Sevenoaks 6's (2) vs Maidstone 3's (3)

Top of the table Sevenoaks hosted Maidstone on Saturday at Invicta school - with the usual pitch at HollyBush Lane in use, both teams were subjected to a sluggish 3G/astro combination that slowed ball speed and killed any aerials, landing with a dull thud. The strong Maidstone side were driven by a thirst for vengeance; the last game saw Maidstone go 3-0 up, in the end losing 4-3 at home after a huge late comeback from Sevenoaks.

Maidstone came flying out the blocks just like they have done for the past few weeks, playing with fire and panache, passing the ball about as quickly as the dead pitch would allow. Ash M was the first to break the home defence, slotting a ball through nicely to Kieran who after a perfectly timed run slid the ball through the keepers legs; 1-0 to Maidstone.

Maidstone played without their captain last week against Canterbury and the ‘silly tapping in the air’ returned to a pitch where for once it was justified and worked to earn the first short corner of the game. James D stepped up and drag flicked with incredible precision, a carbon copy of last weeks short corner routine...2-0 to Maidstone.

The third goal of the half came from the Maidstone captain, quickly diving at the feet of a defender to deflect the ball into the roof of the net. The assist came from Kieran D who appears to have found new levels to his game in recent weeks; the resurrection acknowledged and appreciated by his captain after setting him up with 5 goals in 3 weeks.

Maidstone were 3-0 up going into the break, the team talk focused on the positives of the half but cautiously reminded the team of last year’s match when 3-0 up (specifically to avoid conceding any short corners, for which Sevenoaks were renowned for converting).

Sevenoaks returned from the break with intensity, applying relentless pressure on the visitors who had switched off somewhat during the break - gifting Sevenoaks a goal with a careless back pass to the home team captain who scored with ease past a helpless keeper making his 3’s debut. Sevenoaks were awarded their first short corner of the game not long after. To no-ones surprise, the scoreboard changed to 3-2. Another short corner came, fortunately saved by the face of the Maidstone keeper...the score remained the same, for now.

With murmurs of a repeat performance creeping in, Maidstone adjusted their formation to a back 4 to deal with the high press and prevent the loss of a 3-0 lead again. With tensions running high and time quickly ticking away, both captains saw Green cards for chat (SHC) and a stick hook (MHC). Shortly after returning to the field, Captain Hook was shown another card (this time yellow) for hitting the ball away – claiming to not have heard the whistle...

In a clash that would very likely be crucial in Sevenoaks’ promotion chances, Maidstone held out in an emphatic 3-2 win to return to Armstrong Road as victors. Two games remaining for MHC, a win in both could see Maidstone finish 3rd (depending on other results) whilst Sevenoaks’ only remaining fixture sees them play Newenden Nomads who are currently sitting pretty at the top of the table and highly likely to ascertain promotion to Div 4 next year. With 4 points separating the top 5 teams, anything could happen.