Whitstable Town FC

Beckenham Town 2 ? 3 Maidstone United; Eden Park Avenue, Beckenham

Kentish Observer Kent League: Saturday 3^rd December 2005...One of the most exciting Kent League games for years ended in dramatic fashion as Maidstone United came from 2-1 down to equalise in stoppage time and then grab a winner with five minutes of additional time played.

It was no more than The Stones deserved after creating a multitude of chances against a strong Beckenham side. And Maidstone?s manager Lloyd Hume certainly felt his players deserved their win. He said: I think anything but a victory today would have been an injustice to our team. They?ve scored two goals but I think they were sloppy goals to give away and they were defensive mistakes. We probably created seven or eight good chances, not through defensive mistakes but through good football and I think the players were superb.?

Both sides had chances to take an early lead. Nathan Paul, returning to the The Stones line up after injury, sent a good ball into the box that Mo Takaloo controlled with his chest but his shot went across the face of the goal.

At the other end, Paul Vines had a good opportunity for Beckenham when he latched onto the ball as it bounced around in the penalty area but he put his shot wide.

The Stones enjoyed the majority of possession in the first half and they kept carving out opportunities. Takaloo was a whisker away from connecting with a Sam Tydeman free-kick at the far post and Jimmy Strouts saw his looping header from the edge of the box just clear the bar. A Nick Hegley curling effort nearly tested Rob Tolfrey before a lapse in concentration in defence gifted Beckenham the first goal.

Mario Celaire failed to cut out a goal kick from Tolfrey and the ball fell to Ryan Martin who confidently put his shot past Pat Mullin.

Takaloo was having a frustrating afternoon up front for the vistors and he should have equalised two minutes before half time. Sam Tydeman, who was outstanding in midfield, brilliantly won the ball and played it into Takaloo. The Stones striker did the hard part by twisting into space, but from a central position he lifted his shot clear of the bar.

The second half continued in a similar manner as The Stones pushed forward in search of a goal and Takaloo perhaps had the best of the chances. He first had a shot held and then he managed to get a flick on the end of a good low cross from Aaron Lacy but the ball looped up and Rob Tolfrey saved his effort.

Vines then reminded The Stones that they couldn?t afford to relax at the back for a minute when he drove a fierce shot goal wards from the edge of the area but Mullin superbly tipped his drive over. But with just 13 minutes remaining, The Stones faithful were treated to what surely will be one of the goals of the season when Tydeman won the ball, deftly beat a Beckenham defender and hit a thunderous shot that cannoned in off the underside of the bar.

The Stones fan?s delight was short lived though, as just five minutes later, Ryan Royston didn?t have the pace to get to the ball after Mullin had blocked a shot and Martin expertly curled a nice finish into the unguarded net.

So it seemed that despite a tremendous performance, United would leave Eden Park Avenue pointless and with their unbeaten record in shreds. But there was a remarkable twist still to come.  With the game entering stoppage time, and with The Stones throwing everything at the Beckenham defence, the break through finally came. Mullin sent a long kick into to the box which was headed across goal by Mario Celaire and Lynden Rowland emerged through a cluster of players to guide his shot into the back of the net.

Eden Park Avenue erupted as The Stones supporters made up the large part of the 490 crowd. And at this point, most people probably wanted the referee to blow his whistle to end the game. However, there was still time for one last goal.

United won a corner and Nick Hegley drove the ball the ball into the box. There to meet it was the hardworking Lynden Rowland, who was rewarded for his tireless performance when his header flew goal bound. Despite the efforts of a Beckenham defender to clear the ball, it was deemed to have already crossed the line and the linesman signalled immediately that The Stones had scored a crucial goal.

For the second time in only a few minutes, The Stones faithful went berserk. It had been a rollercoaster of a game with a tremendous finish that will be talked about for a long time to come. The league title isn?t won on the back of one excellent result, nor is it ever settled this early in the season, but The Stones have now put themselves in a good position to be contending for the title in April. And on the back of such a brilliant result and performance, few would argue against the fact that they are a good bet for the championship.