Tale of woe unfolds in familiar fashion
GUISELEY
Maidstone were five minutes away from the village where Emmerdale used to be filmed – and they could have done with drowning their sorrows at the Woolpack after another defeat.
If soaps churn out the same old storylines, it’s an accusation that can also be thrown at United at the moment.
It goes something a little like this – start well, miss good chances, concede bad goals, lose.
That’s 12 defeats in 16 league games after losing at fellow strugglers Guiseley last Saturday, yet they’ve still not been in the bottom four this season.
The difference it would make if they could just get an early goal because they were easily the better side for half an hour in Yorkshire.
But they missed two big chances – both falling to Kevin Lokko – and fell behind to a penalty from the hosts’ first attack.
Bobby-Joe Taylor levelled from the spot, seconds after coming on, but Guiseley grabbed a late winner.
Saunders was talking about the money in the division last week and even Guiseley can’t be short if they can afford James Wesolowski.
The Australian midfielder was highly rated at Leicester, played a lot of games at Oldham and still isn’t 30. He’s clearly still a good player yet he’s plying his trade at the foot of the National League.
Maidstone made a point of looking for Alex Flisher out on the left early on and it led to their first big chance, the winger knocking Tom Mills’ diagonal back into the path of Lokko who fired over on the halfvolley.
An even better opportunity fell to Lokko from Jamar Loza’s cross but, a matter of yards out, he sent a free header straight at keeper Jon Maxted. The game changed when Guiseley were awarded a penalty on 32 minutes.
It was given for a trip on Wesolowski, seconds after an excellent save by Lee Worgan from Elliott Green’s header.
Worgan got plenty on Simon Walton’s spot-kick but it squeezed in at the post.
The goal lifted a Guiseley side who started to see more of the ball, using it well at times.
But Maidstone had a good chance to level right on half-time, Delano Sam-Yorke’s header from a Vas Karagiannis cross held by Maxted.
The hardworking Sam-Yorke headed over from Reece Prestedge’s cross seconds after the restart, while Preston clipped the post for the hosts.
Worgan did well to deny Wesolowski after bursting into the box, then Michael Rankine sent an easy header straight at the Stones captain.
Maidstone replaced Mills with Taylor and with his first touch, he levelled from the spot after Sam-Yorke was brought down, the goal coming on 62 minutes.
Worgan made a wonderful low save from Wesolowski a minute later – the Stones keeper with virtually no time to react – and as the game opened up, Prestedge played in Sam-Yorke whose first-time strike was blocked.
Maidstone were shading it but on 80 minutes they were behind again, the ball dropping in the box to Rankine after Lokko was manhandled. Maidstone: Worgan, Twumasi, Mills (Taylor 61mins), Acheampong, Lokko, Prestedge (Rogers 76mins), Karagiannis (N’Guessan 69mins), Paxman, Sam-Yorke, Loza, Flisher. Subs not used: Coyle, Phipps. Attendance: 1,040.