Mens 1st XI drew with Eastcote 1s 3 - 3

Maidenhead fought back after going 3-0 down to secure a point at home against third place Eastcote with a 3-3 draw. It leaves the two teams in the same league positions, with Maidenhead falling five points behind league leaders Chiswick.

Dan Bradley grabbed a hat-trick to secure the points with two short corners and a penalty stroke in a second half which Maidenhead dominated.

The home side continued their form of starting games badly and putting themselves under pressure. Carl Ferrand’s team managed to string together some passing moves but struggled to break through the visitor’s backline. Much of the possession was around the half way line without ever threatening the Eastcote goal.

Eastcote on the other hand were able to produce some good counter attacking play and quickly established an effective passing game. There first goal came from a short corner dragged and their second soon followed. The striker picked up the ball and carried it strongly to the back post. His cross was finished off first time and Maidenhead suddenly found themselves with a lot of work to do. Worse followed when a poorly struck shot managed to slip past the unsighted Maidenhead keeper and Eastcote felt comfortable with a 3-0 lead.

However, Maidenhead managed to grab a goal before half time with a short corner. Dan Bradley kept his drag flick low and the keeper failed to get down to it. Maidenhead started the second half much more strongly and the pressure on Eastcote began to tell. Three of their players were awarded yellow cards, while one card went the other way. The extra man gave Maidenhead the space they needed and when Robbie Paul broke into the D he was stopped from having a shot with a cynical foul and the penalty stroke was awarded. Dan Bradley grabbed his second goal of the game, flicking into the top corner.

The equaliser came from another short and Maidenhead felt they had a real opportunity to push on for the win. Despite continued pressure to the end, with another two short corners for Maidenhead in the final minutes, they were unable to grab all the points and pull away from the third placed team. However, the team was pleased with the fight back and hope to produce wins in the next games before the Christmas break.