Mens 1s vs Canterbury Pilgrims

Canterbury were the victors when the two sides clashed at Polo Farm for the first league game of the season. They arrived to ME15 with a strong side and an intent to do the double over the hosts.

The visitors opted for an aerial into the right corner to open the game. This was taken down cleanly by Josh, who distributed it forward with purpose. Nice midfield and forward interchange allowed Ben Stott to dribble into the D, a cute lift and careful placement onto a Pilgrim foot earned MHC their first short corner of the day. A strong drag from Chris Howson was palmed upward. With the ball begging to be pulled home, Rob Clarkson politely obliged - a clean connection and it hit the goal's netting in a pleasing manner. 1-0 within a minute!

The Pilgrims neglected their aerial bombardment tactic following their first halfway-line start. This time they opted to transfer the ball around the back, allowing the Maidstone press its first opportunity to aggressively hound and pounce. Will Day did just that as he burgled the ball off of the Pilgrims right back and marauded towards goal, beating a couple with both pace and panache. The dazzling run led to him being one-on-one with the keeper - in tune with the rest of the mazy assault on the Canterbury backline, Day decided to round the keeper before pushing into an empty and neglected goal. 2-0 in two minutes and only five or six Maidstone starters had touched the ball.

The onslaught continued as Maidstone added a third through Chris Howson, his first of the day. Free flowing hockey all the way into the D saw the ball fall to Howson who slotted home with aplomb and ease. 3-0 with around 6 and a half minutes on the stopwatch.

Skipper Jim Christmas was next to get on the act for the fourth goal within ten minutes. A ball broke to him five yards in from the top of the D. Opting to sweep hard, Christmas roofed it into the top left corner - a strike that left the Pilgrims keeper stunned. A real cracker!

Goal five was Rob Clarkson's second of the day. It followed fine work, yet again, from Will Day down the right hand side. The Pilgrims were simply unable to cope with Day's hands - he ran them ragged at every occasion, finding the baseline with ease and also on-runners who arrived on the scene with intent to shoot. Clarkson too a smart touch before sweeping home on his reverse at the near post.

The party was briefly pooped when Canterbury scored from a short corner that was initially well saved by Phil Skillen. The break down of the corner allowed a Canterbury player to score their first consolation of three. 5-1 at half time, Maidstone had scored more in a half than they had down in a single match all season - their hockey had simply blitzed the visiting Pilgrims side.

Canterbury got another soon after half time that may have worried the most pessimistic of Stones supporters. However, any doubts were lost within a minute. Howson got his second thanks to his perfectly timed run that matched the intent of Will Day as he maneuvered down the right hand side and baseline- he pushed home from a couple of yards. 6-2.

Next in on the act was Ben Stott who scored his first MHC goal following his joining of the club at the beginning of the season. A scramble within the D led to Stott pouncing and finishing well.

Canterbury got a third through a short corner, of which some suggested was the ignition to a comeback. As with any teasing hopes they had in the fixture, this was short-lived. Howson again the man who replied quickly for his third of the day. The hat-trick is his second of the season and he leads the top goalscoring charts for MHC with 13 in their 12 league fixtures played.

Of the many good goals scored by MHC, Ben Stott's second was perhaps the best of the lot. Clarkson and Will Day combined well, the latter timing a first timed pass to Stott at the top of the D. Offered just a touch of space, Stott opted to hit strongly and cleanly. A perfect connection with the ball led to the ball slamming into the backboard at the far corner.

The final goal of the day was again Ben Stott. He became the second man to boast a hat-trick as he added MHC's tenth. With back to goal, Stott showboated his was through confused Pilgrim defenders. Having beaten three with brilliant hands, he pushed the ball beyond the keeper when around 8 yards out. Another mesmerising goal for the man who only 25 minutes prior hadn't scored in Maidstone's blue and yellow.

10-3 is how the fixture finished. While obviously overjoyed by the result, MHC player's were as much in shock as their opposition. The hockey played had simply clicked and the goalscoring had been relentlessly clinical. Roll on Cliftonville next week for an early start away from home.