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The new season may be just around the corner but the defensive frailties which plagued The Stones for the entirety of the last campaign have still not been eradicated.
After a solid but unspectacular start to pre-season, Maidstone travelled to Kent League side Erith and Belvedere and for the first thirty minutes, The Stones were poor as The Deres took advantage of shoddy defending to take a two nil lead.
It took only 15 minutes for the deadlock to be broken and the goal was a replica of so many that was conceded by Maidstone last season. Andrew Browne drilled a corner into the box which was flicked on by Matt Bedford and with The Stones defence caught napping, Ben Yiadom finished from close range.
Four minutes later, The Stones then fell further behind when Browne curled a neat finish into the bottom right hand corner of the net.
Going two goals behind finally jolted Maidstone into life and with 26 minutes gone, Lloyd Blackman was body checked 20 yards from goal and Ian Selley’s free-kick flew just wide.
However, sixty seconds later some lax defending from The Stones presented Browne with an opportunity to score his second goal. Browne received the ball just inside the area and he toyed with Steve Northwood before rounding the Stones keeper but his shot struck Ben Lewis and nearly crept in until Marc Clarey cleared the ball off the line.
After hardly threatening for the first half an hour, Maidstone put together a neat move on 31 minutes which ended with Elliot Bradbrook lofting a pass into the path of Blackman who let the ball bounce before lashing a fierce half volley past Matt Bromby in The Deres goal.
The Stones then began to put the home side under pressure and they struck the woodwork twice before the interval. On 35 minutes, Blackman’s chipped effort bounced off the bar and then ten minutes later, Pinnock struck the post following a quickly taken free-kick. In between Pinnock also forced Bromby into a good save with a drive from the edge of the box.
As an exciting half drew to a close, there was still time for one last attempt on goal and this time it came from Bradbrook who went on a mazy run which took him into the box but his shot went agonisingly wide of the far post.
Unfortunately, the second 45 minutes was not as action packed but yet again, The Stones were twice denied an equaliser by the frame of the goal. On 68 minutes central defender Kevin Watson crashed a strong drive onto the bar from 35 yards and then with the game in stoppage time, it was Bradbrook’s turn to see his effort bounce off the woodwork.
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