STONES ARE DENIED BY A KELLER BLOW
FOOTBALL, as Gary Waddock graciously admitted, can often be a cruel game but after Jim Kellermann stole a 93rd minute draw for Aldershot Town, it also showed that it sometimes has a pleasing symmetry.
Josh Hare had plundered a late late equaliser at the Gallagher Stadium in the reverse fixture in August and here Kellermann’s header earned Waddock’s side an injury-time point for the second successive Saturday.
Yet Maidstone had several chances to nick that crucial second goal in the final quarter, only to find Shots’ keeper Lewis Ward in fine form as their winless run was extended to seven games.
“If we take our chances in the second half, the game’s won,” admitted Stones manager Jay Saunders, “but you’d probably take a point in the form we’re in. We needed to be a bit more positive in the second half, and we were, but it’s those fine lines at the moment that are going against us.”
“We’ve snatched a point from nowhere,” conceded Waddock, “but our performance today was poles apart from Boxing Day. I wasn’t happy but our injury problems are neverending at the moment so I’ve got to give great credit to the players for keeping going.” Already playing with square pegs in round holes, Waddock’s injury nightmare was worsened still as early as the second minute when centre-back Will Evans was forced off after he took the full force of a pointblank defensive clearance. Ward’s first fine save came on 39 minutes, standing strong to block Aaron Collins’ shot. But it was the Stones who took the lead three minutes into the second half. Collins broke in behind the home defence to beat the onrushing Ward to Pigott’s lofted pass and slot the ball into the empty net. James Rowe hit the crossbar from 22 yards for Aldershot and after Ward had brilliantly kept out Collins, twice, and Tom Wraight, Pigott clattered the outside of the post for the Stones with a late free-kick. And that was to prove decisive when, deep into stoppage time, Kellermann stole in ahead of Alex Wynter to meet Bobby-Joe Taylor’s corner and punish Maidstone’s profligacy.