Cup win took heavy toll
Mental tiredness got the better of Maidstone at Met Police last Saturday.
Stones were back in action less than 48 hours on from beating Stevenage in the FA Cup.
And while boss Jay Saunders felt his side stood up to the physical demands, they were mentally drained from the Boro game.
On the plus side, Ryman League, Premier Division leaders Margate lost at Hampton.
United switched off as Jack Knight opened the scoring after 10 minutes. They were largely in control before Matt Pattison clinched victory for Met Police with nine minutes left.
Saunders said: “We didn’t play that badly – we were the better side. We justconceded at the wrong time which was down to a bit of mental tiredness at a set-piece.
“After that we kind of dominated possession but couldn’t get the breakthrough.
“If you look at Met Police’s last six home games, they haven’t conceded and they haven’t lost at home all season.
“On another day we’d have nicked a goal and won it comfortably but fair play to Met Police, they defended well. More than physically, it was mentally that the Stevenage game killed us. I didn’t go to bed until 3am or 4am after the game and I think a lot of the lads were the same, then they had to get up and work Friday.”
Stones made only two changes, with Phil Starkey in for Aaron Simpson and Ben Greenhalgh replacing Alex Flisher.
Starkey conceded the free-kick leading to Met Police’s opener. The ball was cleared only as far as Billy Crook whose cross was headed in by Knight.
Alex Akrofi’s arrival as a second-half substitute injected life into Stones and he was involved as Tom Mills set up May, who couldn’t keep his strike down. Met keeper Stuart Searle denied Frannie Collin from Alex Brown’s pass before Pattison’s breakaway strike. Maidstone: Worgan, Starkey, Mills, Coyle, Miles, Rogers (Brown 68mins), Bodkin (Jordan 78mins), Parkinson, May, Collin, Greenhalgh (Akrofi 59mins). Subs not used: Davies, Godmon. Attendance: 301.