Many happy returns

Much pompous back slapping all day as the FA celebrated their 150th birthday with a load of self congratulatory speeches at a dinner in central London. If there was any justice they would have had to stuff the multi course meal down their chops at about 10 in the morning for the benefit of TV but as it was probably the one event the FA couldn't find a buyer for, they didn't.

With this taking place at the gothic monstrosity which is the Connaught Rooms, a more suitable tribute was the game at York Road, home to football since 1871, and still managing to come up with events which entertain and enlighten.

The visitors today were Bromley, currently in the boom phase of their regular stop/go economic cycle. Almost exactly a year ago they pipped Maidenhead by the odd goal, with Bobby Behzadi missing a penalty as the Lilywhites warmed up for a first round FA Cup tie at Fleetwood. A few months later they ended the season at York Road in total disarray on a long losing streak following rumours of a hefty budget cut announced in the dressing room ahead of the first game after the transfer deadline.

They arrived at York Road back challenging for promotion in third place and although clearly a class above the likes of recent visitors Slough and Dorchester, lacked the quality of Eastleigh. In an entertaining open ended start to the game, Maidenhead gave as good as they got, with Harry Pritchard a real threat on the left wing. The pendulum then swung firmly Bromley's way when Curtis Ujah was dismissed for two cautions in three minutes late in the half. Whilst the first yellow was debatable, there was no question about the second, and a quick reshuffle saw Richard Pacquette withdrawn into Ujah's central defence role.

Maidenhead, grateful that the referee only saw fit to play three minutes of stoppage time despite two lengthy stops for injury as well as the sending off, kept the scoreline blank up to what turned out to be an extended half time break due to an injury to the linesman (the other assistant being a lineswoman).

Now I've seen this happen several times watching Maidenhead, and someone in the crowd has always responded fairly quickly. Today no one rose to the call. From my point of view this meant the game looked likely to be abandoned, although the referee reportedly said it was fine to carry on with just two officials. Eventually it was agreed that a member of the Bromley backroom staff would take the flag on the line in front of the shelf monitoring his defence which brought light relief to the usual second half slide to defeat.

This did not seem in doubt as Bromley dominated the start of the second half although it took 21 minutes for them to take the lead when the wonderfully named Jay May volleyed home at the far post from close range.

Within a minute of the restart Maidenhead were thrown an unexpected lifeline when Jacob Erskine was fouled in the penalty area. As usual Behzadi stepped up to take the spot kick but a delay whilst the ball wobbled off its spot augured ill for United and the keeper saved the penalty.

This proved to be the last of the real goal mouth action despite both sides showing the positive attitude to score. At the back for United, Pacquette, despite reportedly losing two teeth in a challenge, held things together, but his absence in his usual role meant the Maidenhead attack remained similarly toothless.

Meanwhile the shelf linesman put on a great display. Initially this was farcical as he flagged for a throw in when the ball looked like it might go out of play but didn't, and then plain funny as he seemed to favour the Magpies with his decisions, much to the annoyance of his club mates. At least he didn't have to worry about his ride home as it turned out that the team had come by train.

The end result then, although continuing the negative trend of defeats, at least fitted in the box of gallant failure, the Magpies conceding just one goal to what the league table deems to be the second best team in the league tonight, whilst having only ten men for an hour. 

Mike's Momentary Lapse For Reason

Last game at York Road for a while and the final episode in a quartet of matches against some of the top teams in the league. Fortunately the heavy rain stopped early enough on Friday night to allow the ground staff time to get the pitch ready for visit of the Bank of England club Eastleigh.

Last Tuesday Dover arrived at York Road with a well financed team of all talents sourced with some of the best players at this level, but Eastleigh have gone one step further using a rumoured £20,000 a week budget to build a squad with substantial Football League experience.

Thus the game largely mirrored its predecessor with both teams keen to get the ball forward quickly creating plenty of goalmouth incident. However Eastleigh were unable to dominate to the extent of their promotion rivals from Kent and didn't secure the three points until the last minute of the game.

Indeed the outcome may have well been further in doubt but for an extraordinarily generous penalty award in the first half when a cross from the left struck the raised hands of Bobby Behzadi on the byline whilst the full back was in the act of slipping over. The spot kick was converted by the wonderfully named Jai Reason with the Magpie fans ire only increased a couple of minutes later when a similar ball to hand incident outside the penalty area saw referee Mike Blackledge wave play on.

