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Maidstone United 3 Ebbsfleet United 0

Ebbsfleet trialist Cesc Fakinos looks to go past Maidstone's Alex Brown
Ebbsfleet trialist Cesc Fakinos looks to go past Maidstone's Alex Brown

Rory Hill won two penalties and scored a fine goal to help Maidstone sweep Ebbsfleet aside at the Gallagher Stadium on Saturday.

The visitors looked disjointed and rarely threatened to get in behind the Stones, who defended solidly against Conference South opposition.

Frannie Collin converted the two spot-kicks, which came within three minutes of each other, and Hill's 71st-minute volley gave the scoreline a gloss which Maidstone's overall display merited.

Centre-back Jerrome Sobers headed against the Ebbsfleet crossbar early on, with Preston Edwards doing well to smother Collin's follow-up effort.

Cesc Fakinos was back in an Ebbsfleet shirt, having left newly-promoted Welling, and the trialist set up Osei Sankofa for a shot which he thrashed wildly over the bar at the Town End.

Then came three minutes of football which Aiden Palmer will want to forget in a hurry. The full-back handled Hill's cross inside the box and then up-ended the same player moments after Collin had converted the subsequent spot-kick. The former Tonbridge striker sent Edwards the wrong way with his second penalty to put the Stones 2-0 up.

Daryl McMahon dribbled his way to the byline as Ebbsfleet sought a way back into the game. His cutback found Ben May in space but the striker had his shot well blocked by a covering defender.

Fleet boss Steve Brown made six changes at the break but Maidstone bossed the rest of the game.

One of the players introduced, Joe Howe, inadvertently diverted the ball towards his own goal and was relieved to see it strike the crossbar and bounce to safety.

Ebbsfleet's passing was wayward and Stones goalkeeper Lee Worgan barely laid hands on the ball all afternoon.

At the other end, Brandon Hall - who signed for the Fleet on Friday - was beaten by Hill's terrific strike which rounded off an afternoon to forget for those in red.

Charley Robertson and Paul Booth could even have added to the tally in the closing stages.

Both sides are back in action on Tuesday night. Maidstone host Welling and Ebbsfleet travel to Dartford.

Maidstone: Worgan; Sullivan, Sobers (Humphrey 70mins), Watt, Flisher (Johnson 74mins); Hill, Brown (Lye 67mins), Phillips, Smith (Robertson 74mins); Saraiva (Dawson 67mins), Collin (Booth 70mins).

Ebbsfleet: Edwards (Hall 46mins); Sankofa, Huke, Lorraine (Howe 46mins), Palmer; Corcoran (Phipp 46mins), Rance, McMahon, Fakinos (Long 46mins); Bricknell (McDonald 46mins), May (Johnson-Cole 46mins).

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