Saturday 26th August 2011 // FA Cup with Budweiser Preliminary Round // Attendance: 214 // Report by Ruth Tunnell
Maidstone United strolled into the next round of the FA Cup after they thrashed Kent League side Corinthian.
Following last weekend’s comprehensive victory over Crawley Down, The Stones continued to be incisive in front of goal as they took full advantage of some poor defending and goal keeping with striker Shaun Welford taking his tally to eight goals in just two matches.
It took only two minutes for Maidstone to take the lead when Graeme Andrews headed in his first goal for The Stones from a Jimmy Humphris cross but after that it was Corinthian who had a good spell and Charlie Mitten had to make a fine save to deny Ryan Johnson on 15 minutes.
However, The Stones killed the game off with two goals inside seven minutes with the first coming on 29 minutes when Shaun Welford scored with a perfect lob. Two minutes later Daniel Bygrave denied Alex Flisher but on 36 minutes Maidstone grabbed a third after a good run from Ellis Green ended with him squaring the ball to Sam Bewick who knocked the ball in from close range.
Four minutes after the interval Mitten turned Lee Woodyard’s drive onto the post but on 63 minutes Maidstone pulled further ahead when Bygrave failed to claim a long ball leaving Welford with the simple task of side footing it into an unguarded net.
Mitten then made another smart block to deny Woodyard before Welford put Green in on goal on 66 minutes and the Maidstone player rounded Bygrave and waited for the opportunity to riffle the ball into the net.
Four minutes later Bygrave made another hash of attempting to collect another long ball forward leaving Welford to complete his second hat-trick in two games before Danny Lye went close with a fierce effort from just outside the area.
Then with seven minutes remaining substitute Baff Addae got in down the left hand side and squared the ball to Welford for him to score his fourth goal and then Addae went close with a first time volley as he raced into the area.
But Addae was rewarded on 89 minutes when Green drove the ball across the box and with Welford waiting to pounce, Addae diverted the ball into the net.
The rout was then completed with the game entering stoppage time when this time Alex Flisher turned provider for Welford to score his fifth of a very successful afternoon.
Corinthian: -
Maidstone United: Graham Andrews 2, Shaun Welford 29, 63, 70, 83, 90, Sam Bewick 36, Ellis Green 66, Baff Addae 89
Corinthian: Daniel Bygrave, Chris Kinnear (Vinchenzo Wade 55), Joe Penny (Jamie Taylor 55), George Bemner, James Lyons, Ryan Johnson, Joe Minter, Mark Axell, Darrell Birch (Alfie May 70), Lee Barnett, Lee Woodyard. Subs not used: Daniel Nash, Jack Highwood, Ray Mfon, Craig Clarke.
Maidstone United: Charlie Mitten, Nick Reeves (James Abraham 74), Karl Knight, Tom Mills, Graeme Andrews, Danny Lye, Ellis Green, Sam Bewick (Sean Johnson 74), Shaun Welford, Jimmy Humphris (Baff Addae 64), Alex Flisher. Subs not used: Tommy Osbourne, Peter Gill.
