3 points on the road

A pleasing away win against a tough team who should be higher in the league they are. Maidstone had several old heads in their team who were excellent on the ball but not quite as fit as they used to be. Therefore our game plan focused on moving the ball quickly, sometimes directly but also laterally to ensure they had to chase the ball. This bore fruit as we reached half time 3-0 up. The first goal was a lovely passing interaction between the Wright brothers with Seb selflessly providing Bailey with an open goal to roll the ball into. The second goal was a broken down short corner with Luke Barrett remaining calm against the on-rushing defence and slipping the ball to the old man of the side who simply had to make a clean strike to score (he just about managed this). The 3rd goal was another poacher's effort from Max who scored from close range after another nice team passing move.
Maidstone were constantly in the game but our midfield and defence remained resolute and their goal was a goal mouth scramble that several of our players felt did not go over the goal line. Only 1 SC conceded in the second half and a lot of nice passages of play from our backline to their 25. Where we need to improve is our passing in the final quarter. We need to pass more and carry less in truth, team play needs to be the key rather than individual skills. However, a good overall performance with a real youth level in the team - Seb, Sam, Zach, James, Max & Toby all playing well. It was great to see Harry Turner back on a pitch and I felt both his play and his positive attitude had a pleasing effect on the squad.
If we can keep the core of this team together, the second half of the season will promise much !