Maidstone made it four away wins in the FA Cup this season with victory at lower-league Chesham in the First Round on Saturday.

The Stones, who were on the road in all three qualifying matches, are clearly happy travellers as manager George Elokobi’s side booked their place in Sunday’s Second Round draw.

Both teams were keen to make a fast start, although Maidstone’s Sam Corne was maybe a little too eager as he clattered into Lewis Rolfe in the first minute. Referee Wayne Cartmel gave him the benefit of the doubt with just a stern lecture.

Chesham went close to taking the lead on seven minutes. Harry Rush’s corner was headed back across goal where Ricardo German’s effort came back off the woodwork. Chesham did well to keep the ball alive but Maidstone blocked the follow-up attempts.

The visitors went ahead on 12 minutes. The lively Razzaq Coleman De-Graft fed Liam Sole and his early right-wing cross picked out opposite wing-back Devonte Aransibia, who swept the ball home beyond keeper Zaki Oualah.

The duo nearly repeated the trick seven minutes minutes later but Aransibia’s downward header from Sole’s cross landed inches wide of the upright.

Maidstone started to dominate possession but Chesham were a threat from set-pieces, as they demonstrated just before the half-hour as they again hit the woodwork. Bruno Andrade’s free-kick from out wide on the left may or may not have been helped on its way but the ball came back off the upright and was cleared to safety.

Andrade clearly had an eye for a pass and he split the Stones defence wide open to play in Jordan Edwards but, having cut back on to his left foot, the striker saw his shot turned behind by keeper Lucas Colovan.

Maidstone nearly added a second on the stroke of half-time but Oualah got down well to turn away De-Graft’s left-foot shot at his near post.

Stones striker Sol Wanjau-Smith was inches away from applying the finishing touch to a first-time Sam Bone cross just three minutes into the second half.

Chesham had Eoin Casey cautioned for a trip on Wanjau-Smith and German followed him into the notepad, perhaps harshly, as keeper Colovan’s clearance hit the motionless Chesham striker on the edge of the area.

Stones introduced Levi Amantchi and Bivesh Gurung just after the hour mark but, a couple of set-pieces apart, they were looking fairly comfortable.

Amantchi appeared to wrap the tie up with 17 minutes left when he doubled Maidstone’s lead with a close-range finish after the ball came in from the left wing.

The Stones striker was booked for a late barge minutes later before Stones introduced Perri Iandolo and Lamar Reynolds with 10 minutes left, Iandolo shooting narrowly wide from 25 yards with six minutes to go.

It then needed a flying save by Colovan in the 87th minute to turn over substitute Rhys Murrell-Williamson’s well-struck free-kick to preserve his clean sheet.

Chesham: Oualah, Roberts (Kennedy-Sinclair 90+1mins), Rolfe (Murrell-Williamson 77mins), Casey (Brown 77mins), Murphy, Adebiyi, Gallimore, Rush, Andrade, German, Edwards (Joseph 61mins). Subs not used: Rushton, Jones, Duru, Shulton.

Maidstone: Colovan, Hoyte, Fowler, Brown, De-Graft (Amantchi 63mins), Corne, Wanjau-Smith (Iandolo 80mins), Aransibia, Bone, Sole (Reynolds 80mins), Petrasso (Gurung 63mins). Subs not used: Court, Hatton, Earle, Kyprianou, Wenham.

Referee: Wayne Cartmel.

Attendance: 2,984.