Maidstone United 5 ? 1 Deal Town

Bourne Park, Sittingbourne

Kentish Observer Football League Cup

Saturday 28^th January 2006

Goal Scorers

Maidstone United: Mo Takaloo 3, Lee Sperring 45, 57,62, Ryan Royston 72

Deal Town: David Bathgate 79

Line Ups

Maidstone United: Pat Mullin, Aaron Lacy, Craig Roser (Ryan Royston 43), Nathan Paul, Mario Celaire, Scott Lindsey, Lee Sperring , Jason Barton, Mo Takaloo (Simon Austin 45), Lynden Rowland (Andy Hart 58), Nick Hegley. Sub not used: Lloyd Hume.

Deal Town: Robert Lindley, Ollie Finch, Josh Davidson (Darren Warring 77), Marc Pollard, Michael Lane, Dan Smith (Adam Coley), Jamie Marriott, David Bathgate, Aaron Robinson , John Utterson (Matthew Roderick 71), Louis Smith.

Lee Sperring doubled his goals tally for the season with a hat-trick against Deal Town and in the process gave Lloyd Hume and Alan Walker a selection dilemma ahead of their first league match for three weeks against Sevenoaks Town.

Despite this game having no bearing on the final positions of the teams in Group C of the league cup, Maidstone United did not take the game lightly and have now scored thirteen times against Deal Town this season, conceding only three goals in the process.

It took Mo Takaloo just three minutes to register his twenty-eighth goal of the season. A mix-up in the Deal defence gave Takaloo the chance to volley goalwards. Although Robert Lindley parried his first effort no Deal defender got close to Takaloo so from the rebound, Takaloo picked his spot and fired the ball inside the right hand post.

Further poor Deal defending with 24 minutes played put Takaloo in but he shot straight at Lindley and then Lee Sperring sent a low ball skidding across the 6 yard box and Lindley did well to block Nick Hegley?s resultant shot.

Deal came more into the game as the half progressed and Pat Mullin had to be alert to tip a long range effort from Marc Pollard round the post but Lindley was the busier of the keepers and he was called upon again with 31 minutes played, blocking Craig Roser?s effort at the near post.

Then with half time seconds away, The Stones increased their lead with a cracking goal. Jason Barton volleyed the ball up the line and Lynden Rowland turned intelligently into space and ran to the touchline before pulling the ball back to the edge of the penalty area where Sperring latched onto it, took a touch that deceived the defender, and hit a thunderous shot past Lindley.

Sperring?s pace was causing Deal?s defence problems and with 56 minutes gone, Josh Davidson placed a poor header into Sperring?s path. Sperring raced into the box but just as he was about to shoot he was bundled over by Davidson. The referee, Mr Ions, waved play on but within 60 seconds Sperring was rewarded with a second goal when Simon Austin, a replacement for Takaloo, rounded Lindley and unselfishly squared the ball to Sperring who only had to tap the ball over the line.

Then 5 minutes later, Sperring completed his hat-trick in emphatic style. Austin sent a neat flick into the path of Nick Hegley who placed the ball over the top to Sperring and with Lindley off his line, the Stones striker hit a confident finish past the Deal keeper.

With The Stones pushing forward at every opportunity, another goal looked a certainty and it arrived with just under 20 minutes remaining. A cross from Austin was headed goalwards by Ryan Royston, a substitute for Craig Roser, and Lindley did well to push the ball wide. But from the corner, Royston had time to bring the ball down before side footing in his fifth goal of the season.

There was time for Deal to grab a consolation goal following a lapse in concentration in the Stones defence which David Bathgate took full advantage of and at the other end, Andy Hart, who had come on for Rowland, came close to opening his scoring account for the first team but Lindley did well to block his shot on the line.