Bromley 2 Maidstone United 0 match report
16:45, 16 February 2019
updated: 17:03, 16 February 2019
Bromley’s hold over Maidstone continued as the visitors’ National League relegation worries deepened.
JJ Hooper scored both goals as 630 away fans left Hayes Lane disappointed.
The Ravens were comfortably the better team and could have won by a more against a Stones outfit who are now 10 points from safety.
It took Maidstone half an hour to muster a shot - Jake Cassidy’s 20-yarder comfortably saved by David Gregory - as Bromley dominated the first half.
They ran the show in midfield, Frankie Raymond and Frankie Sutherland pinging some neat passes about, while Luke Coulson made well-timed runs to join the attack.
The Maidstone defence were kept busy, heading plenty of balls away, but you always felt it was a matter of when, rather than if, the hosts would score.
Hooper cleared the bar after getting the better of Will De Havilland in the first few minutes and Marc-Anthony Okoye sent a diving header over at the far post from a corner moments later, with the early warning signs there.
Ollie Muldoon made an important interception in the six-yard boss from Omar Bugiel’s cross before a lovely pass from the classy Raymond to Coulson caused mayhem in the Stones box, ending with De Havilland denying Bugiel on the goalline.
A sharp move outside the Stones box led to Bromley’s 31st-minute opener.
It started with Sutherland, exchanging several passes with Richard Brindley and Porter.
Sutherland then played the killer ball to Brindley up the right and his low cross was finished by Hooper a few yards out.
Stones boss John Still had seen enough, substituting holding midfielder Aryan Tajbakhsh and introducing Josh Taylor in a switch from 3-5-2 to 4-4-2.
It made a difference and the Stones almost pinched an injury-time equaliser when Aron Davies smashed a loose ball inches over from just inside the box.
Raymond continued to pull the strings as Bromley looked dangerous at the start of the second half, opening up the Stones a couple of times.
The introduction of new signing Justin Amaluzor was followed by Elliott Romain as Maidstone used their final two substitutions inside 20 minutes of the restart.
Shaun Donnellan made an important block before a rare opening for Maidstone saw Jake Cassidy win possession and feed Amaluzor whose shot was blocked by Gregory.
Hooper wasted a decent chance for Bromley after a one-two with George Porter, moving into the last 15 minutes.
Coulson then forced a good stop from Henry as Bromley went close again in the last few minutes.
Bromley’s second followed in the fifth minute of injury time, Hooper going through and beating Dion-Curtis Henry.
Maidstone: Henry, Davies, De Havilland, Donnellan, Phillips, Muldoon (Amaluzor 58mins), Tajbakhsh (Taylor 33mins), Wishart, Powell, Cassidy, Robinson (Romain 64mins). Subs not used: Lewington, Edobor.
Attendance: 2,589 (630 away).
Latest news
Features
Most popular
- 1
The abandoned ‘ghost road’ that once took holidaymakers to the Kent coast
23 - 2
Air ambulance lands after head-on smash between bus and car
- 3
Everything you need to know about Kent’s biggest Christmas market
3 - 4
'Our son didn't attend lectures for five months - why didn't uni check on him?'
- 5
Hundreds in the dark after power cuts