The game began with Eastleigh going off like a train, with the over eagerness of striker Chris Zebroski leading to an early booking. Zebroski then almost drew first blood with a stinging shot which Billy Lumley pushed past the post. The Spitfires commitment to attack left plenty of gaps at the back for the Magpies to exploit although Chris Flood wasted a chance to score against his former team from a well positioned free kick. 

As usual David Pratt was in fine form showing a different side to his game when he allowed the ball to pass between his legs to put Daniel Brown through only for the midfielder to pull his shot wide.

An injury to Harry Pritchard gave Richard Pacquette the opportunity to come off the bench, the formation changed to accommodate a two man attack. The new signing looked keen to mark his return to Maidenhead colours with a goal and but was denied a chance to do so when Ross Flitney just about collected a shot from Pratt.

The source of Eastleigh's goal rather spoilt what had hitherto been an even contest as it forced Maidenhead into a greater commitment to score to get back on level terms. In attempting to do so Pratt enjoyed a battle royale with centre back Dean Beckwith but could not fashion a chance to continue his recent return to hitting the back of the net. United's best chance of the second half fell to Pacquette but he was denied an opportunity to shoot when well placed by a perfectly timed last ditch tackle by Mitchell Nelson.

At the other end only an outstanding double save by Lumley from Damian Scannell and Dale Binns kept the deficit to one only for the Magpies achilles heel of a set piece cross from the right to be exposed once more in the final minute when substitute Alex Lacey headed home at the far post from a corner.

So three defeats in a week again leave Maidenhead looking over their shoulder at the relegation zone. Yes the Magpies were underdogs in all three games and feel sore at the outcome of two of them but the temptation to look back at what might have been must be ignored to focus on accumulating the points required to ensure a tension free end to the season. Eastleigh may well squeeze into the play offs but they will need to find another gear to obtain the momentum for a run to promotion. Certainly if their financial subsidy is sustainable they will be title favourites for next season although experience tells me its a case of when not if these vanity projects run out of steam.

 

BB = MW all squared

Odd game yesterday where both teams looked poised at one point to win comfortably but overall a draw was very much the right result. This was a satisfactory outcome for the Magpies not only given the way they folded in the second half but also in terms of taking another step towards safety by preventing a rival from taking three points. Although the supposed importance of the game had led local journalist Charles Watts to succumb to "massiveitis" in his pre match tweet, six points from the last two matches meant the pressure was off the Magpies yesterday.

In a game that had BBC Radio Berkshire been interested they would have called a derby due to their assertion that Basingstoke is in their broadcast area, Maidenhead had much the better of the first half with only the woodwork and a splendid performance from goalkeeper Ashley Bayes restricting United to a single goal lead at the interval.

Harry Pritchard was first to go close hitting a shot against the post with the loose ball being fired into the sidenetting by David Pratt. Pratt then hit the target with a snapshot from distance which was palmed by Bayes over the bar although the referee gave a goal kick. Bayes proved to be one of the most entertaining features of the game, not only for his impressive goalkeeping but also for his running commentary on his team's performance, not least his defence. His effusiveness was rather more enlightening due to its candid nature about Town's shortcomings rather than his manager Jason Bristow's constant focus on making the referee aware that he was the reason that Basingstoke did not take all three points.

As well as Bayes' heroics, Billy Lumley proved his worth at the other end saving well at full stretch from Delano Sam-Yorke when the striker had the goal at his mercy. 

Inevitably it was an Alex Wall free kick which led to Maidenhead taking the lead. This week though the set piece wizard's effort was partially stopped by the Town wall only for the ball to fall to Bobby Behzadi who finished well to score.

After the break, David Pratt who was having a decent game in the right wing position usually filled by Chris Flood, looked to be continuing the pattern of the first half when his cross hit the far post but almost immediatley Basingstoke took charge of the game, scoring twice in eight minutes. There was no need to check the programme to look for the scorer in either case as Manny Williams marked his return to York Road with a brace of goals which transformed the game. Both were deft finishes, the first from a well worked move down the left wing, the second when put through by Sam-Yorke who seized the initiative turning over possession from a dithery Maidenhead defence.

The transformation in the game  now saw Basingstoke in complete charge with Maidenhead starting to show the all too familiar defensive frailty which had characterised the autumn downturn in form. Still positive substitutions by Johnson Hippolyte saw a greater emphasis on attack with the return of Flood, releasing Pratt from his dutifully performed defensive duties into a more central attacking role.

