Vas Karagiannis was back but Maidstone still lost to fellow National League strugglers North Ferriby on Saturday.

Karagiannis went into the starting XI as one of four changes after being recalled from a loan spell at Dulwich Hamlet.

Hopes they would sweep to victory on a wave of optimism with the return of the Greek winger were in tatters as the hosts trailed 2-0 at half-time.

They pulled a goal back through substitute Jack Paxman but couldn’t equalise.

Karagiannis was quickly in the game, playing a short free-kick to Jamar Loza whose cross was buried by Yemi Odubade only for the linesman to spoil the party.

It was the first of three of disallowed goals for Odubade during the first half - the second coming well after the referee’s whistle - while Coyle with United 1-0 down somehow missed a header from a wicked Karagiannis cross to the back post.

It looked for all the world as though he had scored but the ball was inches wide.

Maidstone were the better side before falling behind in the 16th minute. It was another bad one to concede with Reece Thompson’s cross to the far post headed back across goal by Kyle Wootton and into the far corner.

The response was good with Karagiannis doing well to nick possession on the byline before crossing for Odubade whose shot was blocked, with Loza’s follow-up hitting the underside of the bar.

Jack Evans forced a decent save from Rory Watson after collecting a Loza pass, then Loza went so close to picking out the top corner from the edge of the box after a neat move involving Odubade and Karagiannis.

Moments after Coyle’s miss at one end, United conceded a penalty for handball from Stephen Brogan’s free-kick. Brogan buried the penalty into the bottom right-hand corner to give Ferriby a shock two-goal lead on 38 minutes.

Stones made a double change at half-time and it was one of the substitutes, Paxman, who pulled a goal back on the hour.

He saw his cross blocked after working his way into the box but took a pass from Odubade and finished cleverly from a few yards out.

A limited North Ferriby side worked hard but were nothing special and with half an hour left the game was there to be won.

There was an urgency about Maidstone - led by Loza - and they went close to an equaliser on 72 minutes, Anthony Acheampong wide with a header from Karagiannis’ free-kick.

Wootton flashed an effort wide at the other end before Ferriby keeper Watson got down well from Loza’s cross, with Odubade lurking.

A lovely bit of work by Tom Mills then sent Paxman through one-on-one but Watson made the save and Ferriby - who’d scored only 11 goals all season before this game - held on.

Maidstone: Worgan, Driver, Mills, Coyle, Acheampong, Rogers (Sweeney 73mins), Karagiannis, Evans (Paxman 46mins), Loza, Odubade, Taylor (Flisher 46mins). Subs not used: Lokko, Greenhalgh.

Attendance: 2,006.