Maidstone 3 Bury 1

DESPITE conceding a goal after just 66 seconds, Maidstone United overcame Bury Town 3-1 in their FA Trophy 1st qualifying round replay on Wednesday night.

Barely a minute had elapsed when Bury counter-attacked, exploiting a huge gap on the Maidstone right and scoring through Lee Reed.

The visitors then adopted an understandable, but numbing defensive approach, preserving their lead until the break and surviving a strong appeal for a penalty for handball seconds before half-time.

United’s pressure began to tell in the second half and from their 11th corner Lee Shearer equalised with a far post header in the 58th-minute.

Three minutes later Andy Martin’s corner eluded everyone and curled straight into the net to give Maidstone the lead and in the 87th-minute Lynden Rowland made the game safe when he headed in Craig Roser’s cross.

The Stones will now visit Abingdon United in the 2nd qualifying round on November 3.