Eastbourne 6-1 Maidstone

Hosting Eastbourne earlier in the season, the Stones had offered a good performance but failed to capitalise on leads they held. Looking at the seasider's results from this point forth, it would be fair to suggest that this was Eastbourne's toughest fixture on an impressive run of 13 straight wins in the league - a run that has them sitting in second and breathing down the necks of Old Wills. Obviously the intention of the visiting Stones 13-man squad was to put out a similar display.

As has been the case since the turn of the year MHC have struggled with injuries in the squad. However, this has allowed for deserved first-team opportunities for some. This week it was Cameron Crampton who made his first team debut.

Warming up in a downpour, both sides will have been pleased to see the end of rain prior to the opening whistle. The pitch had been moistened, the stage had been set - second played fourth.

A strong start by the Stones saw them have their best opportunity from open play during the match within the first minute. Will Day ran strongly down the right hand side before passing across goal - goal gaping, the ball simply wasn't mustered over the line.

This miss proved costly as Eastbourne proved regimented when firing from short corners. Defensive errors and misplaced passing allowed Eastbourne to line themselves up around the MHC D on a number of occasions through the half. On three of the aforementioned occasions, the home side converted - their second short being a particularly smart routine.

The halftime message was one of disappointment from Dean Wheeler. The next goal in the game, it was known, was to be integral to deciding the outcome of the fixture - The Stones had to score early in the second in order to salvage some hope. Alas, this was not to be.

More individual errors proved costly. When playing a side who have a habit of winning such errors are to be punished - MHC found this out. Another three goals were added by Eastbourne in the second half, admittedly it could have been more.

MHC's consolation came through the drag-flicking stick of Chris Howson - that short corner was just one of two MGC managed to earn throughout 70 minutes of hockey.

Maidstone's home and away record of 2024 are the polar opposite of one another - four wins out of four at home but not a single point on their travels. For this reason, the Stones will be pleased to play some hockey in Tovil next weekend as they host Ashford.