Maidstone Ladies' 1
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Sat 27 Oct 2018  ·  Division 1S
Upminster 1
2
3
Maidstone Hockey Club
Maidstone Ladies' 1
Upminster 2 - Maidstone 3

Upminster 2 - Maidstone 3

Lizzie Mcclintock31 Oct 2018 - 20:54
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Top of the table victory

Maidstone travelled to Upminster for the first time since the 2014-2015 season expecting a competitive match as both teams were yet to lose this season. Maidstone were determined, even with a slightly depleted side, to dominate the match and come away with three points.

The game started positively for Maidstone with some excellent movement and distribution by the midfield line up of Lizzie McClintock, Laura Jackson, Louise Cassey, Katie Gibbons and Jenny Capstick. Maidstone looked confident on the ball and calmly held onto possession, not allowing the home team to find their own rhythm.

Some great movement up front from Claire Weddle, Emily Bush, Lesley Price and Rachael Davies opened up the Upminster defence and allowed Katie Gibbons a clear run along the baseline. Gibbons then cooly played in Claire Weddle, gifting her the first goal of the match.

Straight from the restart, Upminster fought back. They pressed Maidstone high up the pitch, forcing mistakes, and getting some shots on target of their own; however Maidstone goalkeeper Becky Ward calmly kept the opposition from drawing level. Maidstone soaked up the pressure and soon found themselves on an attack of their own which led to them going 0-2 up from an almost identical goal to the first; Claire Weddle one goal away from a hat trick.

Unfortunately, some defensive errors from Maidstone gifted Upminster a goal, making the score 1-2 at the end of the first half.

A compelling team talk from Maidstone coach Jeremy Swaffer gave the team the push they needed to start the second half strongly. After a string of short corners, Lesley Price hit the left post before Katie Gibbons pounced on the rebound and calmly put the ball into the goal to reinstate the two-goal lead. 1-3 Maidstone.

Upminster were not willing to give up without a fight and Maidstone found themselves on the back foot towards the end of the match. Miscommunication between Maidstone players allowed an Upminster forward a free shot on goal which found the back board. This made the score 2-3 and Maidstone, determined to keep their winning run going, defended resolutely until the final whistle. Some solid and calm defending from Rachael Ferguson, Louise Fox and Catherine Broadbent being the reason the Upminster attack were unable to convert.

Player of the match: Katie Gibbons

Match details

Match date

Sat 27 Oct 2018

Kickoff

14:30

Competition

Division 1S
Team overview
Further reading