Maidstone United 1 Bognor Regis 2 match report
Published: 00:00, 21 April 2014
Updated: 08:57, 21 April 2014
Maidstone United still have a chance of reaching the Ryman League Premier Division play-offs - despite a 2-1 defeat by Bognor Regis on Saturday.
The result cost seventh-placed Stones their unbeaten home record but they're still only three points off fifth with two games to play, ahead of an Easter Monday clash at Met Police.
A goal in either half left Jay Saunders' men up against it and while they replied through Steve Watt with 19 minutes left, they couldn't force an equaliser and were inevitably vulnerable on the counter-attack.
There were encouraging signs for United in a tight first half given how many times they got in behind the visitors' defence but the only time they worked keeper Grant Smith came from Alex Brown's 20-yard strike inside 10 minutes.
Other than that, Smith watched Jack Parkinson's strike flash wide from Frannie Collin's short free-kick and Bognor led at half-time thanks to a neat strike from Scott Chamberlain that found the bottom corner on 40 minutes.
Maidstone needed an early goal in the second half and went close when Charley Robertson sent Alex Flisher through one-on-one with Smith but his effort went wide.
The hosts were two down on 64 minutes with Ollie Pearce playing the ball across the six-yard box for fellow substitute Dan Johnson to score with virtually his first touch.
Zac Attwood was caught in the box soon after when poised to shoot, only to be booked for diving, but Stones were back in the game when Watt headed home Flisher's long throw.
Stones keeper Lee Worgan and centre-half Jack Parkinson denied Bognor a third on the break, while Stones didn't help themselves by conceding a series of free-kicks which ate up valuable time.
Maidstone: Worgan, Cox, Mills, Watt, Brown, D Parkinson (Harris 66mins), Butcher (Robertson 50mins), J Parkinson, Attwood, Collin, Flisher. Subs not used: Hughes-Mason, Sullivan, Godmon.
Attendance: 2,148
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Craig Tucker