Maidstone’s long wait for a win is over after a thoroughly deserved victory at fellow strugglers Scunthorpe.

Substitute Jack Barham scored five minutes after coming on and Roarie Deacon added a classy second to give the Stones a first win in 13 National League games.

Hakan Hayrettin’s side last tasted victory at Aldershot on August 29, so you can imagine the scenes at full-time as players and fans celebrated.

The win was also enough to lift them out of the bottom four.

Skipper Gavin Hoyte served a one-game ban after Maidstone lost their appeal against his midweek red card at Eastleigh.

That meant a return for George Fowler at right-back as one of three changes, while Jacob Mensah replaced Joe Ellul and Sam Corne came in for Christie Pattisson.

The Stones started brightly at Glanford Park - a Championship ground just over a decade ago - forcing a few early corners and popping the ball about nicely.

The first genuine opening of the game fell to the Iron, Joe Nuttall getting the better of Mensah from a long ball and breaking into the box but Ryan Sandford stood tall and kept out his attempted lob.

Sandford saved well from Mason O’Malley and Nuttall put a header wide but the hosts were largely kept quiet by a steady Maidstone backline.

Reiss Greenidge, in particular, impressed with a superb piece of defending coming across to deal with Rob Apter after the wideman got clear down the right.

For Stones, a nice move started by stand-in captain Jerome Binnom-Williams, tricking his way out of a tight spot, led to an opportunity for Ryan Galvin but he misdirected his header from a Deacon cross.

The visitors’ best chance of the first half came shortly before the break.

Josh Fawole made it, closing down Andrew Boyce and holding the ball up before working it to Deacon.

Deacon did well to turn in the box but fired wide.

The Stones dominated possession in the early stages of the second half, going close when Fawole hit the post from Galvin’s near-post cross.

That sparked the Iron into life, with Maidstone working hard to clear their lines after coming under pressure.

As home fans cranked up the volume, Caolan Lavery acrobatically hooked the ball over from a corner.

Lavery dropped the ball wide after being sent through one-on-one by Nuttall from an Iron counter-attack as the hosts blew their best chance of the match.

They were made to rue that miss moments later when Stones substitute Barham headed home Deacon’s cross for a 74th-minute lead.

Scunthope were celebrating five minutes later when Nuttall forced the ball home but the linesman’s flag came to Maidstone’s rescue, with the goal ruled out.

Maidstone made the points safe four minutes from time when Deacon bent a brilliant strike into the far corner. That had home fans heading for the exits.

Scunthorpe: Dewhurst, O’Malley, Boyce, Beestin, Nuttall, Rowe (Carver 76mins), Lavery, Taft, Butterfield, Apter, Pugh (Wilson 65mins). Subs not used: Foster, Young, Sellars-Fleming.

Maidstone: Sandford, Fowler, Mensah, Greenidge, Binnom-Williams (Pattisson 82mins), Booty, Odusayna, Corne, Deacon, Fawole (Barham 69mins), Galvin. Subs not used: Mersin, Ellul, Alabi.

Referee: Steven Copeland.

Attendance: Not given.