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The Stones overcame their Bourne Park hoodoo to beat Tooting and Mitcham United for the first time thanks to goals from Jay Saunders and Elliot Bradbrook.
For the majority of this game, Maidstone were in control and at times, Tooting struggled to contain The Stones during an impressive first half performance as the home side looked to keep the ball on the ground at every opportunity.
It was the visitors though who came closest to taking the lead in the opening stages when on 16 minutes, the ball came off Keelan Mooney and fell to Jamie Byatt. Byatt entered the box and Ian Cox made a good block only for Byatt to extend his leg to reach the ball and his shot only just trickled wide of the right hand post.
Jay Saunders then saw two headers miss the target before he was successful with the third effort which came his way on 21 minutes when he converted Bradbrook’s corner.
The momentum was with the home side and Maidstone quickly exploited this as on 24 minutes they doubled their lead. Ian Selley’s tackle saw him win the ball in midfield and the superb Saunders sent a delightful diagonal ball out to Lloyd Blackman on the right hand side. Blackman put over a good cross which both James Pinnock and Bradbrook went to meet and it was Bradbrook who got the vital touch to force the ball over the line.
Maidstone continued to keep Dave King in the Tooting goal busy and they should have added to their tally before the break but after the interval it was the visitors who were the better side. On 47 minutes, substitute Jon Henry-Haden whipped in a corner which was met by Craig Patterson and Andy Walker made a good save to tip the ball over the bar.
Two minutes later, Paul Vines acrobatically flicked the ball wide and then Martin Grant had a low shot just miss the left hand post and in between, Saunders tricked his way into the box with some excellent movement and he sent up Lloyd Blackman who saw his headed turned wide.
As the game edged towards its conclusion, Maidstone began to pick up the pace and a fine move on 70 minutes initiated by Saunders deserved to end in The Stones extending their lead but when the cross came over from Nathan Paul, substitute John Wilfort planted his header wide.
Pinnock then had a fierce shot pushed behind by King before Vines set up a nervy finish with a superb goal. There seemed to be little danger when Henry-Haden headed the ball towards the by-line and Cox gave chase with Vines but the Tooting striker showed good skill to some how send the ball over Walker’s head and into the net from a very acute angle.
Vines then had a shot from 25 yards flash wide but despite some pressure from the visitors, Maidstone held on to book their place in the next round.
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