Maidstone United 0-2 Accrington Stanley - Hume happy with opening work-out

Saturday 11th July 2009

MAIDSTONE UNITED 0-2 ACCRINGTON STANLEY
Pre-Season Friendly
Saturday 11th July 2009
Mike Green reports from Homelands Stadium

LLOYD Hume’s Maidstone United enjoyed an interesting opening afternoon in their tenancy at Homelands - after Coca Cola League Two Accrington Stanley showed just what a week’s training at the British Army’s headquarters in Colchester can do for fitness for professional footballers.

Whilst admitting that the ninety minutes had been a good work-out for his side and numerous trialists, Hume admitted that this was the first time that his squad had seen a football pitch this pre-season.

“It’s easy to look at the game,” Hume told www.kentishfootball.co.uk . “But when you consider that they’re five leagues above us, are full-time, have been back for two weeks, and have spent the last week at boot camp, I’ve got to admit that I’m very happy with the way we played particularly in the first half.”

And so he should be, for, after matching their full-time opponents for 20 minutes, the first real job Jamie Turner had to do on his Stones debut was to pick the ball out of his net after a goal straight of the Accrington training ground.

Jimmy Ryan’s right-wing corner was met by veteran defender Peter Cavanagh and his thumping header from 12-yards gave Turner to chance at all at his near post.

The Stones could have equalised seven minutes later from a corner of their own.

The right-wing flag kick was spilt by Stanley goalkeeper Ian Dunham under pressure from trialist Lheureux Mengh and Peter Hawkins was only denied the leveller by a near miraculous goal-line block from Luke Joyce.

Mengh then showed a quick turn on 34 minutes, but his shot didn’t really test the Stanley goalkeeper.

After the break, only Hawkins re-emerged wearing the Maidstone amber and black, whilst Stanley were able to bring on veteran striker Paul Mullin and it was Mullen whose influence guided the second half.

On 52 minutes, Ryan shot just too high before Mullin flashed a header inches wide of substitute Adam Harris’ right-post.

Ryan then turned provider and centred for substitute Sean McConnville to head over when he should really had scored.

Mullin then released Ryan and the midfielder sent a dipping 35-yard volley a yard wide of the left post.

Accrington’s superior fitness was clear for all to see and McConnville was only denied by a brave block from Harris with his knees on 72 minutes.

The dual between the substitute and the goalkeeper then continued on 84 minutes, when Mullin’s pinpoint left-wing cross saw McConnville bring the very best out of Harris with a thundering header.

From the resulting corner, John Miles sealed the contest with a brilliant curling shot from the angle into the top left hand corner of the net.

It was nearly three on 88 minutes when Bobby Grant’s chip was just too high and landed on the roof of the net.

It was a difficult second half for the Ryman Premier League hosts as their only real chance of the half fell to Ashley Dann, who twice had a header go across the face of goal and from the returned cross Dunham clawed the ball off the striker’s head and away to safety.

Hume was happy enough afterwards, and said, “We got enough out of the game to keep us happy, it was an earlier game than we were expecting, but having said that, if we hadn’t have been playing we would have been training.

“For a first effort it wasn’t bad and with games to come - and five weeks until the start of the new season - we won’t rush things.”

Next up for Hume and his side is a visit from Andy Hessenthaler’s Dover Athletic at Homelands on Tuesday (7:45pm).

Maidstone United - First half: Jamie Turner, Nathan Paul, Shannon O’Donovan, James Peacock, Peter Hawkins, Tom Parkinson, Roland Edge, Dean Bradshaw, James Pinnock, Lheureux Menga, Danny Stubbs.

Maidstone United - Second half: Adam Harris, Peter Hawkins (Junior Mylandoula 77), Ryan Royston, Rob Carter, Keelan Mooney, Ant Bodle, Nick Barnes, Jay Saunders, Steve Elliott, Temi (Nerada Pascal 77), Ashley Dann,

Accrington Stanley: Ian Dunham, Peter Cavanagh (Luke Joyce 67), Pete Murphy (Alan Burton 65) , Dean Winard, Phil Edwards, Jimmy Ryan (Bee Ami 65), Andy Proctor, Luke Joyce (Paul Mullin 46), John Miles, Michael Symes (Sean McConnville 46), Bobby Grant.

Goals: Peter Cavanagh 20, John Miles 85

Attendance: 213
Referee: Mr Ian Crouch (New Eltham)
Assistants: Mr Phil Knight (Canterbury) & Mr Simon Finnigan (Maidstone)