New visitors win respect on and off pitch
TRANMERE
Maidstone made a few thousand new friends on the Wirral last Saturday.
It’s easy to say nice things about the opposition when you’ve just beaten them but there seemed to be genuine appreciation for United’s efforts against National League leaders Tranmere.
They not only contained the hosts for large periods in an excellent defensive display, before losing in the 81st minute, they also gave them a fright after Alex Flisher equalised during the second half.
Respect on the pitch was matched by admiration off it as 202 Stones fans in a crowd of 4,797 sang their hearts out.
Huddled together in the middle of the away end, they loved their day out at Prenton Park, a venue they could only dream of visiting a few seasons ago. As supporters mingled afterwards, the consensus among Rovers fans was that Maidstone were the best away fans they could remember in years.
Tranmere, top of the National League with four wins out of four, were every bit as good as Maidstone expected.
They dominated possession for all bar a 10-minute spell in the second half but came up against a stubborn back four, with Tom Mills, Jack Evans, Anthony Acheampong and Kevin Lokko restricting the hosts largely to half-chances before Andy Cook opened the scoring.
Jack Paxman impressed in front of the back four, too, throwing himself into tackles and looking the man most likely to get Stones going on the break. There’s no question United players panicked in possession at times but Paxman wasn’t one of them.
Having seen little of the ball, United carved out the chance of the half with the game goalless, Ben Greenhalgh rolling his effort inches wide of Scott Davies’ goal after a lovely onetouch move around the edge of the box involving Evans, Tom Murphy and Flisher.
But Maidstone were behind on 41 minutes, Lois Maynard – who’d earlier brought a flying save out of Lee Worgan – was involved before Cook worked room to beat the Stones keeper from the left of the area.
James Norwood hit the post from a corner and Lokko cleared off the line from Cook as Tranmere attacked early in the second half.
But, out of nowhere, Maidstone levelled on 62 minutes with Bobby-Joe Taylor’s pass picking out the run of Flisher, who drilled the ball across Davies.
United enjoyed a good spell after the goal – Taylor came close to a second – but Tranmere came good again with Lee Vaughan inches wide and Norwood thwarted by Worgan.
The winner came nine minutes from time, McNulty pouncing after Worgan – appealing for a foul – flapped at a Stephen Jennings corner. Maidstone: Worgan, Evans, Mills, Acheampong, Lokko, Rogers (Sweeney 84mins), Murphy (Dumaka 57mins), Paxman, Flisher, Greenhalgh, Taylor. Subs not used: Coyle, Karagiannis, Hall-Johnson. Attendance: 4,797 (202 from Maidstone).