Maidstone United 2 Dagenham & Redbridge 1

A BRILLIANT volley by Kane Rice gave Maidstone United a 2-1 victory over League 2 side Dagenham & Redbridge on Thursday night.

The Stones matched their Football League opponents during the first half and came close to taking the lead on several occasions.

Mo Takaloo hit the post five minutes before the interval, but the main taking point of the first period came in the 42nd minute when Dagenham's Jon Nurse hacked Mario McNish from behind.

McNish retaliated by squaring up to Nurse and with almost every player bar the keepers becoming involved referee Ian Fissenden struggled to keep control, letting Nurse escape with a yellow card and booking half a dozen other players before restarting the match.

The Daggers, managed by former Stones boss John Still, upped their game early in the second period and took a deserved lead when Paul Benson punished Maidstone for a communication breakdown at the back.

But within five minutes the Stones were level. Alex Tiesse looked a yard offside when he broke free on the right, but the flag stayed down and the Ivorian striker buried the equaliser.

Three minutes from time a partially cleared cross fell to Rice and he produced a dipping first-time shot from just outside the penalty box that bounced into the bottom corner.

Attendance: 300.