MAIDSTONE UNITED 1 TRURO CITY 2
By Jack Foulger
A quick-fire double from midfielder Jack Stretton was enough to see the Stones fall to their second defeat in a week as Truro City came from behind to claim all three points last Saturday.
THE TEAMS
Craig Fagan made three changes to the side that crashed out of the FA Cup last Tuesday as George Fowler, Tariq Uwakwe and Stan Leech all made way for Dermi Lusala, Ken Charles and Nana Boateng in search of a positive response. Leone Gravata remained the only major absentee, having not featured since the defeat to Braintree a fortnight ago.
For the Tinners, Yassine En-Neyah and Tom Tweedy were brought into the starting XI at the expense of Tom Dean and Ben Starkie, who both had to settle for places on the bench.
MATCH SUMMARY
A quiet first-half saw the Stones dominate possession without putting any substantial level of pressure on Aidan Stone in the Truro net. The Cornish side very much looked to be saving their energy and attacking efforts for the second-half, which seemed to be working in their favour until shortly before the break.
Just after the 40-minute mark, a through ball to Dermi Lusala resulted in the Stones defender getting caught by Harvey Greenslade with the referee deciding to award a penalty to the home team. Nana Boateng stepped up before calmly converting as the former Sutton and Hampton man scored his first competitive goal in black and amber.
Following the interval, it was the Tinners who started the brightest as they piled more bodies forward in search of a leveller. After 30 minutes of persistence, John Askey’s side eventually had their efforts rewarded. A low-driven cross from Connor Riley-Lowe drifted past three Stones defenders, before finding the feet of midfielder Jack Stretton, who slotted the ball underneath Lenny Holden. Just four minutes later, it was the same man who struck again in the wake of a powerful strike from captain Will Dean from just outside the box that quickly deflected off the 25-year-old’s head before landing in the net.
Maidstone spent much of the final 10 minutes trying to salvage a point, with loanee Stan Leech notably being denied a goal on his league debut by the post. Unfortunately, time eventually ran out with Craig Fagan’s side falling to their third defeat in four competitive matches.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Collectively Disconnected: Over the past few seasons, the Stones have been praised for their ability to work effectively as a team unit, achieving a number of results that many continue to view as an overperformance based on playing budgets and the calibre of players on paper. At what felt like many points however, Saturday’s game yielded a pattern of numerous players arguably playing as individuals as opposed to as a team.
For me, this mostly showed in the second half as Truro’s prolonged pressure created several opportunities for Maidstone to quickly extend their lead on the break. On several occasions, it felt as if some forward players lacked the initiative to utilise their colleagues more effectively, with there being more than one instance of a Stones attacker opting for an unrealistic solo effort as opposed to playing the ball to someone who could have a one-on-one chance against the ‘keeper.
Had one of those balls been made, the game’s narrative could’ve potentially been vastly different with a 2-0 lead creating a much bigger mountain for the Tinners to climb.
Urgency vs Panic: Much of the reason that Maidstone claimed six wins from their first eight games was arguably down to their urgency and quick reactions to expose opposition errors and confidently initiate clinical passages of play. In particular, I think back to the Hampton game last Bank Holiday when two of the Stones’ four goals came from dynamic counterattacks that turned defensive phases into successful attacks in a handful of seconds. However, the past four matches, including Saturday in particular, has seen noticeably less conviction and composure following turnovers in play, with numerous balls poorly hit and targeted at low-opportunity locations. Much of this feels down to the squad trying to force a quick tempo out of fear rather than naturally allowing promising attacking phases to form and then taking advantage.
LOOKING AHEAD
Given their recent elimination from the FA Cup, the Stones aren’t due to return to action for two weeks until their away trip to Horsham, who currently sit 16th in the NL South table following Saturday’s goalless draw at Chelmsford City.
Unlike the Stones, the West Sussex outfit will be in action this coming weekend as they make the trek down to South Devon to face Step 3 side Plymouth Parkway in a Third Qualifying Round tie.
