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The Stones stretched their unbeaten
start to the season to three games with this comfortable
victory over Kent County League side Snodland. In a
game played on a parched and bumpy surface, Maidstone
got into their stride early on when Simon Austin crossed
from the left and the ball was deflected past Richard
Mannerings in the Snodland goal.
New signing Mo Takaloo showed why The Stones had signed
him to a contract for the season when, twice in the
space of two minutes he threatened the home goal. After
breaking clear of the defence, Takaloo decided on an
early strike and his lobbed shot hit the crossbar and
bounced over. Then, after a move involving Garry Kimble,
Adam Hewitson and Nick Hegley, Takaloo with his back
to goal, turned his marker sharply and slotted home
from 10 yards out.
Manager Lloyd Hume, who was going head to head with
his brother Matt the Snodland manager, made three changes
at half time and one of these, striker Paul Cobb was
involved in a controversially disallowed goal on 51
minutes.
Finding space wide on the left, Cobb (a former Orient,
Dagenham & Redbridge and Canvey Island player) controlled
the ball on the touchline, scampered forward and delivered
a fine low cross into the path of Nick Hegley who fired
home first time from 18 yards. It would have been a
wonderful goal but was cancelled out by the assistant
referee’s raised flag, the decision being that
Cobb had failed to keep the ball in play. Few standing
around the pitch agreed though.
On the hour, captain Jimmy Strouts rose unmarked in
the area to head home an Aaron Lacy long throw to make
it 3-0. The game then saw the introduction of several
more substitutes, amongst them Lyndon Rowland who has
returned to the area after a brief stay in Leicestershire
where he played for Coalville Town.
The game was wrapped up in stoppage time when Cobb
scored with a typically predatory strike. Charlie Plummer
crossed into the box and Tom Berry rose well to head
down to Cobb, who controlled deftly and drove the ball
through Scott Muttock’s legs.
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