HORSHAM 1 MAIDSTONE UNITED 2
A late winner from leading goalscorer Tom Leahy ensured Maidstone United remained top of the National League South as Craig Fagan’s side claimed a narrow 2-1 victory over strugglers Horsham. JACK FOULGER reports. Picture by Helen Cooper.
TEAM NEWS
The Stones made two changes to the XI that lost 2-1 to Truro City a fortnight ago, as winger Leone Gravata returned from injury to face his former side, for whom he featured 42 times last season whilst chipping in with seven goal contributions. Skipper George Fowler also made his return to the starting lineup as teammates Frankie Hvid and Alex Stepien-Iwumene had to settle for a place on the bench.
For the Hornets, midfielder Danny Barker replaced last week’s goalscorer Ronan Silva as Dominic Di Paola made just one change from his side’s recent FA Cup defeat to Plymouth Parkway.
MATCH SUMMARY
Much like Maidstone’s last visit to Hop Oast Park in April, the game started off as a rather cagey affair, with neither side creating much clear-cut action in the opening exchanges.
However, about half way through the first period, Maidstone were given a golden chance to break the deadlock as Ashley Nadesan’s challenge on Riley Court in the box was deemed sufficient for referee Jack Willmore to point to the spot. The Stones would go on to take full advantage with Nana Boateng calmly slotting away the spot kick to claim his second goal in as many matches.
After comfortably seeing the lead through to the break, Maidstone looked to be in pole position to leave West Sussex with all three points. However, a nightmare start to the second 45 saw Craig Fagan’s side left stung as midfielder Charlie Hester-Cook nodded the ball home following a pin-point cross from winger Reece Meekums.
With Horsham’s equaliser seemingly giving them a new lease of life, the Lardy Army continued to pile pressure on the Stones’ defence. A flurry of dangerous-looking chances came and went, as Hester-Cook and Jamie Yila both came close to turning the game around, whilst Maidstone had a couple of their own, with Nana Boateng and Ken Charles both having close-range shots that went wide.
Fast forward to the 87th minute, and what seemed like a routine back-playing header by Hornets captain Jack Brivio was swiftly intercepted by Tom Leahy before it could reach ‘keeper Michael Dike. The Stones’ top goalscorer made no mistake, quickly bringing the ball down before tapping into an empty net to ensure his side’s first victory in 32 days.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Effectiveness Restored: For much of the past month, it had arguably felt like the Stones’ cohesiveness as a team had taken a major dent. In particular, opposition crosses into the box and fragmented transitional play seemed to be the areas hurting them the most – not because performances were lacking in effort and desire, but more so because the squad looked to be overcomplicating gameplans more often than not.
However, Saturday’s performance certainly felt much more stripped back, with it adopting an increasingly proactive and organised setup. That ultimately paid dividends when managing key phases including Horsham’s frequent attacking spells in both halves. An improved organisation and structure at the back allowed the Stones to collectively manage several dangerous chances and advance forward with more fluidity. Whilst still short of the free-flowing play seen in the opening weeks of the campaign, the resulting attacking momentum often allowed Maidstone to open up pockets of space out wide for the forward-line to exploit as a unit (as most evident in the build-up to the penalty).
Winning Ugly: As with any division, being top of the NL South this far into the season is going to give opponents that extra 10-20 percent motivation to beat you more often than not. Whilst not an excuse for below-par performances, it can certainly open up the need for an additional dimension of character to get victories over the line. Saturday’s win certainly saw the Stones show just that at the right moments, with both goals ultimately stemming from Craig Fagan’s side creating substance out of tight situations. Riley Court arguably played a key part in creating the foul that won the penalty whilst Tom Leahy was able to bag the winner from what initially seemed like a completed defensive move for Horsham. As useful as explosive attacking football might seem at times, the ability to capitalise on awkward, gritty moments can often be what dictates a side’s fate at the end of a season.
LOOKING AHEAD
Next Saturday sees the Stones return to the county town as they entertain Ryan Peters’ Maidenhead United, hoping to make it consecutive wins and preserve their lead at the NL South summit. The Magpies currently sit 16th in the league table, most recently suffering a 1-0 home defeat to Tonbridge Angels courtesy of a late winner from striker Frankie Baker.
As for Horsham, the Lardy Army are due to travel to Arbour Park to take on managerless Slough Town, who themselves are enduring a torrid start to the campaign with just four points from their first 11 matches, leaving the Rebels at the foot of the table.
