Mens 1s vs Holcombe

A common theme of match reports since 21 October 2023, Maidstone's last win, was that of performances not necessarily reflecting results. The Men's 1s had often drawn fixtures where they had a dominant role in affairs and also suffered one-goal deficits against sides they had equaled. This weekend's result was a relief as much as it was a marker of intent for the second half of the season.

Holcombe sat one spot and one point ahead of the Stones prior to pushback - their record of 5 wins and 5 losses before Christmas featured no draws. Maidstone entered the fixture with the benefit of a good training session under their belt - the mantras of Dean Wheeler had been re-asserted and this put the men in good stead.

The 1s started the fixture strongly - operating with a back three when in possession, Maidstone enjoyed a fair portion of the ball in the opening encounters without every threatening. Similarly, Holcombe's efforts to create in Maidstone's 25 were not particularly fruitful.

The game was brought to life by a moment of magic from Rob Clarkson. Leading the MHC line with Will Day, the headbanded forward ran towards the D looking to take a shot on his strong side. A slight scuff in his dribbling efforts as he approached the D forced him onto his reverse. From the top of the D, it felt as though the Holcs defenders were acceptant of him forwarding a reverse shot at goal, perhaps holding the view that his reverse hit wouldn't be particularly threatening. This was a serious error in judgement, Clarkson tomahawked the ball into the top left corner - the rippling of the net was seen before the keeper even had a chance to move off of his heels. A super strike that shocked both the goalscorer and his teammates.

Phil Skillen, who eventually earned Man of the Match, was resolute in goal throughout the game. His best minutes, however, came in the conclusion of the first half. Without making wonder save after wonder save, when called upon Skillen would save strongly and ensure to clear the ball out of danger with his trusty left boot. His professional efforts ensured that MHC gathered at half time one-goal to the good.

The half time lecture of Dean Wheeler focused on the need to return to basics. He was pleased with the Stones' position but felt that, on many occasions, players were over-complicating their attempts to breakthrough a young visiting side.

Resumption of play saw more of the same, Maidstone controlled possession slightly but Holcombe remained resolute. Anytime one defender was beaten by a cute pass or smart skill another would ensure they were covering - this meant that Maidstone were restricted to half chances.

In the knowledge that Holcs were not offering much in the way of goal-scoring opportunities, the MHC front-line opted to look for feet in the D with more eagerness. This was rewarded when Chris Howson's first true drag-flick at goal beat the Holcs keeper to his left-hand side. The lead was doubled.

On their travels home, Holcombe will rue two things. Firstly, their failure to make short corners count - they likely won more than the hosts but, at no point, converted from. Secondly, their missing of a penalty flick will have left a sour taste. At 2-0, a penalty flick was the perfect opportunity to halve the deficit and pile on pressure to what would inevitably have been a nervy Stones backline. Having been imperious throughout the game, Phil Skillen stood strong as the Holcs flicker prepared himself. In a rather unfortunate event, said flicker managed to mishit the ball to such an extent it was spotted by the umpire, who called foul-play. No goal, no re-take and a 16 to restart the fixture.

Maidstone had obviously learned from their failings to hold out leads prior to the turn of the year - this was evidenced by the fact they held much of the ball in the closing stages. A 2-0 win sees MHC leapfrog their opposition. Next week provides another opportunity to do the exact same - they face fourth placed Canterbury Pilgrims, who were victors in the opening day league fixture.