Maidstone 1 Hastings 1

A FREE-KICK from Mo Takaloo earned Maidstone a point after a pulstaing Ryman League Premier Division game with Hastings on Saturday.

The visitors took the lead after 35 minutes when Ade Olorunda headed in from point-blank range and they looked the better side during the first half.

The Stones bucked up their ideas in the second period putting the Hastings goal under sustained pressure. However, with Hastings posing a constant threat on the counter-attack, the home side had to be wary.

Maidstone hit the bar twice through Alex Tiesse and Chris Smalling before they eventually equalised in the 72nd minute.

After Smalling's header had cannoned back off the crossbar, James Peacock was fouled in the area and the referee awarded an indirect free-kick for a high foot.

With 11 Hastings players lined up along the goal-line Rob Owen touched the ball to Takaloo and his low drive evaded everyone before finding the bottom corner.

In the closing stages, both sides went for a winner and Hastings went closest when Olorunda spurned a one-on-one in the first minute of injury-time.

* See a full match report and all the latest Stones news in Friday's Kent Messenger.