After Mark Nisbet had signalled notice of Maidenhead's intent to equalise with a volley which fizzed narrowly wide, Pratt did the next best thing to scoring against his old club by winning a penalty which must have been frustrating to watch for the away fans as the striker looked to be heading away from goal as he drew the foul. After much chatter from the Basingstoke team about the position of the ball on the spot which led to one caution for dissent, Behzadi shrugged off the background noise to score from the spot with trademark aplomb to neatly square not just the score but the scorers.

Despite five minutes of injury time, largely caused by a case of just desserts when Jay Gasson was carried off on a stretcher after diving in for a late tackle, neither side looked to have quite enough in the tank to win the game leaving Hippolyte the happiest of the two managers thanks to the late comeback and sealing a point advantage with two games in hand over fellow strugglers Basingstoke.

Glimpsing a game

2013's Essex theme continued on Saturday with a rare trip to Hornchurch. With the prospect of a game viewed from afar behind a running track this wasn't exactly something I was looking forward to, the Urchins' location in sleepy Upminster coupled with their struggle to cope with life in a higher division following promotion meant it was one that could be enjoyed.

The perils of weekend engineering works led to a lunchtime rendezvous at Liverpool St with what turned into a five a side team of Magpies as one by one we struggled across central London. In contrast a brisk train journey east followed by a short walk to the ground meant any earlier delays were inconsequential, so we wandered out onto a balcony wedged between the dressing rooms and bar behind the goal, the elevation provided meaning this was the best vantage point to watch the whole game.

Before kick off there was time to reflect on the last Saturday visit to Bridge Avenue when the previous incarnation of Hornchurch funded by what turned out to be the equivalent of magic beans, comfortably beat current Preston North End manager John Dreyer's Magpies who were battling hard to qualify for the brave new world of the Conference South. As is the custom this last away game of the season led to some United fans attending in fancy dress which created a wonderfully surreal moment when the priest (pictured bottom left) took such exception to one of the linesman's decisions that he vaulted the barrier and pursued him up and down the running track waving a bible.

Since then after a few ups and downs Maidenhead remain in the Conference South whilst Hornchurch opted within twelve months for bankruptcy and a restart in the Essex Senior League. Their climb back to this level is thus admirable under former Thurrock duo Colin McBride and Jimmy McFarlane, but its clear that like last week's opponents Billericay they may not stay very long.

The game passed remotely, watched in an Amstel induced blur, with Maidenhead eventually looking fairly comfortable in what was an open entertaining game. The man fast becoming one of non league's hottest properties, Alex Wall, again stepped up and converted a free kick from outside the penalty are, this time low and hard through the wall. His strike rate is up there with Gareth Bale at the moment and I have never seen a Maidenhead player with such a scoring record from set pieces as Wall. Perhaps the best comparison lies with Stuart Pearce whose pugnacious approach is a good comparison with the power Wall applies to the ball.

However Wall's goal came after Hornchurch missed a sitter and they went onto hit the post before Harry Pritchard ended the half by drawing a great save from the Urchins' goalkeeper.

The second half turned into a tale of two penalties as firstly Bobby Behzadi scored at the deserted far end of the ground to double United's lead,

and then Billy Lumley made sure there was no way back into the game for Hornchurch by diving low to his right to save the home team's spot kick.

Pritchard again went close late on when his shot was tipped over the bar before the final whistle signalled another three points to lift Maidenhead up into tenth position but still only five points ahead of Hornchurch who lie third from bottom.

One for joy two for sorrow

As has now become a worrying custom Maidenhead lost the battle of the southern Magpies at York Road in a game which they opened in unstoppable form.

A typically grey autumnal afternoon had begun with a stop at Bar Sport Maidenhead to watch the North London Derby, a rare opportunity to watch that strange breed of football fans who access the game solely through TV, cheering and applauding at the screen as if at the stadium itself. This fine hostelry seems to be prospering whilst pubs across the town falter which is unsurprising when you consider the investment to ensure everyone can see a screen and their televised sport of choice. The draught Amstel could not taste better as Arsenal capitalised on Emmanuel Adebayor's dismissal, the pair of Tottenham fans sharing a table with me disappearing at half time. I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't the only person heading for York Road at the final whistle, testament perhaps to their commercial support of the club.

