Futures and Pasts

The win at Weston-super-mare ensured that the end of the season would be, if not quite a lap of honour for Drax, at least a reign ending in calm contemplation of his eight and a half years at the club, much of which I'm sure will be committed to type in the next seven days.

Two league games remained and both saw the away team win backed by supporters en fete. The visit of Wealdstone reflected the universal truth that the function of football is to bring people together with the events on the pitch a mere sideshow. 

The Wealdstone fans provided an object lesson in what football supporters actually are, rather than how they are often portrayed. Raucous, intoxicated and fun to be around. Doubtless if the new Cambridge approach had been taken, many would have been forbidden entry to the ground. That they weren't ensured and end of season was more akin to a promotion party following a second half which saw Wealdstone blow United away with goals from Jonathan Wright, Matthew Ball and Jefferson Louis. Earlier Jacob Erskine had ensured an even first half heading the equaliser after Shane Lucien had given the Stones an early lead from a free kick. With Maidenhead competitive if not indeed the better team in the first half, the second half collapse only served as a final reminder for the home support of a squad that promised so much but couldn't quite deliver. At least the goal led to Erksine winning a deserved man of the match award, recognition for his sterling efforts over the last eighteen months wherever on the pitch, whenever required.

Post match the pleasing shambolic end of season awards took place in a drunken haze, to a backdrop of FA Cup semi-final extra time, Peter Griffin's promise of a free bar if Arsenal score meaning any chance of holding the crowd was lost when ex Magpie Adam Federici became the new Dan Lewis.

Seven days later the positions were reversed when Maidenhead United fans celebrated the end of the season in familiar style. Personally it was simply a blessed relief going to a match on the final day knowing there was absolutely no consequence to the result. Meeting up in Wimbledon proved a good move, as The Alexandra near the station provided an uncharacteristically old school venue for an aperitif, Young's London Stout being served in appositely white striped glasses.

Sadly the Plough opposite the ground was best vacated as soon as a glass could be empied, an enquiry for draught beer being met with a response of "nothing til Monday".

As the game kicked off with the unlikely sight of Wayne Shaw in the Sutton United goal, reportedly sacked after an altercation with an opposition fans the previous season. Naturally just like Jefferson Louis in the last game, former Magpie Dale Binns managed to find the back of the net, but his opening goal proved to be the high point for Sutton as Maidenhead deservedly took the three points with a goal in each half from Harry Pritchard and Stefan Brown respectively.

So the league season ended in 18th place, exactly as it had done twelve months earlier but with a lot less stress. The return to Sutton next season should see an artificial surface in place although that won't alter my view of a ground I never really enjoy visiting, largely I think because of the poor sightlines from any vantage point other than the stand.

In between the two first team games I had taken advantage of the absence of the usual end of season fixture pile up to make my first trip to Ascot United to see the Youth team attempt to reach the League Cup Final.

Ascot's a strange place, the high street dwarfed by the grandstand of the world famous racecourse which dominates the village. Indeed I had to pass under the track to get to the ground which lies inside the course in a bucolic setting, surrounded for the most part by woodland aside from a set of stalls and a furlong marker behind one goal.

I had barely set foot in the ground when I received messages from Mark Smith requesting programmes but it wasn't that sort of occasion. The only team sheet was on a whiteboard next to tea bar serving hot drinks in china mugs. My sort of club.

The match reflected the fact that the teams faced up as Under 17s and Under 18s, the elder Maidenhead eleven showing their physical maturity to make it almost a men against boys contest. A the small, sloping pitch did not lend itself to attractive football and following the initial burst of energy from both sides the match went to form with Maidenhead going into the break two goals ahead.

Kai Walters was at the centre of most attacking Maidenhead play and it was he who dribbled through the Ascot defences to open the scoring and was also thought to have a got a touch to JC Etienne's long throw to the near post which deflected into the net.

In between the goals David Rogalski was brought down in the penalty area but his subsequent spot kick was saved. 

After the break as Graham Aldred warmed up with his flask of soup, Ascot made a good fist of getting back into the game but a combination of a good save from Sam Gray and the post meant that once this counterblast had petered out, Maidenhead ran out easy winners.
Resistance was effectively ended when man of the match Calum Ferguson fed a through ball to Etienne who ran round the keeper to score. Olly McKoy scored a spectacular, if fortunate, fourth with a cross floated in from the left hand touchline before Rogalski took advantage of sharp work from substitute Andy Ali to dispossess the Ascot keeper.
The game wound down against a backdrop of two Ascot mothers, who were evidently from the nursing profession. neatly summing up the moribund election debate with talk of casualisation, immigration and the profit motive in the NHS, with their sons' team eventually scoring a consolation.
This means the Maidenhead boys will playing for a League and Cup double when they contest the final at Windsor against Bracknell on Wednesday. This will be another fine achievement for Sam Lock who has now won silverware for four years. Let's hope the new first team manager will find the trick to developing young talent into first team material.