Hornchurch 0 Maidstone United 0 match report: Stones held to goalless draw in National League South

Maidstone battled to a point at Hornchurch in a game short on quality.

The Stones hit the bar in the last 10 minutes but the match is unlikely to live long in anyone’s memory.

Hornchurch has long been a bogey ground for United, having won only one of their previous nine visits.

It was the scene of the club’s first-ever relegation, back in 2011, while their previous trip here was a crazy 5-4 FA Trophy defeat at the hands of the Urchins four years ago.

So, all in all, it could prove to be a useful point in the National League South promotion run-in.

Temi Eweka returned from a head injury in place of the suspended Raphe Brown in the only change from Maidstone’s 3-2 victory over Salisbury.

That meant Sol Wanjau-Smith, last weekend’s matchwinner, had to settle for a place on the bench.

The first half was a non-event with neither keeper troubled.

A bobbly pitch was hardly conducive to passing football and, as a result, the ball spent a lot of time in the air.

Hornchurch looked to utilise the pace of Darren McQueen down the middle, and he had the Urchins’ only shot on target, a straightforward save for Alexis Andre Jr.

At the other end, Maidstone put several balls in the box from corners and long throws but nothing was dropping.

Aaron Blair went closest, his deflected strike hitting the side-netting after being found by Charlie Seaman, while Jordan Higgs fired well wide from distance after running on to a pass from Bivesh Gurung, making his 100th Stones appearance.

Ben Brookes and Tom Leahy combined neatly at the start of the second half to set up Blair but he hesitated, possibly expecting an offside flag.

The Stones got Blair away down the left a couple of times before the hour mark, the second after successive challenges by