstring injury just before the break, and it was the introduction of Pinnock that in the end was to prove vital, as it was to release Addae from his central striking role to take Green's place on the right wing, and it was from there that Addae was to prove a second half thorn in the Hythe side. 

His manager though revealed that it took a half time lecture for Addae to convince him that he could become a match winner.  "We said that to Baff," Saunders admitted.   "We had to have a go at him at half time and we shouldn't have to do that to get a response out of him as his pace is frightening - he will cause people problems. And I just don't know whether its belief or what - maybe a bit of tiredness as he hasn't played five games on the trot for a while now - when he opens his legs there aren't many defenders going to catch him."
 
The games first corner on 65 minutes led to the games opening goal - Alex Flisher whipped in a corner from the right, and it seemed to hit the unfortunate Harvey on the knee before almost apologetically rebounding past a stranded Egan and into the net. 

To their credit, Hythe upped their game and Cass brought a smart save out of Mitten before Dave Cook almost played the ball of the season to release Cass - sadly for the visitors the ball was just over hit allowing Tom Mills to reach the ball just as Cass appeared destined to equalise.
 
The game finally now was flowing from end to end - Egan pulled off a fine 75th minute near post tip over to dent Jimmy Humphris after Addae had sprinted clear down the right before Hythe struck the post for the second time in the game on 85 minutes. 

Walker did brilliantly down the left riding two challenges before sending over a cross that a back pedalling Mitten had to touch over the bar, and from the corner an unmarked Cook thundered a header off of the right post.
 
The game was sealed just four minutes from time - Addae broke down the right after collecting a wayward clearance, and after Walker had blocked the initial shot, Addae pulled the ball back for Pinnock who's first time drive flew into the roof of the net, leaving the Hythe boss frustrated. 

Porter said, "You take a lot of things out of certain games the same way you don’t take anything out of some. But I do take a lot out of tonight as I told the lads on the pitch after the game - they've got to be proud of what they did tonight as we've made a good side look very ordinary for long periods of the game, but its the mistakes that are killing us at the moment!

“We're not taking the pressure off the back by scoring at the other end which is where we are at the moment. But we will take a lot of things out of tonight for our next game that's for sure.

I've said since we got promoted that the mistakes we got away with last year you get punished for this year - we've got to learn and we've got to learn quick and stop making the mistakes.

“At the minute there's not been any teams that have gone out there and played us off the park to deserve the victory and that’s what really annoys me at the moment because we've deserved something out of most of the games that we've played.

“But as I've said, we'll take the plusses out of tonight and move onto Saturday's home game with Croydon Athletic."

Maidstone United: Charlie Mitten, Tommy Osborne, Tom Mills, Nick Reeves, Graeme Andrews, Jimmy Humphris (Jay Saunders 76), Ellis Green (James Pinnock 43), Sam Bewick, Shaun Welford, Baff Addae, Alex Flischer.
Subs:  Alex Waugh, Karl Knight, Danny Lye

Goals: Lawrence Harvey 66 (own goal), James Pinnock 88
 
Booked: Tom Mills 35, Graeme Andrews 37, James Pinnock 47, Shaun Welford 89
 
Hythe Town:  Paul Egan, Aaron Lacy, John Walker, Pat Kingwell, Laurence Harvey, Ronnie Dolan, Dave Cook, Nick Barnes, Craig Thompson, Brendon Cass, Lee Winfield (James Dryden 79).
Subs:  Lloyd Blackman, Taser Hassan, Ashley Porter, Greg Smith
 
Booked:  Pat Kingwell 27, Dave Cook 78, Nick Barnes 90
 
Attendance: 323
Referee:  Mr M Webb
Assistants: Mr P Jones & Mr M Hayden