The game at York Road sadly had shades of that in North London as Maidenhead tore Dorchester apart in the first part of the game, taking the lead when a Bobby Behzadi cross from the right was headed goalwards by David Pratt. The header took a slight deflection, enough to ensure goalkeeper Jason Matthews was unable to hold onto the ball with Daniel Brown reaching it first to score.

A few minutes later Pratt took the ball round Matthews to shoot from a tight angle, the strike well positioned but without the power to cross the line before Aaron Pugh cleared off the line. Pugh, alongside central defensive partner Charlie Clough proved to be a formidable barrier to any further Maidenhead goals. At the time I felt this reflected Maidenhead's lack of width but the introduction later on of Harry Pritchard didn't really change matters.

Having survived the opening onslaught with just a small deficit, Dorchester worked their way back into the game, serving notice of their intentions to level with a free kick that Billy Lumley pushed round the post. Whilst Maidenhead remained a threat, Mark Nisbet heading narrowly over from a corner, Dorchester equalised with the goal of the game, a Mark Jermyn pass finding Ben Watson who applied a super finish to score.

Dorchester were straight out of the blocks after the interval and would have taken the lead but for an outstanding reaction save at the far post by Lumley from Sam Malsom. Lumley was again at his best to deny a second from Watson tipping the shot onto the post when the striker ran clear on goal. That Matthews could only parry another Pratt effort served as a reminder that Maidenhead were still in the game but a double substitution just ahead of the hour mark seemed to upset United's equilibirium.

This unwelcome turn of events was compounded by Dorchester's winning goal to which the Dorset club contributed little. An innocuous through ball seemed to be destined for Lumley's welcoming embrace before James Regis diverted it into the top corner with his head from the edge of the penalty area.Whatever was or wasn't said by anyone in a black and white shirt remains conjecture as I was up the other end but certainly this goes down as a defensive mix up and a frustrating one to concede with Maidenhead seeming to have weathered the early second half blitz.

There was plenty of time to recover but Maidenhead offered little threat apart from a cross which Chris Flood fired across the edge of the penalty area from the right wing which eluded goalkeeper, defender and Alex Wall.

Not a good start to a run of at least five Saturday home games in the next six weekends. With the league table as tight as it is, goals are precious and cannot be given away lightly, certainly the likes of Danny Burnell and Ben Abbey won't need asking twice when they return to York Road with Slough on Tuesday night.

Goals Goals Goals

A positive development in modern football has been the increase in goals scored, coupled with a natural rise in the frequency of high scoring games/amazing comebacks. This was taken to an extreme on Tuesday night in Berkshire, with a fair sequel in West London the following night. Maidenhead have been in their fair share of such games this year, giving up a commanding lead against Farnborough on Easter Monday to lose 4-3 then almost doing the same on the final day of the season against Eastleigh before winning by the odd goal in seven at the last gasp. Furthermore a few weeks ago the second half performance against Hornchurch showed all the necessary attacking threat to respond to a half time three goal deficit, but the loss of a further goal not to mention a goalkeeper raised the stakes too high.

All of this doesn't sit too well with a purist like myself who sees the perfect game as a win with a clean sheet not that I was complaining when Maidenhead did almost enough to salvage a point at Bromley when the game was all but lost with half an hour to go.

As a whole the game showed how competitive the Alliance South is this season. People may grumble about the perceived quality in relation to previous seasons but aside from the polarised positions of Salisbury and Truro there is little to choose between the rest, it would certainly be a brave pundit to predict with any confidence who will occupy the places between 2nd and 21st come May.

Certainly Bromley look like a team better than their position of 19th at kick off. Furthermore for a team playing in the FA Cup First Round on Saturday their minds were in no way distracted from the task in hand. 

Following Saturday's superb win over Welling I was travelling in hope as well as expectation having been to all of Maidenhead's matches at Hayes Lane since 1997, an unbeaten run totalling eight games.

I was not unduly worried by Bromley's dominant start in a game which was open and played at a frenetic pace as precedent suggested that Maidenhead would soak up the pressure then score on the counter attack. Thus although Bromley appeared to be causing the Maidenhead defence all sorts of problems, the reassuring presence of Jesse Joronen in goal and the regular Magpie attacking forays meant all was going to plan. However when Bobby Behzadi shot narrowly wide when well placed on the edge of the six yard box, and Danny Waldren drilled home the opening goal with a super shot from the edge of the penalty area, concerns that this wasn't to be Maidenhead's night began to rise.

