Wait for a league win at rivals continues
DARTFORD
Maidstone have not won a league game away to Dartford for almost 40 years and late controversy last Saturday ensured they must wait a little longer to banish that statistic.
Dartford captain Elliot Bradbrook’s equaliser was initially flagged offside but then allowed to stand when referee Ian Cooper over-ruled his assistant.
The home side deserved a point but the manner in which they gained it annoyed Stones boss Jay Saunders.
“If that was at our ground I don’t think he would have given it,” he said.
“Being that it was right in front of all their supporters, with all the players round him, I think he’s crumbled a little bit there.
“If you’ve got a doubt, you’ve got to go with your linesman.
“If your linesman’s flag goes up that quickly then, for me, you’ve got to go with him and not just have a guess.
“The minute he went to discuss it I thought he was always going to overturn it.”
Alex Flisher had given Maidstone the lead seven minutes into the second half. Callum McNaughton got his head to Matt Bodkin’s left-wing cross but his attempted clearance ricocheted off Flisher and past Deren Ibrahim in the Dartford goal.
Stones hadn’t let a lead slip all season going into the derby but their goal led a charmed life at Princes Park as Bradbrook and Ryan Hayes both hit the woodwork.
Bradbrook’s hotly-disputed goal then gave Tony Burman’s men hope of a late winner which almost arrived when Mark Onyemah smashed a late shot against the crossbar.
Saunders admitted: “We just couldn’t get them penned in their half for long enough periods. They did well and if we’d come away with all three points it would have been harsh on them.
“We could have come and played better. The lads are saying it was difficult in the conditions, they said it was awful to play in but it didn’t look too bad from the sidelines.
“What Dartford did well was get it in the right areas quickly and we didn’t do that often enough.” Maidstone: Worgan, Driver, Mills, Coyle, Parry, Rogers, Bodkin ( Taylor 78mins), Healy, May, Akrofi ( Birchall 71mins), Flisher. Subs not used: Paxman, Collin, Watt. Attendance: 1,909.