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At the fifth attempt, The Stones have finally registered their first pre-season victory with a promising performance against their landlords at The Homelands.
After creating few goal scoring opportunities in their matches so far, the game saw Maidstone look far more assured in the final third and this coupled with an excellent defensive display from the back four and some superb goal keeping from Jamie Turner, meant that The Stones were always in complete control of this fixture.
Just two minutes had gone when Maidstone had their first attempt on goal when a neat build up outside the Ashford area saw the ball threaded through to Jay Saunders but his shot through a crowd of players did not trouble Scott Chalmers-Smith in the Ashford goal.
Then on 12 minutes the home side took the lead. An excellent ball forward by the impressive Tom Parkinson picked out Jimmy Bottle who took control and beat the defender before pulling the cross back to James Pinnock. The Maidstone striker calmly took a touch and drilled in his first goal of the season low into the right hand side of the net.
Four minutes later, Ashford threatened to draw level when Ryan Briggs whipped in a dangerous corner which was met by the on-rushing Danny Lye and his powerful header was expertly pushed over the bar by Jamie Turner in the Maidstone goal.
Both sides continued to create opportunities but it was The Stones who found the net again on 29 minutes when Jay Saunders showed great skill to trick his way through the Ashford defence before slotting the ball past the stranded Chalmer-Stevens.
Four minutes later, Saunders saw a header held by Chalmers-Smith and then good work from Bottle on the left hand side presented Pinnock with a sniff of goal but his shot from as he lay on the floor was blocked.
Ten minutes after the interval, Ashford Town came within a whisker of pulling a goal back when Dan Scorer crossed from the left and Jamie Turner pushed the ball away only for the ball to drop to Mitchell Sherwood who saw his fierce effort fizz just over the bar. Then on 69 minutes Lye found Kevin Swaseland who ran into the box but he was denied an attempt on goal by a timely challenge from Nathan Paul.
The play then quickly swung to the other end as Dan Stubbs raced down the right hand side and whipped in a cross which Keelan Mooney met with a diving header but he could not direct the ball goalwards. However, Mooney was to have more luck twelve minutes from time when he received a pass from Ashley Dann and placed his low shot into the net.
There was still time for Stubbs to see a cross from Jimmy Bottle hit his chest and fly over the bar before Sherwood found himself with only Turner to beat but once again the Maidstone keeper made an excellent block to ensure his first clean sheet of pre-season.
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