Joronen then showed his true class six minutes ahead of the break to make an unbelievable save from a Richard Pacquette header at the far post when the Finn looked beaten by a cross from appropriately enough Tony Finn. Joronen was helpless though to stop Waldren doubling the lead two minutes later when his free kick was deflected into the net.

At half time Drax made a double substitution bringing on Paul Semakula and Harry Pritchard for Alex Wall and Reece Tison-Lascaris but their effect was not felt immediately as Bromley did not sit on their lead, responding to the continued inane drumming and chants borrowed from Crystal Palace by maintaining their siege on the United goal.Once again it was Finn who spearheaded Bromley's threat down the left wing, and eleven minutes into the half his shot could only be parried by Joronen allowing Pacquette to prove the law of the ex by firing in the loose ball.

Three up and with little more than half an hour left Bromley at last looked spent. Now it was time for Maidenhead to have their say. Moses Swaibu was somewhat harshly judged to have brought down the tireless David Pratt in the penalty area but it was not to be Behzadi's night in front of goal as Joe Welch guessed the right way and saved his spot kick. 

Nevertheless Maidenhead are nothing but resilient this season and soon another chance presented itself as a Leon Solomon chip was only kept out by the far post. Shrugging off a second slice of bad fortune the Magpies continued to penetrate the Bromley half on either flank through Solomon and Pritchard, and were finally rewarded with twenty minutes remaining when the right back's cross was headed in at the far post by substitute Semakula.

Three minutes later the comeback was definitely on this time as Pritchard delivered from the left wing to Chris Flood at the far post, the loan player heading in his first goal for the Magpies. Maidenhead were now in their pomp, sweeping all before them, a great move with nine minutes left seeing Pritchard shoot just wide from the edge of the box, the young left winger not quite catching his shot sweetly enough. 

My unbeaten record now hung in the balance and thoughts turned to Andy Eaton's stoppage time equaliser on my first visit, a Full Members Cup tie in 1997 when most of the crowd appeared to leave rather than stay for extra time. However despite five minutes added on at the end the Magpies were unable to conjure up a third goal allowing Bromley to hang on for a win which sets them up nicely for their FA Cup tie at Fleetwood.

Captain Markvel leads Magpies second half turnabout

Welling United always prove to be a good benchmark against which to measure progress and so it proved on Saturday as one of the better teams to play the Magpies this season were turned over in the second half despite being well in control at the break.

The game started slowly but soon settled down into a pattern which saw Maidenhead's attempts to attack snuffed out by an efficient defence led by the impressive Fraser Franks in the centre whilst the Welling front two Theo Fairweather-Johnson and Ross Lafayette maintained a constant threat. 

The threat was realised a quarter of an hour into the game when a Scott Kinch long ball found Fairweather-Johnson on the right, who hooked in a cross to Lafayette. The striker then turned and shot for goal in one beautifully smooth movement, Finnish goalkeeper Jesse Joronen momentarily raising hopes of a save but his magnificent effort could only push the ball into the net.

The goal pretty much settled matters for the first forty five minutes, with Welling looking comfortable holding a lead. They came closest to doubling it when a long shot was almost dropped into his own net by Joronen having collided with the woodwork when making the initial save.

After the break Welling looked well set to consolidate their lead into a victory using the wind and the slope to pressure the Maidenhead penalty area, but Joronen and the defence were equal to everything the Wings and the elements could throw at them and thus after having survived the initial second half onslaught the Magpies were ready to turn the tables on the visitors.

With the hour mark approaching a shot from outside the penalty area by Michael Pook was pushed around the post for a corner by Welling goalkeeper Sam Mott. Following the kick the ball found its way back to Pook on the left wing and his cross was headed goalward by David Pratt. Mott could not hold the ball and captain Mark Nisbet was first to bundle it over the line for an equaliser.

After a month in the doldrums the Magpies at last began to recover some of their vim and vigour getting the upper hand in the game for the first time. With nineteen minutes left this translated into what proved to be the winning goal, an almost identical move to the first. This time Pook took a free kick from the left wing which Nisbet headed past Mott. Full of confidence again United saw out the remaining time with little alarm, helped by the early departure of Kinch for two fairly innocuous challenges. Further entertainment was provided by a Welling fan who charged from behind the goal to challenge the linesmen on every decision with the final whistle soon coming to signal a satisfyingly unexpected victory to end the Magpies recent poor run of form.

