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Following two entertaining
pre-season games so far for The Stones it was fair to
say that this game was nowhere near the same quality
as Whyteleafe and Maidstone United struggled to a dour
draw on a hard and uneven surface at Church Lane.
The game was bereft of any goal mouth incident whatsoever
until the 30th minute when Adrian Stone struck a shot
from just inside the penalty area that was well saved
by the home goalkeeper. Maidstone had two further efforts
of note before the interval.
Firstly Keelan Mooney, Stone and Danny Hockton combined
to tee up Antonio Gonnella who saw his shot comfortably
saved and then Gonnella fed Stone who failed to convert
his one on one chance with the keeper.
Attacking up the slope, the home side shocked The Stones
by going ahead in the 48th minute with a fantastic goal.
Midfielder Tony Martin pulled the trigger from fully
30 yards out and saw his shot whistle past the helpless
Andy Walker in the Maidstone goal.
Maidstone responded with Stone's cross from the right
that found the head of Simon Pettit but his effort went
over the cross bar. The home side threatened only once
more in the game when Walker was forced into an acrobatic
one handed save in the 64th minute.
With only five minutes remaining it appeared that Maidstone
were going to fall to a very disappointing defeat but
they managed to create three late chances. Jake Hobbs
crossed from the right only to see Mooney head straight
at the keeper and then Hobbs' corner was met by the
head of Pettit who saw his goal bound effort headed
clear from the line.
With the game in stoppage time The Stones grabbed a
draw when Hockton shot right-footed on the turn from
15 yards out. Despite "strangling" his strike,
the ball somehow found itself nestling in the bottom
left corner of the net. As the home side kicked off
referee Nigel Lugg then blew for full time.
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