Ashford go down in Kent
Ashford went to Maidstone with high hopes after a fighting performance last week against the league leaders but the story was going to become a familiar one after a decent first half performance was thrown away by a return, in the second half, to the sort of performance from earlier in the season.
The astro at Maidstone takes getting used to with its spongy texture making it difficult to keep the ball on the ground. Players with good technique can cope but even those players need more than five minutes to warm up especially if they are playing away from home.
Manager, Martin Smith was concerned with the low key warm up but nevertheless Ashford started well with good possession and pressure on Maidstone. The pressure told as 3 short corners were won and all 3 were cleared off the line. Maidstone have some fine players with good skills and accompanying the skill there is an element of steel with tough physical players prepared to use their body and strength, sometimes illegally, to gain advantage. Some of these ‘tackles’ may be punished more harshly in Middlesex then they are in Kent but would be perfectly legal on a rugby pitch.
It was against the run of play in the 21st minutes when a hip high pass across the pitch from left to right found a Maidstone attacker un marked, he ran into the D and from an angle hit a shot that hit the backboard. Ashford came back and after some good attacks won a short corner resulting in Mcfarlane dragflicking the equalizer.
Ashford were comfortable at half time and were confident that superior fitness would give them the edge in the second half. That was short lived as a break from the right just 3 minutes into the half gave Maidstone the lead. 7 minutes later it was 3-1 as a short corner routine was dispatched clinically.
Ashford fought back and they were still in the game. Just as you thought the tide was going to turn Maidstone broke again and made it 4-1. There were still 17 minutes to go when Joe Lewis positioned himself perfectly at the far post to guide the ball for Ashford’s second goal The 5th Maidstone goal was a great individual effort with the player running through beating 2 defenders and hitting a shot that thudded against the backboard.
The second half performance was disheartening; a lack of fight and passion with some naïve play and individual errors took away the good work of the first half. A missed penalty flick could have made it 6-2 minutes from the end as Appleyard, in frustration, clattered a Maidstone player.
The result leaves Ashford second from bottom with just 5 games to go and there needs to be a dramatic improvement over the next few weeks if Ashford are to play in this division next season.
