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Boreham Wood 3 Maidstone United 1 match report: Goalscorer Roarie Deacon sent off as Stones beaten at Meadow Park

Maidstone's winless run stretched to five matches after losing the evening kick-off at Boreham Wood.

Roarie Deacon's deflected strike put the Stones in front but George Williams' freak equaliser and second-half goals from George Broadbent and Lee Ndlovu turned the match Wood's way.

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

The visitors, who've dropped to 18th in the National League, finished with 10 men after goalscorer Deacon was sent off in added time for a second yellow card.

Jack Barham joined the Stones’ lengthy injury list, with his place up front going to James Alabi, while new loan signing Dylan Barkers started in midfield.

There was also a debut for academy forward Josh Arnold as a second-half substitute.

Little happened at either end, with defences untroubled, before the Stones had a big chance to open the scoring in the 17th minute.

Ryan Galvin’s ball down the flank was headed clear only as far as Sam Corne, he found Christie Pattisson in space, but the Stones winger dragged his first-time strike wide.

Pattisson made amends by hacking the ball off the line when Will Evans met a corner for the hosts shortly after.

Wood had lost defender Dion Kelly-Evans to an arm injury in the early stages and it was Maidstone’s turn to make a change when Joe Ellul was forced off with a facial injury.

Kodi Lyons-Foster slotted into his place and the visitors took the lead in the 30th minute.

It came moments after a good spell of possession in the hosts’ half that had seen Maidstone move the ball from right to left via Gavin Hoyte, Regan Booty, Galvin and Deacon.

There was more than a slice of luck involved in the goal, though, with Booty finding Deacon whose strike from 20 yards beat Nathan Ashmore with the help of a big deflection.

Wood hadn’t looked particularly good up to that point, manager Luke Garrard urging his men to pass the ball.

They benefited from even greater fortune than Maidstone for their 36th-minute equaliser with substitute Williams’ cross from the right hitting the back post and dropping in.

Wood’s tails were briefly up after the goal, with Jack Payne firing wide from the edge of the box, while Booty curled a 20-yard free-kick over for the Stones.

Stones centre-back George Fowler got across superbly to deny Ndlovu after a lovely flick round the corner from Tyrone Marsh sent him through just after half-time.

Wood were enjoying a decent spell of pressure, keeping the Stones backline on their toes, be it cutting out crosses or blocking the route to goal in a crowded box.

Wood opened them up down the left just before the hour but Broadbent missed the target from a Dennon Lewis cross under pressure from Galvin.

Pressure, though, paid off with two goals in three minutes as Wood made their dominance count.

Broadbent timed his run perfectly to head home Lewis’ cross to make it 2-1 on 63 minutes.

And Ndlovu added the third with a first-time finish back across goal from Zak Brunt’s dinked ball in the 66th.

Fowler and Lyons-Foster made successive blocks from Wood substitute Danny Newton, and Lyons-Foster threw himself in the way again when Brunt went for goal.

Arnold, a second-year academy scholar who turned 18 just three weeks ago, was introduced as part of a double change with nine minutes of normal time remaining.

He’s a good height and wasn’t overawed against Wood’s big back three, immediately putting himself about, and also making space for a shot on goal.

Boreham Wood: Ashmore, Kelly-Evans (Williams 10mins), Ilesanmi, Evans, Stephens, Broadbent, Ndlovu (Rees 73mins), Marsh (Newton 54mins), Lewis, Payne, Brunt. Subs not used: Elliott, Stevens.

Maidstone: Hadler, Hoyte, Fowler, Ellul (Lyons-Foster 27mins), Booty, Barkers (Odusanya 81mins, Corne, Pattisson, Alabi (Arnold 81mins), Deacon. Subs not used: Gurung, Mersin.

Referee: Daniel Middleton.

Attendance: 1,001 (132 away).

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