|
The Stones' made their annual
pre-season trip to the South Coast this weekend and
combined a weekend based in Bournemouth for training
and team bonding with a fixture against Wessex League
side Winchester City.
United were making their first visit to the City Ground
since triumphing 3-0 in an FA Cup tie in August 2005
when both teams were leading lights in their Step 5
competitions. Since that time each club has stepped
up to the Southern and Isthmian Leagues respectively
but whereas The Stones have moved onto the Premier Division
of the Isthmian League, City have dropped back to the
Wessex League just at the end of last season.
The Stones turned out wearing their brand new change
strip of all sky blue for the first time for this fixture
but unfortunately the skies were not the same colour
as their strip as the game was played almost entirely
in a constant soaking drizzle.
Maidstone played with a 4-4-2 formation in the first
half and commanded a far larger percentage of possession
than the home side. As early as the second minute The
Stones could have scored as Jimmy Bottle dispossessed
the centre half and clipped a delicate shot narrowly
over the cross bar from 20 yards out.
The next clear opportunity for the visitors arrived
25 minutes later when following a poorly taken goal
kick by the City keeper, Bottle collected the ball and
drove into the penalty area. He cut the ball back to
James Pinnock and his low shot struck the inside of
the post. The ball came out to Ant Bodle but his powerful
shot was charged down by the home defence.
The Stones quickly created another chance as Dan Stubbs
went on a surging 40 yard run through the centre of
the field. Stubbs unselfishly laid the ball to the feet
of Bottle who in turn played it into the path of Pinnock
but his 15 yard shot went narrowly wide of goal. Five
minutes before half time Bottle was presented with a
chance that was similar to his second minute opportunity
and again on this occasion the new signing fired narrowly
over the goal.
Early in the second half The Stones exerted immediate
pressure and Butch Ulph ran at the defence cut into
the penalty area and fired narrowly over the cross bar.
Eventually the opening goal arrived in the 57th minute.
Alan Pouton's deep free kick from the left was won in
the air at the back post. Pinnock reacted first to the
loose ball but again his shot struck the upright. Jay
Saunders was the first player to react and he smashed
the ball home from five yards out.
Just after the hour mark, Maidstone made 3 substitutions
when Tom Parkinson, Steve Elliott and Ashley Dann entered
the fray in place of Jay Saunders, James Peacock and
Dan Stubbs. This change also saw The Stones employ the
4-3-3 formation for the remainder of the game. The change
paid dividends within five minutes as Dann scored his
maiden first team goal.
From a Winchester corner Jamie Turner collected the
ball and sent an immediate long clearance forward. The
ball made a long bounce on the wet surface and Dann
raced past the centre back before firing confidently
into the bottom right hand corner of the net with his
left foot from 18 yards out.
Within four minutes Bodle, who had a particularly strong
game in central midfield, fired a rasping effort fractionally
over the bar from 25 yards out. The home side never
faltered in their efforts to get back into the game
and mustered two decent attempts before the end of the
game. However, Turner was not troubled by either effort
and his clean sheet was maintained.
|
