Mixed feelings after draw with old rivals Slough
Captain Phil Cowell was much happier with his side's performance in Saturday's 1-1 draw with old rivals Slough, but he and the players came away disappointed they couldn't take some very presentable chances to seal all three points.
It’s been a rocky start to the new season for Maids, who were thumped 6-1 by Staines in their opening match – another game in which chances went begging where the scoreline didn't accurately reflect Maids' overall contribution.
It’s left them with one point from two matches heading into Saturday's home clash with Winchester, a side who - like Maidenhead – have been moved into the South Central Hockey League Premier Division 1 this season. It promises to be an intriguing clash and Cowell is confident that if the side finally starts taking their chances, it's one they can win.
“We played much, much better,” he said of the draw with Slough. “We created so many chances and should have won the game to be honest with you.
“That’s disappointing in the sense that we came off feeling we should have won it, but we’re happy that it was a better performance, especially considering the manner of the defeat we had the week before.”
James Duke scored the visitors only goal with a rising drive from the top of the D and more opportunities were spurned before Slough hit back in the closing stages.
Cowell (above) said: “It was 0-0 at half-time, we should have been up but didn’t take our chances.
“We scored early in the second half and had a number of really good chances to make it 2-0.
“It was a slip of concentration at the back, and we left a guy free on the back post to bundle the ball home. It's just about converting those chances; on another day we could have had four or five goals maybe.
“For one reason or another it just hasn't clicked for us yet, but we've got some fantastic finishers in Matt Heller, James Duke and Alex Land.”
On Saturday's game with Winchester, Cowell added: “It's exciting to have new opposition but you just don’t know what to expect. They’ll have some quality players, and we’ll just have to adapt to how they set up.”