Shaun Welford will never forget scoring Maidstone’s first goal at the Gallagher Stadium.

Welford gave United a 1-0 win over Dagenham in their second friendly match at the ground.

The goal came straight after half-time when he charged down a clearance from the Daggers keeper and scored in front of the Town End.

As United celebrate five years at the stadium, Welford said: “I do talk about it a lot.

“I’ve lived in Maidstone for 16 years and every barbecue I go to, as soon as I’ve had a few drinks, you start talking football and 99.9% of the time that gets mentioned.

“I’m massively proud of scoring that goal.

“I don’t even know why I charged it down.

“It was a nothing move, they were passing it around the back, went back to the goalkeeper and I just charged it down.

“It’s probably the worst goal I’ve ever scored but the most memorable.

“I loved it and that roar by the crowd, it was just immense. I’ll never forget it.”

The Dagenham game came three days after the opening match against Brighton.

Welford said: “Playing at Sittingbourne the year before, we knew that the stadium was getting built, so the build-up was starting a good 12 months before.

“We had a few visits to the ground as a squad, we saw various stages of the build, so it was very much in the back of our minds all the time. To be part of that first game, it was just massive.”