Its not often that Maidstone United enjoy a trip to Essex but thanks to goals from Ian Selley and Mark Saunders, The Stones were able to cross back over the bridge into Kent with their first win in five matches.
With both Harlow and Maidstone battling to avoid the drop, this was a tight affair but just like at Hornchurch the previous week, The Stones’ three new signings had a huge influence on the game.
On 13 minutes, a poor goal kick from Steve Northwood enabled Harlow to release James Lindie into the penalty area. Lindie rounded Northwood but fortunately, Marc Clarey managed to get alongside the Harlow player and he put the ball behind for a corner.
Then just two minutes later, a good corner from Sam Tydeman on the right found Mark Saunders at the back post and his header was cleared off the line. Sixty seconds later, The Stones had another corner from the same side and this time, Saunders’ effort went agonisingly wide.
Clarey had to be alert on 22 minutes to whisk the ball off Lindie’s toes as Harlow once again broke forwards with pace but this was to be the home side’s last attempt on goal in a tense first half.
Two minutes before the break, a clearance from Northwood bounced to Alex Tiesse and just as the Maidstone forward was shaping to shoot the ball was put out for a corner.
Early in the second half, Lindie drove the ball wide before a left footed half volley from Nick Hegley also missed the target.
But the deadlock was finally broken on 66 minutes when Tiesse was upended on the edge of the area and Selley curled a fantastic finish from the resultant free-kick past the static Michael Dumoulin in the Harlow goal.
The Stones had hardly had time to celebrate taking the lead in a game for the first time in a month when the scores were level once more. Substitute Rhys Henry slid the ball out to Kenny Davis down the right hand side and his inch perfect cross was headed in by James Bunn.
Sixty seconds later, the Maidstone defence was once again torn open as Henry advanced into the area and his low shot looked certain to be going in before Northwood got down well and managed to parry the ball across goal.
By now, The Stones had brought on Aaron Lacy and Mo Takaloo for Jacob Erskine and Nick Hegley and it was Takaloo who nearly put the visitors back in front on 73 minutes when his shot was spilled by Dumoulin but the Harlow keeper managed to recover and retrieve the ball.
Dumoulin was in action again ten minutes later when he produced a good save to claw the ball off the line after the ball had been flicked goalwards following a Lacy throw.
With both sides looking for a winner, the action moved from end to end as the game neared its conclusion and on 88 minutes, Shaun Gliddon’s free-kick picked out Henry who headed the ball wide when well placed.
Then with four minutes of stoppage time played, substitute Conor Hagan broke down the left and entered the penalty area before sending a delightful pass across the box to the unmarked Saunders who calmly side footed the ball past Dumoulin to register his first goal for The Stones.
With the referee Mr Leach deciding that there should be seven minutes of additional time, Harlow still had an opportunity to snatch a point and it looked like that might happen when Henry drove the ball through a crowd of players but Northwood once again rescued The Stones as he blocked the shot on the line with his foot.
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