Maidstone United may not have got the result they would have wanted, but it didn’t dampen the fans spirits on their homecoming.
Twenty four long years after being without their own ground and having lived a nomadic existence, the Stones were finally brought back to Maidstone at the all new Gallagher Stadium and did themselves proud against Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion.
The fans packed into the new Gallagher Stadium in their numbers and weren’t put off by the relentless rain as they marvelled at the new ground that has been laid with a new 3G artificial surface.
As for the game itself, the Stones has their chances, but the Seagulls showed their class time and time again to round off a fine display with five goals.
Scotland striker Craig Mackail-Smith will go down in the history books as the man to have scored the very first goal at the new stadium as he poked the ball home after 26 minutes with Kazenga Lua Lua running down the left, chipping the ball across goal to Gary Dicker, but he only managed to steer the ball onto the bar, but Mackail-Smith was alert to clip the rebound home.
The second goal came five minutes into the second period, when the Seagulls, having made ten changes at the break to go with their policy of giving their three keepers half an hour each, cut open the Stones defence as Ashley Barnes picked out Will Hoskins in the box and he fired home from a tight angle.
Eight minutes later and Ashley Barnes got on the scoresheet himself as he was involved in a neat move with Torbjorn Agdestein and Bruno, turning the ball home from the edge of the box.
It was 4-0 on 62 minutes when Agdestein was upended in the box by Sam Bewick and Barnes stepped up to put the penalty past Deren Ibrahim in the Stones goal.
Five minutes later and Barnes completed his hat-trick as he sumptuously chipped Ibrahim from the edge of the box after being played through by Will Hoskins.
The last twenty minutes were played out with the Stones opting to give their subs a run out, with player/manager Jay Saunders one of those to have made a telling contribution after coming on, but all too often they were restricted to shooting from distance against a well drilled Seagulls defence.
In the end, the result will go down in the stats books, but all that mattered to the 2,226 present, was the fact the Stones were back home and the future is looking very bright indeed.
FULL TIME: MAIDSTONE UNITED 0-5 BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION
Maidstone United side: Ibrahim, Cooper, Mills, Humphrey (Saunders 72), Andrews (Ward 81), Lye (Phillips H/T), Davisson (Waugh 59), Bewick, Welford (Booth H/T), Draycott (T Olorunda H/T), Flisher.
Subs not used: Mingle, James, Mitten, Woolery.
Brighton first half: Ankergren (Brezovan 30), Calderon, Vincelot, El-Abd, Painter; Rodgers, Sparrow, Dicker; LuaLua, Noone, Mackail-Smith.
Brighton second half: Brezovan (Kuszczack 60), Sampayo, Greer, Dunk, Bruno, Bridcutt, Buckley, Agdestein, Harley, Barnes, Hoskins.
Subs not used: None
Goals: Mackail-Smith (26), Hoskins (51), Barnes (58), (pen 62) & (69)
Referee: Mr Paul Harris
Assts: Mr Stuart Butler & Mr Paul Yates
4th Official: Mr Lee Venamore
Attendance: 2,226 (150 Brighton)