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Rocks 4 Sittingbourne 1
Another Nyewood Lane double by Dean Maynard helped the Rocks to a comfortable victory over Sittingbourne at Nyewood Lane - that after they had fallen behind in the second minute.
His second-half double - giving him four goals in two home league games - made the points safe after Phil Turner's deflected shot and an own goal gave the Rocks an interval lead following Tom Broadbrook's second-minute opener for the visitors.
The win leaves the Rocks third in the table, just a point behind leaders Burgess Hill.
Maynard's two goals also make him leading scorer in the division.
The Rocks were depleted by injury and suspension. Luke Nightingale (knee), Michael Birmingham (mouth) and James Crane (shoulder) were all on the treatment table while Richard Hudson was suspended.
That meant starts for Dean Maynard, Dan Royce, Phil Turner and youngster John Marzetti in their place.
The Rocks got off to a dreadful start when they fell behind in the second minute. A corner was flicked on at the near post and no Rocks defender could scramble it clear before Tom Broadbrook poked it just over the line.
But the Rocks were level four minutes later as Turner ran at his man and saw his right-foot shot from 20 yards deflected to beat Matt Read at his near post.
The equaliser settled the hosts after their shaky start and James Fraser, captain for the day Ben Johnson and Jason Prior linked up well in a move that ended with Johnson dragging a 20-yard shot wide.
On the quarter-hour, Prior set up strike partner Maynard for a volley on the edge of the area that went wide.
The Rocks were dominating and Matt Whitehead was unlucky when his pass into Prior found the ex-Moneyfields forward offside.
Prior got on the end of a Turner cross from the right on 22 minutes but his downward header lacked power and was easily collected by Read.
The Rocks took the lead on 24 minutes. One of a series of fouls conceded by the Kent side resulted in a free-kick swung in from the right touchline by Johnson. With no home player anywhere near him, Sittingbourne's Ross Morley sliced it past Read, off a post and in.
Maynard ought to have made it 3-1 a minute later but placed his shot wide after running through with only Read to beat.
Suddenly, Sittingbourne's early lead seemed an age ago. The best they could manage as the half-hour mark passed was a weak shot which Ryan Goldring rolled along the ground at Craig Stoner.
Maynard wasted another good opportunity ten minutes before the break. Prior's flick played him in on goal but after holding off a defender's challenge, he skewed his shot wide of Read's far post.
The next chance fell to Dan Royce after Turner's cross from the left reached him beyond the far post, and he was unlucky to see his low volley fizz back across the goal and just wide.
Maynard would have had a hat-trick in the first half if he'd had his sights set properly. Again, on 44 minutes, he found space for a shot but this one was way too high.
HT 2-1
Sittingbourne made a change for the start of the second half, with Jack Hooper replacing left-back Joe Foster.
Goldring gave the Rocks a wake-up call a minute into the second half, weaving past two men 25 yards from goal before firing a low shot beyond Stoner's dive and only just wide.
The Rocks had gone to sleep and Goldring was in again on 48 minutes, hitting another low effort across the goal and beyond Stoner's far post after a quick move caught out the home defence.
Goldring scrambled the ball into the net a minute later but only as the whistle went for a clear foul on Stoner as he went up to catch a high ball.
The Rocks finally carved out a chance when Turner set up Prior for a cross from the right corner. Maynard headed it down to Fraser but his shot was weak from only eight yards out.
But Sittingbourne were still having the lion's share of the possession in the second period, which was a worry for Darin Killpartrick and Jamie Howell.
Their concern, though, was lifted when Turner was sent away down the right and curled in a perfect cross for the unmarked Maynard in the box. He took a touch then slotted the ball past Read to give the Rocks a two-goal lead.
Prior took a knock to the head during the build-up to the goal and came off for a brief bit of treatment, but was okay to carry on.
Sittingbourne were still carrying a threat and Morley glanced a header goalwards at the same end at which he'd scored his earlier own goal.
Turner's work for the day was done and he was replaced by Guy Rutherford as the Rocks looked to make their midfield a little more solid. The visitors also made a change, Goldring replaced by Dion Monaghan.
The Rocks were indebted to Stoner on 65 minutes when sub Hooper let fly from 25 yards. Stoner dived to his right to push the shot on to the base of his post.
Maynard looked like he might be in for his second as Marzetti found him in space in the middle, but a linesman's flag stopped him in his tracks.
Prior dispossessed a defender inside the area on 72 minutes and crossed for Maynard, but a defender's desperate clearance denied him the Rocks' fourth goal. Immediately the Rocks got the ball back in the danger zone but Royce's volleyed cross from the right was caught by a diving Read.
Prior was next to try his luck, firing a fierce shot from 25 yards only inches wde of the angle of post and bar. It rattled one of the clubhouse windows.
The game was over on 78 minutes when that man Maynard rifled into the roof of the net from an acute angle after being played in on the right side of the box.
That was the signal for skipper Johnson to come off, with Charlie Marshall taking his place.
Royce became the first player to be booked with ten minutes left, seemingly for something said to the referee.
Maynard powered through again on 82 minutes and forced a good parried save from Read, again shooting from a tight angle.
Tim Bond came off on 88 minutes and Toby Pointing took his place.
Another promising move by the rampant Rocks ended when Marshall floated a ball forward too near the keeper.
The Rocks continued to attack in injury time, not content to settle for four, but they were tiring after an energetic performance and couldn't add further goals – not that the crowd of 321 could complain.
The last action saw another athletic save from Stoner to palm away a Higham Akhazzan effort.
FT 4-1
Rocks: Stoner, Marzetti, Whitehead, Fraser, Axten, Bond, Turner, Royce, Prior, Maynard, Johnson. Subs: C Marshall, Rutherford, Pointing, Nightingale, Lawrence.
Sittingbourne: Read, Horlock, Foster, Reeves, Bannen, Manners, Goldring, Morley, Broadbrook, Nuttall, Akhazzan. Subs: Keyembe, Brady, S Marshall, Monaghan, Hooper.
Ref: J Taafe.
Report by STEVE BONE
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Weather for Chichester
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: South west
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Cloudy
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