Tuesday 27th September 2011 // Ryman League Division One South // Att: 167 // Report by Darren Lovell
This was a game that The Stones threatened to run away with in the first half but because of an inability to take the chances that they made combined with the resilience of the home side it became a game that they rescued late on after falling behind.
For the neutral fan this game would have been hugely enjoyable as the tempo at which it was played in the first half was relentless. There were chances galore in the first half but amazingly only two goals.
Ellis Green was in blistering form from the outset and he caused havoc down both flanks with his willingness to run at defenders. In the 6th minute he ran from half way beating three men and forcing a save from Joel Harding in The Hillians goal. Within a minute Shaun Welford had won a header to set up Karl Knight. His effort was saved and Baff Addae’s follow up effort was then blocked.
The attacking pressure from Maidstone was high and in the 11th minute the deadlock was broken. Addae collected the ball wide on the right and took on his marker beating him. With Welford and Green calling for the ball to be squared, Addae instead drilled a low powerful shot in at the near post which was too powerful for Harding. Within two minutes the home side issued a reminder that they too had some attacking potency as Akwasi Edusei went by Tom Mills and fired in a low cross to the near post. The cross was met first time by Jones Awuah but his instinctive strike went narrowly over Charlie Mitten’s bar.
The Stones again went forward and Welford headed into the path of Addae whose shot brought a good save out of Harding. With 24 minutes played Green again went past his marker before narrowly missing the target from the edge of the area and then just a few minutes later Green hammered a free kick just over the bar from 25 yards.
All of this attacking dominance counted for nothing though as in the 29th minute Burges Hill equalised. Tyrone Berry capitalised on some hesitant defensive work on the left hand side of the area and following a helpful ricochet off of Green’s shin, Berry cut across the front of the area and smashed home a low curling effort into the far corner of Mitten’s goal.
Green then switched wings and in the 38th minute he skinned Adusei before firing the ball across goal to Welford to knock home at the far post. The joy was short lived though as the goal was questionably disallowed for offside.
The second half began with the home side on the front foot and Berry hooked a shot just over the top of the goal. Graeme Andrews then foiled a break and cleared the ball onto the head of Welford who in turn flicked the ball into the path of Addae. The striker was forced wide of goal as he rounded the keeper and he accurately rolled the ball towards goal only to see Craig Hall intercept the ball before it made its’ way over the line.
Tommy Osborne then won the ball in an advanced position and fed a pass to Addae. His low cross found Welford who knocked the ball just wide of the target. Despite being in the ascendancy, Maidstone found themselves 2-1 down in the 65th minute. Berry was wide on the left hand side and he put over a cross that drifted across goal and over Mitten before striking the far post and nestling into the back of the net.
The Stones were stunned into action and player-manager Jay Saunders replaced Karl Knight. Within five minutes of this change Maidstone were on level terms. Addae’s rich vein of form continued as he struck a powerful low drive from just outside of the area into the bottom right corner of Harding’s net. Buoyed by this goal The Stones then went ahead in the 74th minute. Sam Bewick hit a hard shot which Harding could not hold and Welford was the first to react as he knocked the ball home from close range.
With Maidstone firing on all cylinders they had a second goal controversially disallowed. Mills had crashed in a 25 yard drive which deflected off Bradley Murphy and looped onto the cross bar. Again Welford was quick to react as he buried the ball into the back of the net but he was stunned and annoyed to see the assistant’s flag raised. Fortunately for The Stones they were able to see out the rest of the game without drama and in doing so they recorded their eighth successive win.
Burgess Hill Town: Berry 29, 65.
Maidstone United: Addae 11, 72, Welford 74.
Burgess Hill Town: Harding, Hall, ,Edusei, Murray, Parkinson, Watts, Berry, Tregear, Awuah, Hayward, Rhodes. Subs: Cotton. Lockyer, Melia, Holland, Koffi
Maidstone United: Charlie Mitten, Tommy Osbourne, Tom Mills, Nick Reeves, Graeme Andrews, Danny Lye, Ellis Green (Alex Waugh 62mins), Sam Bewick, Shaun Welford, Baff Addae (Jay Saunders 77mins), Alex Flisher. Subs not used: James Pinnock, Karl Knight, Jimmy Humphris.
- Matchday Photos from Steve Terrell
- Man of the Match Poll
- Interview with Jay Saunders
- Ryman League Division One South Table (as at 27/9/11)
