Maidstone United 4-2 Godalming Town - We've shown good character to come back, says Saunders

Although Saunders admitted later that he was disappointed with the opening to the match, it was the home side that created early opportunities. 

The Maidstone manager added, “Compared to how we’ve been starting recently, I didn’t think we started well today.   I said to the boys that disappointed me because we’ve got the ability, pace and work rate to come out of the blocks quick.

“But we’ve shown good character to come back.  Alex Waugh’s come in and scored a couple of good goals, and we’ve kept going.  Even when they’ve scored their second, and there was an appeal for one that might have crossed the line – I didn’t see it myself – we’ve kept going and shown good character.”

After four minutes, Flisher put a low cross into the box from the left wing, from which Ellis Green saw his shot pushed away by Godalming keeper Lee Pearce. 

Then, three minutes later, after flicks by Flisher and Welford, Waugh’s volley crept past Pearce’s right hand post.

But it was the visitors who made the breakthrough in the ninth minute with their first real attack of the game. 

Tom Mills’ attempted clearance from a long ball pumped forward fell to Darren Wheeler on the right edge of the area.  Wheeler cut inside the fullback and drilled a low shot just inside Mitten’s left hand post.

Maidstone hit back immediately, with Welford finding himself in space in the box to meet Green’s free-kick, but couldn’t direct his header on target, then Waugh turned his defender on the edge, but could only drag his effort across goal.

Godalming, sitting back to protect their lead, were looking to hit long balls over the Maidstone back four, and in the 17th minute, Scott Harris broke free of Graeme Andrews’ attentions to latch onto Ryan Lake’s pass, but didn’t trouble Mitten, as he pulled his shot across the face of the goal.

Maidstone deservedly equalised in the 29th minute as Waugh managed to get in front of Pearce to meet Green’s left wing corner and flick home a header for his 5th goal of the season.

After a 19 man melee held the game up (following a late Flisher challenge on Guy Hollis), Waugh put the home side ahead on 36 minutes, capitalising on an enterprising run from Mills to drill home his second from the edge of the box. 

Saunders was full of praise for Waugh in only his fourth start of the season, stating “Alex was on fire pre-season.  He’s a natural goalscorer and I had the feeling that if things go in the box, he’d put them away.

“In the last couple of games we’ve had chances early but not put them away, so I said to Pouts (assistant manager Alan Pouton) that he’s waited patiently, not missed a training session, not moaned, and I’ve got confidence that he’ll score goals.”

Mitten had to be alert two minutes later to block a Jon Palmer shot with his legs, after good work from Wheeler, then Pearce showed good reflexes to turn a deflected Flisher cross over as it threatened to drop under his bar.

After the break, Welford had two good chances to extend Maidstone’s lead.

First he latched onto Sam Bewick’s deep cross but saw his header cannon agonisingly off the left hand post with Pearce well beaten in the Godalming goal, before Pearce reacted well to block a low Welford shot, having picked up a deflected pass meant for his strike partner, Waugh.

But the goal that looked likely finally happened in the 57th minute. 

Mills won a defensive header on the halfway line and the ball fell kindly to Flisher.  The left winger outpaced two men, then burst through Adam Foulser’s attempted tackle to drill a low shot under Pearce and in at his right hand post.

Midway through the half, Mitten had to receive treatment from Andy Hyland, and it looked initially that his participation might be over.

Even Saunders considered replacing the veteran stopper “Charlie couldn’t kick the ball, so it did affect the team.  We thought about taking him off, but every goalkeeper I’ve wanted to bring in to give backup wants to be number one, not a number two, and Charlie’s been doing well.  Graeme Andrews was the other option, and he’s a very good goalkeeper, but he was having a good game at centre-half, so it would cause another problem if we took him out of there.  Charlie said he could play on and made a couple of good saves.”

Godalming looked to capitalise on Mitten’s problems immediately and it took a good block from Mills to deny George Short’s effort, but there were still hearts in mouths as the ball squeezed past the post.

Mitten pulled off a wonderful save high to his left side as Harris’ shot looked to be going in at the angle of post and bar on 74 minutes, but Godalming pulled a goal back from the resulting corner. 

A swinging ball into the near post dropped amongst a crowd of players and Harris reacted quickest to slam the ball home from about two yards.

40 seconds later, it looked as though the visitors might have equalised, as Bewick somehow managed to scramble the ball away from the right hand post from substitute Gavin Smith’s header. 

In the aftermath, with half of the Godalming team appealing for the goal and the other half crying out for a penalty, claiming Bewick had handled, referee Mr Franklin calmly pointed to his chest and got on with the game.

Saunders was magnanimous after the game saying, “Godalming were saying it was over the line, but I didn’t get a clear view and a couple of our boys are saying they weren’t 100% sure.  I’ve said to the lads that when you work hard, give 100%, sometimes you get that bit of luck, sometimes you need it. 

“But I thought there could have been a couple of decisions at the other end that might have gone our way, that’s the way it goes.”

To quell the pressure on the Maidstone goal, Waugh was replaced (to a well deserved ovation) by the pacy Baff Addae with 13 minutes left, and in the closing minutes his running caused chaos in a Godalming defence shorn of players who had pushed forward searching for an equaliser.

On 84 minutes, Addae drove into the Godalming area and although his cross-shot fell to Welford, the big forward would have been relieved to see the offside flag, as his shot from two yards came back off the left hand post, right across the goal-line and away to safety.

A minute later, Addae again held of two defenders, chipped to the back post, where Flisher could only head into the side netting.

The game was sealed four minutes into stoppage time, as Addae turned Lake inside-out on the right edge of the area, cut inside and unleashed a powerful shot that Pearce could only parry into the air.  This time Welford made no mistake from 6 yards, heading into the unguarded net.

There was still time for Pearce to save well low to his left to deny replacement Tommy Osborne a first Maidstone goal, but by this stage, Godalming were a well-beaten side.

Maidstone United: Charlie Mitten, Sam Bewick, Tom Mills, Danny Lye, Graeme Andrews, Michael Phillips, Ellis Green (Tommy Osborne 81), Jay Saunders, Shaun Welford, Alex Waugh (Baff Addae 77), Alex Flisher.
Subs: Karl Knight, James Pinnock, James Abraham

Goals: Alex Waugh 29 & 36, Alex Flisher 57, Shaun Welford 90

Booked: Alex Flisher 34, Michael Phillips 62

Godalming Town:  Lee Pearce, Guy Hollis, Ryan Lake, Antonio Simeone (Damien Smith 88), Adam Foulser, Brett Cooper, George Short (Gavin Smith 68), Jamie McClure, Scott Harris, Darren Wheeler, Jon Palmer (Wes Harrison 65).
Sub: Jon Underwood

Goals: Darren Wheeler 9, Scott Harris 75.

Booked: Antonio Simeone 22

Attendance: 317
Referee: Mr Stuart Franklin (Wickford, Essex)
Assistants: Mr Nick Dunn (Deal) and Mr Mike Marsh (Herne Bay)