Maidstone United 4-0 Whitstable Town

MAIDSTONE UNITED  4-0  WHITSTABLE TOWN
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 31^st December 2011
Paul Parkinson reports from Bourne Park

Having just broken a poor run of form with their first win in 6 games, Maidstone United rounded off the old year in clinical style, hitting four past a Whitstable side literally hamstrung by injuries.  


A fortunate strike from Sam Bewick was the only difference at the break, but Maidstone added three further goals to seal a morale-boosting win.

For Oystermen boss, Justin Luchford, it could be a case of back to the drawing board, as he tries to piece together a side to face Folkestone on Monday, as he lost Alfie Munday, Dane Luchford and Steven Lloyd to injuries early in the second half, and forward Damian Abel was a virtual passenger for the last half hour due to an Achilles problem.

With Shaun Welford returning to the starting line-up after suspension, Maidstone gained the key presence in the game, as Welford terrorised Lloyd and debutant Oliver Thompson all afternoon.  

But it was Welford’s strike partner, Alex Waugh who had the ball in the net within 100 seconds, glancing in Ellis Green’s left wing cross, only to see the offside flag raised to rule out his effort.

The home side were edging the chances in a competitive first half, with Ash Greenwood firing two shots wide of the Whitstable goal, before the breakthrough arrived in the 27th minute.

Bewick took a free kick from the right touchline, about 35 yards out from goal and curled a dangerous looking ball into the six-yard box.  Waugh made a run across the front of Whitstable keeper, Jack Smelt, but failed to get a touch, and this was enough to distract the keeper, as the ball bounced into the right hand corner.  

Bewick almost seemed embarrassed to get the congratulations of his team-mates.

A Shane Hamshare drive into the car park was the closest the visitors came to threatening Darren Hawkes’ goal, but Waugh had two further efforts to extend the Maidstone lead.  First, curling a right foot effort across the face of goal, then attempting an overhead kick after a good run by Green, but this chance deflected away off Lloyd.

Confusion reigned at the break as the officials’ restarted play with Whitstable only having 10 men on the pitch, due to Munday’s injury, and the Oystermen never really recovered once the change had been allowed.  

Welford miss-hit a volley into the ground and straight at Smelt, before the visitors’ best chance of the match.

A good run and cross from Dane Luchford was met by Stuart Vahid’s header and, after the ball crashed back from the face of the bar Scott Heard couldn’t latch onto the rebound with a solid effort and the ball trickled through to a relieved Hawkes.

Welford steered a header over the angle of post and bar from a Green corner, before both he and Waugh failed to connect with a Green cross that flashed across the six-yard box.  

But Whitstable’s problems were only mounting!

Both Luchford and Lloyd were forced off by the hour and with Abel struggling to move, the introduction of the pacy Baff Addae was the last thing Whitstable’s defence wanted to see.

Immediately, the substitute got into the game, running at James Brown, setting up a Bewick piledriver that was well saved by Smelt, then Waugh’s shot from the corner was cleared off the line by Heard.

But the second goal arrived on 69 minutes.  Addae broke clear down the right flank, played the ball inside to Bewick, who stood up a cross into the middle, where Waugh was able to direct his header into the right hand corner.

Waugh could have had another soon after from another Addae run and cross, but steered his volley wide, before Addae shot straight at Smelt having created his own chance.  

In response, Abel somehow managed to get a shot away when under pressure from Graeme Andrews, but this flew high over the bar.

Despite desperate defending from the Whitstable defence, Maidstone scored a third in the 84th minute as James Pinnock and Green combined to release Tom Mills into the box, where the full-back pulled the ball back for Pinnock to calmly slot under Smelt.

A minute later it should have been four as Addae weaved past three dispirited defenders, but shot across the goal with the target at his mercy, but the fourth arrived in stoppage time.

Michael Phillips picked up a misplaced pass in his own half before releasing Green in behind the Whitstable defence.  Green took the ball into the area before driving low through Smelt’s legs to make it a very happy New Year for the Stones’second highest crowd of the season.

Maidstone United:  Darren Hawkes, Tommy Osborne, Tom Mills, Sam Groombridge, Graeme Andrews, Ash Greenwood (Baff Addae 63), Ellis Green, Sam Bewick, Shaun Welford, Alex Waugh (James Pinnock 80), Michael Phillips.
Subs: Jay Saunders, Danny Lye, Marc Powell.

Goals: Sam Bewick 27, Alex Waugh 69, James Pinnock 84, Ellis Green 90

Booked:  Michael Phillips 18, Shaun Welford 30

Whitstable Town:  Jack Smelt, Alfie Munday (James Brown 47), Gary Sayer, Shane Hamshare, Steven Lloyd (Ryan Moreby 63), Oliver Thompson, Dane Luchford (John Paul Collier 59), Scott Heard, Stuart Vahid, Damian Abel, James Morrish.
Subs: Joe Hitchings, Dan Hadlow

Bookings: James Morrish 45, Scott Heard 57, John Paul Collier 88

Attendance: 458
Referee: Mr Stuart Franklin (Wickford, Essex)
Assistants: Mr Lee Dyson (Gravesend) and Mr Tim Burman (Stone)