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On paper a trip to North Leigh,
currently top of the Hellenic League, appeared to be
tricky outing for Maidstone United.
And for 12 minutes this seemed to
be the case. But then Mo Takaloo grabbed his first of
four fantastic goals and The Stones, driven on by fabulous
performances in particular from debutant Craig Roser
and Neil Miller, took complete control and must now
be one of the sides left in the competition which teams
will be keen to avoid.
This tie could have had a different outcome if North
Leigh had capitalised on The Stones’ early lethargy.
They appealed noisily for a hand-ball after five minutes
when Andrew McCabe drove the ball into the area but
the referee, who was notable for his incompetence, waved
their appeals away.
And a minute later, Justin Miller wormed into the box
and pulled the ball back to Liam Hope whose shot was
scrambled away at the near post by Pat Mullin.
Then with just 12 minutes gone, the Stones took the
lead against the run of play. Neil Miller passed to
Lee Sperring and he found Mo Takaloo in the box with
a good through ball. Takaloo showed his experience to
wait for the challenge from the defender before knocking
the ball to the right and slotting it low into the bottom
left corner.
From then on, United dominated and Ryan Royston had
a header cleared off the line before Takaloo got his
second of the game with 27 minutes played. Takaloo was
rewarded for his hard work when he intercepted a pass
heading towards North Leigh keeper Richard Barrett.
With Barrett advancing, Takaloo then lofted a delicate
chip into the far side of the net.
Takaloo went close again with a drive just before half
time and Sperring really should have added to the lead
when he got himself into a central position in the box
but he blasted his shot straight at Barrett who managed
to tip the ball over.
It was then Lyndon Rowland’s turn to miss badly
when Royston flicked on Aaron Lacy’s throw into
the six yard box but Rowland some how sent the ball
skyward and over the bar.
These misses could have been costly but the Stones
defence was resolute and some great defending from firstly
Mario Celaire and then Craig Roser, ensured Justin Miller
couldn’t get a shot on Mullin’s goal with
61 minutes gone.
Another good Stones move ended with Sperring’s
long range effort going wide before Takaloo claimed
his hat-trick in style. Neil Miller lofted an excellent
ball forward which Takaloo claimed on the goal line.
With two defenders in attendance it seemed unlikely
that Takaloo would be able to do much with the ball
but in a moment of brilliance he breezed past them both,
cut inside and smashed his shot past Barrett.
Takaloo was still hungry for more goals however, and
with 13 minutes remaining Royston found substitute Nathan
Paul out wide. Paul scampered down the line and whipped
in an excellent cross for Takaloo to head in and round
off a wonderful afternoon for The Stones.
A delighted Alan Walker said after the game: “It
was a fantastic result and performance once we got going.
I thought it could have been a lot more as we’ve
had a lot of chances and we played some great football.
I’m Mo’s (Takaloo) biggest critic but he has
responded well and I’m really hoping this will
kick-start his season as we want more from him. Three
of the goals he made himself through individual brilliance
and I’m delighted for the lad.”
The draw for the next round of the FA Vase takes place
on Monday morning. After this performance, The Stones
should fear no one.
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