Maidstone moved four points behind National League South leaders Ebbsfleet after beating Hemel Hempstead from a goal down.

Superb strikes from Callum Driver and Vas Karagiannis settled a lively game that finished 10-a-side, Hemel’s Adam Bailey-Dennis and then United’s Tom Mills shown second yellow cards at the Gallagher on Saturday.

United also have two games in hand on Fleet, who lost at Weston on Good Friday.

Play-off contenders Hemel made a flying start and having already gone close through Graeme Montgomery’s deflected strike from the edge of the area, they were in front after six minutes.

The defending was none too clever - a theme of the first half at both ends - as Ricky Wellard got in between Callum Davies and Manny Parry from a cross and cushioned a volley into the corner.

For a spell the visitors looked dangerous every time they went forward, the pace, power and trickery of Ibra Sekajja and Morgan Ferrier giving Maidstone plenty to think about.

Maidstone started to get a foothold in the game with Dan Sweeney dragging a decent chance wide after a free-kick from Karagiannis wasn’t dealt with and on 17 minutes they were level.

Driver did well to work his way into the box, beating two players before crashing a terrific effort into the top corner with the angle still against him.

Montgomery’s strike was well held by Worgan as Hemel hit back in a game that was fast turning into one of the most entertaining at the Gallagher all season.

The swirling wind and a card-happy referee in Ashvin Degnarin only added to the drama, five players booked in the first half alone, Jay May and Mills from Maidstone.

May was denied by a flying Jamie Butler save after a free-kick dropped on the edge of the box, then back-to-back Karagiannis corners saw Driver glance a header across goal from a decent position, with unmarked Sweeney then heading into the ground and inches over from six yards.

Hemel continued to look dangerous on the break but the better chances were falling to Maidstone.

Davies, also unmarked, nudged wide inside the six-yard box, then Karagiannis finished tamely when played in by Jack Paxman towards the end of the half.

But the winger went back to doing what he does best in the third minute of injury time, striking a beauty to put Stones in front.

Keeper Butler folded under pressure from May, gifting the ball to Karagiannis who worked an angle for a shot and bent a superb strike into the far top corner.

The start of the second half didn’t match the tempo of the first 45 minutes - to be fair, that would have been difficult - but around the hour mark it picked up again.

Hemel were reduced to 10 men after 63 minutes when Adam Bailey-Dennis picked up his second booking - both for silly handballs.

They brought on another defender in Mat Mitchel-King but only after Driver had gone close to a third Maidstone goal with a diving header from Karagiannis’ corner.

Worgan’s smart tip-over after the ball dropped to Sekajja on the half-volley kept United in front but was a reminder of the threat Hemel posed in attack, Stones moving to shore up midfield by introducing James Rogers soon after.

Hemel went even closer, though, when the ball broke to Wellard in the box, Worgan with an excellent block in a crowded area.

It was 10 v 10 in the 82nd minute, Mills shown a second yellow card for a clumsy challenge on Sekajja midway in his own half.

United dropped deeper and deeper in the closing stages but held on for a key victory.

Maidstone: Worgan, Davies, Mills, Davies, Parry, Sweeney, Karagiannis, Healy, May, Paxman (Rogers 71mins), Flisher. Subs not used: Birchall, Akrofi, Taylor, Richards.

Attendance: 2,481.