Won 4v2
Scorers: Riley Holness, Simon Downes, Stewart Keir, Simon Buckingham
MoM: Riley Holness
DoD: Stewart Keir
With thanks to team sponsor MPil http://www.ideaworks.co.uk
The Pilgrims stepped into their first league game of the season on the back of a couple of solid friendlies.
A new air of confident calmness exudes from the team, very much in the image of their new skipper. Maidstone had won both encounters last season, one convincingly.
Unflustered by the sizeable squad, coaching team or well drilled warm up of our visitors, the ‘grims set about quietly dominating the early encounters through some good possession hockey and high intensity pressing.
The first goal came from the first penalty corner inside 10 minutes when Riley Holness was first to react to the initial save.
The second corner was the same outcome, this time the ever-spritely Simon Downes following up wo rebound to double the lead.
Deservedly 2v0 up at half time, the ‘grims were praised by the skipper for their calm and simple style of hockey and more of the same was requested for the second half.
And for the most part, that is what he got. As legs began to tire, errors started creeping in and offering the Maidstone boys a sniff of opportunity.
Mid-way through the half, Stewart Keir managed to miss the keeper from another penalty corner and take the lead to 3v0.
Maidstone were gifted a route back in through a soft goal. A green card suspension was handed down to Stewart Keir for a noisy stick tackle. The numerical disadvantage was soon reversed when Maidstone had a player sent off for a 10-minute rest. Determined not to throw away a good lead in the style of last year’s Pilgrims, Simon Buckingham scored a beautifully worked goal to re-establish a 3 goal lead.
The ten men of Maidstone had the last say with a consolation goal to finish 4v2 to the Grims. New kit. New season. New Skipper. New Grims… a winning grims!
Such was this a true team performance, the MOM award could easily have gone to anyone under the age of 20! As it was, Riley Holness’s ever-present threat up front. His determination, speed and skill pipped Freddie, Olly, Arthur, Tyler and Ethan to the prize. More of the same next week when we travel to Old Williamsonians