An injury-time strike by Alex Flisher gave Maidstone a dramatic victory over National South play-off rivals Gosport on Saturday.

He thumped home from the edge of the box in the third minute of added time after fellow substitute Jack Paxman met a clearance from Lee Worgan.

Stones led through Jamie Coyle's second-half header but were pegged back by a late Bobby-Joe Taylor own goal and looked to be heading for a point until Flisher's heroics.

Adam Birchall was handed a first start since December with Alex Akrofi (ankle) and Jay May (illness) sidelined, Coyle returned in place of Manny Parry while Taylor deputised at left-back for Tom Mills, who was fit enough only for the bench.

It was the first time Birchall had played as United’s main striker - he’d always operated in the hole previously - and he looked bright early on despite having little to feed off.

Dan Sweeney, playing off Birchall, saw a fair amount of the ball, while Charles Banya got in one or two decent crossing positions after combining with Taylor but lacked the delivery.

A deflected strike from Gosport’s George Barker hit the side-netting after a move down the right in an otherwise uneventful opening.

Nice footwork from Joe Healy made room for a strike on the edge of the box that was comfortably held by Nathan Ashmore as United threatened for the first time.

Healy was involved again soon after, exchanging passes with Sweeney whose deflected strike from 20 yards went wide.

Lee Wort wasted a decent opening for the visitors, shooting tamely at Worgan from the edge of the area, and Dan Wooden did the same after skipping past Healy and James Rogers.

Birchall was spared by the offside flag at the end of the first half having sent a loose ball wide from six yards after Ashmore parried from Healy.

A bright start to the second half saw Vas Karagiannis denied on the edge of the six-yard box after Sweeney freed Banya down the left.

And from the corner, Stones defender Callum Davies headed over at the far post when he might have done better.

But Gosport went close through Justin Bennett before a stunning 35-yard strike by away left-back Rory Williams crashed back off the underside of the bar. The rebound fell to Bennett but he headed weakly at Worgan.

A high-tempo second half continued with Sweeney sending a free header from a Karagiannis free-kick straight at Ashmore while Banya fizzed a strike across the face of goal, with Birchall not far from turning it in.

Stones made the breakthrough on 64 minutes when Karagiannis’ vicious inswinging corner was headed in by Coyle.

Bennett fired over after a quick free-kick down the left as Boro missed the chance to level while the Karagiannis-Coyle corner combination almost paid off again, Ashmore just about holding on.

Maidstone were pegged back in bizarre circumstances with 10 minutes left.

After missing chances to clear in the build-up, the ball fell to Wooden whose shot was diverted in by Stones defender Taylor.

Banya wrapped his foot round Matt Bodkin’s cross in the last five minutes but a Gosport touch took the sting out of his volley.

An even better chance followed after Banya played a one-two in the box and squared for unmarked Bodkin six yards out but he rolled the ball straight at Ashmore.

Maidstone: Worgan, Driver, Taylor, Coyle, Davies, Rogers, Banya, Healy, Birchall (Flisher 61mins), Sweeney (Paxman 86mins), Karagiannis (Bodkin 74mins). Subs not used: Parry, Mills.

Attendance: 1,882.