The win left me pondering the power of confidence. The first half felt little different to the other defeats of late but the second half goal led to a visible transformation in the authority of the Maidenhead team to produce a win. A key factor must have been the return of captain Mark Nisbet, not least with his two goals, his leadership linked with the tenacity through the middle of the team with Bobby Behzadi in the centre and Pratt up front seeing the Magpies return to their resilient character shown earlier in the season.

Get Your Rocks Off

An outstanding FA Cup tie at York Road yesterday contested by two teams who attacked with vim and vigour throughout whilst both defences had a game to forget. Maidenhead had their noses in front all afternoon and deservedly take a place in the third qualifying round draw tomorrow but Bognor made sure the Magpies had to work hard all the way to the end of the ninety minutes to ensure victory.

In a pleasing symmetry with last season's corresponding tie the sun shone throughout adding to the warmth radiated by the memories prompted by the competition. Adding to the nostalgia was the grand old man of non league football, Jack Pearce, still General Manager of the Rocks and striding the pitch pre match preparing his injury hit team. Likewise Maidenhead were down to the bare bones of the squad with Bobby Behzadi making a rare appearance in the centre of defence.
Nevertheless both clubs raced out of the blocks and the tone of the game was set in the ninth minute when Alex Wall whipped in a superb cross from the right wing which was finished by David Pratt to the delight of both players' fathers who stood either side of me in the media centre. Bognor gave notice they weren't about to lay down and die soon enough when Terry Dodd hit the post three minutes later. Later in the half Billy Lumley was called into serious action, saving once with his feet and then pulling off a sublime one handed save, denying Steve Harper on both occasions.
Maidenhead were well worth their half time lead though Pratt doubling the lead midway through the half, this time converting a cross from the left by Harry Pritchard. Indeed everytime the Magpies crossed the half way line they looked like scoring with Wall and Pratt displaying some delightful interplay which saw Wall go close to getting his own name on the scoresheet a couple of times.
After the break the game continued in riproaring fashion, Dodd ratcheting up the tension when he pulled one back from the Rocks nine minutes into the second half. The goal only served to fire up Maidenhead, Pritchard hitting the post as Bognor were blitzed until Leon Solomon restored United's two goal advantage with a cheeky chip over goalkeeper Craig Stoner's head.
With an hour gone there was still plenty of life left in this Cup tie and Mu Maan made sure no one would want to leave early by scoring from the penalty spot with twenty five minutes to go. Maidenhead continued to strive for a fourth goal, and when Pratt's cross found Pritchard with the goal begging it was only a herculean effort by the clearly injured Stoner which enabled him to deny the young winger with an outstretched foot.
Pratt who put in another tireless performance then won a late penalty to seal the win which Bobby Behzadi despatched with aplomb, the striker going close to a hat trick before departing a few seconds early.

With both teams just about spent the final whistle confirmed a result which reflected Maidenhead's superiority up front and Bognor's resilience to stay in the game, qualities which should stand each club in good stead for the rest of the season.

Annihil8ion

York Road proved to be the venue for Kevin Heaney's chickens to come home to roost as Truro's financial troubles finally spilled over onto the pitch as Maidenhead United annihilated the Cornish club by scoring seven times without reply in the second half. The ex chairman and his Rolls Royce were of course nowhere to be seen with as usual the faithful supporters left to bear witness to the damage Heaney had wreaked on their club.

Although the previous week had seen Truro slip into administration with a subsequent deduction of ten points, and remained under a transfer embargo, they were still able to field most of the team that had started the season in fair form going into the game in tenth place. Thus the first half, following an early Maidenhead blitz, developed into an even match, leaving BBC Radio Cornwall listeners to my regular updates, which punctuated the commentary of Redruth's rugby match, with the hope of taking something from the game. Maidonians unable to attend were disappointingly not afforded the same service as BBC Radio Berkshire felt unable to take up my offer to do the same during their London Irish commentary.

Maidenhead kicked off buzzing from two wins in the week leading up to the game, David Pratt going close in the 4th minute when his shot was parried by Tim Sandercombe. For all the United pressure though, the Truro defence marshalled by manager Lee Hodges, held firm, and as the half passed the mid point City started to come into the game with Billy Lumley being forced to tip a long range Hodges free kick over the bar. 

It was somewhat against the run of play then that with seven minutes to go to the break Reece Tison-Lascaris gave Maidenhead United lead when he collected a pass from Daniel Brown and thumped the ball passed Sandercombe into the back of the net from just outside the penalty area.

