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v Witham Hall
Maidwell 1 - 3 Witham
Experience on Astroturf proved to be the key discriminator in Maidwell's first match of the season. The first half saw the boys adjusting to the surface, both in terms of play and the ability to stand up! There was too much tap-tap-tap of the ball rather than keeping the stick firmly on it and Witham's players were able to pick it off with relative ease; thus Maidwell were quite often scrapping for the ball rather than controlling it. When the ball was moved wide (too rarely, sadly), there were some excellent attacking opportunities and this will need to happen more often in the future to gain success. William Playne and Edward Ashton Johnson both showed real determination in the midfield and they kept Witham at bay and, in the second half, they started to control periods of possession. Max Farnsworth lead the back line with a mature head and cleared up most of the danger. Witham's goals came either directly or indirectly from short corners, with the third owing to a miscommunication in Maidwell's defence. Maidwell's goal came from an attack down the right with George Broughton coming in from the left to meet the cross. Angus Norman was denied a second by the goalpost and there were other chances. In all, an encouraging start, but there is work to be done!
v Oakham
Maidwell 0 - 2 Oakham
This was a gritty and determined performance by the 1st XI team. The majority of the match was played out in the central half of the pitch with both teams battling hard but playing the straight ball too often and giving the ball back to their opponents. Goal scoring chances were few and far between, Oakham took theirs, Maidwell, sadly, struggled to make any telling moves in the final third of the pitch. The ball needs to be moved around more quickly, the boys need to hold their positions and trust their team-mates and they need to play the ball in the direction that they are facing rather than thinking that down the middle is the only route; passes worked around the back and up the flanks will ultimately create more valuable attacking opportunities.
v Oundle
Maidwell 0 Oundle 0
This was certainly no dull and boring nil-nil match. Both teams played with great skill and verve providing a thrilling end to end display for the spectators. It was Maidwell's best performance so far with every member of the team raising their game. Archie Hughes was outstanding in goal, commanding his 'D' and making some crucial saves. The defensive line was solid, timing every tackle to perfection and distributing the ball quickly and accurately to the midfield. The team's shape held throughout, the wide players were always available on their flanks, the central and 'inside' players showed some excellent stick skills and made many a decisive run or pass. Both Edward Ashton Johnson and Julian Martin Smith fired shots wide by the narrowest of margins and a George Broughton / Angus Norman combination saw the ball rebound off the post; with several short corners also earned, the attacking performance was strong and deserving of a goal. Oundle, however, were also playing well and making their own opportunities. In the end a draw was probably the fairest result, but praise must go to both teams for the nature of the match.
v Akeley Wood
Maidwell 2 Akeley Wood 1
Finally the Maidwell boys earned the victory that they thoroughly deserved. This was an impressive performance with Maidwell dominating the game in the midfield and on the flanks. The ball seldom strayed into the Maidwell end of the pitch during the first half; William Playne played superbly at inside right, controlling the ball with consummate ease and linking up well with Julian Martin Smith on the wing and Luke Marchant at right half to play the ball around their opponents. Despite the domination however, in front of goal the Maidwell team lacked the drive, determination or reaction speed to make the most of their possession. Finally, having had an earlier goal disallowed, Edward Spooner made the breakthrough with a cleanly struck finish. One goal up at half time was a lead, but did not reflect the dominance. The second half continued in the same vein although the team, sensing they needed more goals, started to revert to the long ball game and, as a consequence, allowed Akeley Wood to gain more possession and start to get a foothold in the match. Fortunately a determined George Broughton scored a vital second as Akeley started to spend more and more time in the Maidwell half and, were it not for some excellent goalkeeping by Archie Hughes, threatened to cause an upset. Their efforts were finally rewarded after some panic defending from Maidwell gave Akeley a scoring chance. The end result flattered Akeley but it was the win that Maidwell needed to cap their excellent progress this season. |