Mens 1st XI beat Staines 3 - 2

Posted in Mens 1st XI at 9:08am on 08th Dec 2009
Match Date: 
Saturday, December 5, 2009

The top of the MBBO league is looking tight going into Christmas, with only 3 points separating the 2nd to 5th place. It was vital, therefore, that Maidenhead picked up the full 3 points against Staines away from home, to continue the pressure on the leaders, Chiswick, and try to pull away from the teams below.

The 3-2 victory secured these points, although the match was far closer than Maidenhead would have wanted. Goals from Paul Brown and Alexei Vink were evened out by Staines before Scott Craig grabbed the winner off a short corner rebound.

Maidenhead played the ball round effectively from the start, getting used to the slow Stained pitch. Early attacks down each wing were stopped but the momentum was certainly with the away side. This eventually led to the opening goal as Paul Brown struck a short corner powerfully into the goal, via a deflection off a Staines stick. Maidenhead did not hold onto the lead for long though and a quick break from Staines led to a one-on-one with the keeper, with the Staines striker slipping the ball into the corner.

The scoreline remained the same through to half time, with Maidenhead’s early dominance fading as the half went on, and Staines gaining in confidence from their goal. Maidenhead should have gone ahead mintues into the second half when Tim Durance darted onto a through ball and took it past the keeper, only to see his reverse-stick shot sail high over the goal. Maidenhead did re-take the lead when Dan Bradley picked the ball up on the right, he went past three Staines defenders before reverse hitting towards goal where Alexei Vink at the right place at the right time to help the ball in.

However, Staines soon levelled again when a dubious short corner decision gave Staines a chance. Their flicker dragged the ball to the right of the keeper, beating him and the defender on the post. Maidenhead grew more frustrated as the match wore on but were eventually ahead for a third time when a short corner was saved to Scott Craig who picked the ball up and flicked it into the top of the net.

Maidenhead held on for the win, despite picking up a few cards. They hope to finish the first half of the season with another win at home on Saturday.