Mens 1st XI drew with Slough 1st XI 2 - 2

Maidenhead came back from being two goals down to claim a draw with local rivals Slough. However, it felt like points dropped, as the visitors finished with 9 men on the field after a red and yellow card late in the game.
Maidenhead’s lack of match play since Christmas showed as an unimpressive start quickly saw them conceding goals. Slough had a few good chances before the first goal came, only keeping a clean sheet through some last ditch defending. However, pressure in the D eventually resulted in a Maidenhead defender blindly trying to clear the ball, only to see his clearance stopped by a Slough striker on the penalty spot, who quickly took advantage by sliding it past the keeper.

Slough took advantage of Maidenhead’s slow start again within a few minutes. An aerial into the Maidenhead half looked to be controlled by the defence but the attacker managed to steal the ball and run through on goal for a 1-on-1 with the keeper, which he clinically finished. Despite calls for a 5 yard infringement against the attacking player, the umpires allowed the goal and Maidenhead found themselves 2 goals down against the team directly beneath them in the table.

Maidenhead finally kicked into gear in the second half and played some excellent hockey. This eventually paid off when a saved short corner strike was coolly volleyed back into the net by the onrushing Alexei Vink. Sensing a change in momentum, Maidenhead continued to push with pressure building on the Slough players.
Their frustration began to show as some poor challenges resulted in a Slough yellow card. Worse was to come for Slough when a player was cautioned for continued fouls. His response was to physical assault and verbally threaten the umpire who quickly showed the red card and sent him from the pitch. Maidenhead capitalised by quickly grabbing a second goal, through a Paul Brown corner. Dan Bradley then almost did enough to win the game when, in the final moments, he slid across the astro to collect a stray pass from the back, got to his feet and drove into the D to win another short. However, the resulting corner saw the ball just miss the left side of the goal and the final whistle go.

Maidenhead now sit third in the table, after Chiswick and Eastcote won. But, with a game in hand and a long way to go in the season, promotion is still very possible.