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Dorking Wanderers 1 Maidstone United 0: Reaction from Stones boss Hakan Hayrettin to his side's National League South defeat at Meadowbank

05:00, 27 February 2022

updated: 12:51, 27 February 2022

Manager Hakan Hayrettin felt Dorking should have had a player sent off during Maidstone’s defeat on Saturday.

The Stones lost their top-of-the-table National League South game 1-0, with midfielder Josh Taylor scoring - his first for the club which was deflected in - to end Maidstone’s 14-game unbeaten league run, the club's best run in 10 years.

Maidstone United manager Hakan Hayrettin. Picture: Steve Terrell
Maidstone United manager Hakan Hayrettin. Picture: Steve Terrell

But Hayrettin thought Darren Oldaker should have been dismissed for a second-half foul on Roarie Deacon before Taylor struck. Instead, referee Jack Packman decided only to caution former Gillingham and Hythe man Oldaker.

He also questioned the decision to rule out ex-Dorking striker Jack Barham’s strike for offside, shortly after the game’s only goal.

Hayrettin reflected: “Look, I’m not happy with the goal that we conceded and I have asked a few questions of a few of the boys in there.

“But I’m also not happy with the fact that our ascendency got us into a position where their last man has brought our player down and he’s got a yellow card. It’s a sending-off, there’s no two ways about it.

“Why have you given him a yellow? It is a sending-off, Roarie is through on goal, he’s brought him down and he’s given a yellow. And Jack has scored and he’s given offside, so I want to see that.

“But no complaints. It was a tight game, could have gone either way, no-one really outplayed the other, apart from a bit of magic from Josh where he has got through.

“But a few questions have been asked of how he got through.

“It was too easy. Christie Pattinson, Dominic Odusanya and Gavin Hoyte… It was way too easy.

“You have got to point fingers when you need to point fingers, but I’m very proud of what we have done.”

There was a record attendance of 2,898 at Meadowbank, bolstered by 950 Maidstone supporters.

The result leaves the second-placed Stones six points behind the frontrunners but they do have a game in hand, ahead of the season’s run-in.

Hayrettin had said before the game the result would define either teams’ respective campaigns and he re-iterated: “I said that before and nothing is going to change.

“Listen, my boys have given me everything they possibly can and they have been absolutely fantastic. It was a nervy game, it was a tight game, it could have gone either way.

“We have got some tough games coming up, they have got some tough games coming up. We have just got to stay in that pack.

“Listen, well done to Dorking. They have got three points but we will be ready for next weekend (when Maidstone play Hungerford at the Gallagher).”

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