The shirt off his back? Alex Stepien-Iwumene is tugged as he slides in to a challenge. Picture by Steve Terrell.
MAIDSTONE UNITED 2 MAIDENHEAD UNITED 1
A clinical start to both halves saw Maidstone United extend their lead at the NL South summit to four points, as goals from Leone Gravata and Taylor Foran were enough to see Craig Fagan’s side claim a 2-1 victory over Maidenhead United. Report by JACK FOULGER.
TEAM NEWS
The Stones remained unchanged from the starting XI that narrowly beat Horsham seven days prior, with the only change to the matchday squad seeing striker Mark Boruk come onto the bench in place of the outgoing Aflie Tuck, following his departure on Thursday.
In the opposition camp, Magpies boss Ryan Peters made one change from his side’s 1-0 home defeat to Tonbridge Angels, with left-back Jordon Raguette replacing defensive colleague Joel-Michael Odeniran following his return from international duty with St. Vincent & the Grenadines.
MATCH SUMMARY
It didn’t take long for the game to spring into action after kick-off, as a frantic first few minutes resulted in Stones winger Leone Gravata being found unmarked to the right of the Maidenhead goal. The 25-year-old made an instant impact, bending the ball past Jordi van Stappershoef from an acute angle to give Maidstone a 1-0 lead.
Looking to make a swift response, the Berkshire outfit penned the Stones back for much of the following 20 minutes with little luck, in-turn having a flurry of unsuccessful corners amidst several other crosses that flashed across the face of goal. After having weathered the storm, Craig Fagan’s side also had a quick burst of chances themselves to double the advantage, with Ken Charles and Nana Boateng both narrowly short of converting.
The Stones remained 1-0 up going into the break, with goalscorer Gravata unfortunately having to be substituted with injury, just two matches since returning from his last setback.
Fast forward to the second 45, and the Stones once again struck early as a Riley Court corner found defender Taylor Foran who subsequently poked the ball home whilst entangled in a challenge with Maidenhead forward Josh Umerah.
Whilst Maidstone then looked to be cruising, it took just eight minutes for the Magpies to halve the deficit. Substitute Josh Coley finished off a sleek team move that saw his side carve open the Stones defence before the former Ebbsfleet man buried the ball to Lenny Holden’s left.
While many anticipated a nervy climax, Maidstone were able to regain control, with Craig Fagan’s side coming close to a third on numerous occasions while also doing enough to stave off Maidenhead’s counterattacking threat, to claim their first home win since September 5th.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Digging for Scraps: Much like the Horsham victory, this weekend’s game felt like a major test for Maidstone’s ability to physically dig deep and make the most of tight opportunities as and when they come. For much of the match, Maidenhead operated as a rough, physical unit essentially trying to absorb and break up the Stones’ play. However, much to the credit of Craig Fagan’s side, Maidstone consistently found ways to extract maximum value and opportunity from these situations. In particular, Taylor Foran’s goal shortly after half-time saw the former Bromley defender able to reach his leg out mid-tussle to knock the ball over the line. Similarly, Ken Charles’ golden chance in the first half stemmed from the striker’s ability to fight off strong physical resistance from Magpies defender David Mantle.
Momentum Beckons: Beyond the result itself, Saturday’s victory created a growing sense that the Stones’ frontline has several players who could potentially be on the verge of a prolific run of form. In particular, winger Jayden Davis injected a refreshing spark down the left-hand flank after being substituted on whilst towering striker Stan Leech also seemed to provide a dominant aerial presence that Maidstone had arguably been short of in recent weeks. At times, it feels like several forward players in the squad are just one goal away from going on a blistering run of form much like many Stones players in the past. Take Tom Leahy for example: the former Millwall man currently stands as the NL South’s second top goalscorer, having not netted until four games into the campaign despite showing consistent glimpses of quality prior. Similarly, the 2021/22 season didn’t see Jack Barham score the first of his 18 league goals until December before eventually going on a relentless run of form as Maidstone secured promotion to the National League. Ultimately, momentum is often built on confidence and one key moment can snowball to much greater significance in the long run.
UP NEXT
Following Saturday’s victory, Maidstone United are back on the road next weekend as they make the 444-mile round trip to face Torquay United on the English Riviera. Much like Maidenhead, the Gulls have experienced a frustrating start to the campaign, most recently being eliminated from the FA Cup after a 1-0 home loss to NL North high-flyers Oxford City.
The Magpies, on the other hand, are due to return to Kent once again, as they face Ebbsfleet United at Stonebridge Road next Saturday. Ryan Peters’ side met the Fleet as recently as last month when Maidenhead suffered a 3-1 cup loss at York Road courtesy of goals from Lennon Peake, Finlay Barnes and Camron Gbadebo.
