Lost 1 – 10
Scorers: Simon Hurlow
MoM: Not awarded
DoD: Too much choice
Hoping to emulate low ranking Saudi Arabia, who overturned heavyweights Argentina earlier in the week, the Millers took on high-flying Maidstone 2s on Saturday. Things started out optimistically: the warm-up was well organised and professional and, with no sign of the opposition just fifteen minutes before pushback, things were looking good for a 5-0 walkover.
Unfortunately, Maidstone did arrive in time and in an underwhelming 1st half, for the home side at least, the visitors were given ample opportunity to show-off, and convert, a number of their (very well rehearsed) short corner routines. With a converted penalty stroke to boot, Maidstone were 5-0 up by half time.
Things were looking good early in the 2nd half when talismanic midfielder Simon ‘The Heel’ Hurlow deflected an Adam McHale cross into the Maidstone net to restore some (temporary) pride and reduce the arrears to 5-1. However, setting a new club record for the number of penalty corners conceded in a match; while playing a team with, what turned out to be, an 80% conversion rate, it was never going to end well. A further 5 goals from Maidstone, in response to Hurlows audacious effort, settled what can best be described as a real thriller for the neutral.
The final whistle, and the bar, genuinely couldn’t (and didn’t) come soon enough. Although, sympathy was short-coming in the clubhouse, where Mark Bachelor was heard unfavourably comparing the Millers defence to a colander (with the invariable outcome that there are less holes in a colander…), at least the beer was cold.