WHEELER’S TURNED THE STONES IN TO A FORCE

BARNET 0 MAIDSTONE UNITED 2 Turgott 28, Omotayo 80

MAIDSTONE, with a goal in each half, thoroughly deserved their victory over a lacklustre Barnet at the Hive with their travelling band of supporters giving their team tremendous vocal support throughout.

Jake Cassidy was twice the provider with his incisive pass setting skipper Blair Turgott clear in the 28th minute and then with ten minutes remaining his powerful surge down the right enabled Gold Omotayo to poach a goal and condemn Barnet to their second home defeat in a week.

The Bees started brightly and had plenty of the ball, but it was not long before the visitors, with Jack Powell and Jack Paxman pulling the strings in midfield, began to look the more cohesive.

Barnet’s right wingback Cheye Alexander was often their best attacking option, with his crisp distribution and a willingness to have a strike on goal causing United concern.

Turgott’s clinical finish when facing the on-rushing Mark Cousins broke the deadlock and from that moment Maidstone were quick to get men behind the ball, with Barnet lacking the guile to break them down.

Barnet midfielder Jack Taylor had a good effort well saved by debutant Grant Smith with half-time looming with Cousins then producing a dramatic save to keep out Turgott’s curling effort that was destined for the top corner.

Barnet introduced two forwards at the break, but Shaq Coulthirst and Ephron Mason-Clark made little impact with Maidstone’s well-disciplined defensive display keeping the Bees at bay and unable to create meaningful opportunities. With 15 minutes left, sub Omotayo spurned a golden opportunity to put the game to bed when he was foiled by Cousins who saved with his legs. Omotayo would not be so wasteful when, in the 80th minute, he reacted quickly to poke the ball into the net when Cousins was unable to hold Cassidy’s cross. Barnet boss John Still could not hide his disappointment: “We were slow in our movements and slow in our passing. Once they scored, they just kept everyone behind the ball and we didn’t have the craft or the quality or the understanding of how to break them down. “The tempo of our game was too slow. We never had a passer on the day and we never had a focal point for our attacks.” In contrast, Stones boss Harry Wheeler was in a more buoyant mood, adding: “We deliver a game plan to the players, but it is the players who execute it and they were brilliant. “Our plan was to hit Barnet on the break, we had worked on it all week, we can give the players ideas, but it was the players who executed those ideas perfectly.”