FINAL SCORE:
Funk Soul Brothers.........7
AFC Maidstone...1


Not as one sided as the scoreline suggests.
The game was lost within the horrendous opening 4 minutes. From kick-off, a scrappy passing move resulted in possession being lost. With a F.S.B player approaching, Spencer stood and watched and by the time he ran to close down, the shot had been unleashed and went through Cope's legs on the way in. Cope let another through his legs, following Spencer's hesitence again, and the defence was all over the place. Pilchers arrival added some stability to the defence. A consulation was found later. In a rare surge forward, Ryan Charman's persistence earnt a penalty. He struck his penalty to the keepers left, as the goalie helped it in. The keeper and Ryan exchanged some abuse, which continued into the second half. Half-time: 5-1.
Epps was playing far forward in the second half, ignoring his defensive responsibilities. He missed an absolute sitter. With the keeper in a heap at the far post, Epps had the simple task of slotting into an open goal from the edge of the area. He somehow struck his shot beyond the far post and way wide of goal. Ward was being forced back, but made some superb blocks and tackles. The Stones piled on the pressure, with Pilcher having a left foot volley saved, and Sam Charman striking the post. A goal mid-way thorugh the second half, plus a late goal, gave the scoreline a rather flattering look. A poor result but the display was reasonable; even the referee noted that AFC are making progress. The Stones know that they will never get any points until they cut out the defensive lapses, as the goals always seem to come in droves. Wards managerial debut was ruined, and Sam Charmans debut as captain was marred by a late challenge that left him with a twisted ankle.


TEAM: Cope; Spencer, Epps (Pilcher 5); S.Charman (Ward 8), R.Charman (P.Bond 12).

SCORERS: R.Charman 9 (pen)

Manager comments, from guest manager James Ward:
"It was a disappointing start for my debut as manager. It was the team's worst performance for some time, especially in defence. A four minute spree in the first half was terrible, when we conceded four goals. No-one played well, not even our saviour Ryan, and the less said about Adrian's double nutmeg the better. We will definitely improve for the second match against them in two weeks."