Within four minutes of the restart the young midfielder doubled the lead with a trademark dribble round Sandercombe signalling a second half onslaught which saw my Colemanballs going into overdrive on the radio, ably supported by the massed ranks of the MMS.

Ironically, Pratt with five goals already this season, was the only striker not to get on the scoresheet, his next effort being tipped over the bar by Sandercombe before Tison-Lascaris squeezed in this hat trick to make it 3-0 before his usual departure from the pitch on the hour mark.

His replacement Alex Wall picked up where Tison-Lascaris left off by scoring United's fourth shortly after a Harry Pritchard corner was punched off the line by Sandercombe. Martel Powell then put Paul Semakula in to make it 5-0 with twenty two minutes still left to play. 

By this time it was clear that the fight had gone out of the Truro players. Hardly surprising considering they weren't paid on time in August and given the uncertainty of their short term future. They held the line at five though until the final ten minutes when cliches such as "cricket score" and "throw the towel in" were in order.

First up was the stand out goal of the game when Wall was hacked down by Sandercombe. Bobby Behzadi stepped up to take the spot kick and delivered a Panenka to add insult to injury.

Wall then made it seven himself, but after Pritchard was again denied with a finger tip save by Sandercombe, the striker unselfishly spurned the chance for a hat trick himself by unselfishly squaring the ball to Lee Barney to get on the scoresheet for the first time this season in stoppage time. The final whistle left the scoreline forcing the videprinter to use brackets at 8 (eight) - 0.

The Truro team then creditably walked over to their fans to thank them for their support before exiting the field of play to applause from the Maidenhead supporters in that typically British fashion that never quite crosses the line into being patronising.

So was this the last rites for Truro? Will the statistics from this day ultimately be expunged from the record? With league sponsors Blue Square refusing to price Truro's matches this season it seems like the odds are against their survival and really it must be in the club's interest to ultimately reform lower down  the pyramid. However before that happens there will inevitably be much wrangling off the pitch to clear up the mess left by Heaney. The ownership of both club and ground both appear to be shrouded in mystery. The final outcome will surely judge the ex Chairman as a man blinded by his own hubris, who in jeopardising the very existence of the club he ran, trampled on clubs throughout the south of England with his financial doping tactics. He's not the first to have done so, but with the ever increasing financial regulation of non league football will hopefully become a rare breed.

Magpies take it to the 'bridge

Saturday was a day ripe for deja vu with York Road hosting a replay of the opening fixture of the 2011/12 season which saw Tonbridge Angels open their first Blue Square Bet South season with a 4-0 victory romp over a sorry Maidenhead United team on a gloomy August afternoon. With the Magpies ending the season relegated then reprieved, and Tonbridge consolidating with a final placing of ninth, the odds on were a similar result twelve months later so it was pleasant surprise that greeted my news of Saturday's win as I spread the word at Pinkneys Green on Sunday.

The win was very much a case of fortune favouring the brave, both in terms of Drax's decision to field an attacking 4-3-3 formation, and later to continue to chase the game with the introduction of substitutes Reece Tison-Lascaris and Harry Pritchard.

In the scorching heat I was expecting a cagey game as the players sought to conserve energy but it was clear that quite the opposite was in store from the off as Maidenhead attacked from the kick off. Then in the seventh minute it was Billy Lumley's turn to shine producing a cracking save to deny George Purcell after he had been put in the clear by Chris Piper.

Any misgivings about Maidenhead's lack of width were allayed by the hard work of the front three who were only too willing to go looking for the ball on the wing and it was very much nip and tuck at the impromptu drinks break taken after half an hour.

As half time loomed Maidenhead took the lead with a well worked goal, a delightful pass from Lee Barney teeing up Paul Semakula to follow up his historic stoppage time strike in the last league game at York Road, with another goal, this time a thumping twenty yard drive giving Lee Worgan no chance in the Angels goal.

With Tonbridge eager to expose any frailties in the Maidenhead defence an equaliser did not look like being long to arrive and before the break Frannie Collin was presented with an open goal only to be relieved of the responsibility for a shocking miss by an offside flag.

Tonbridge needed approximately forty seconds of the second half to level the score, going for goal straight from the kick off. Rory Hill's shot from outside the penalty area could only be parried by Lumley, Collin sweeping home the loose ball from close range.

As with the first half Maidenhead worked hard to get back into the game and just after the hour and an odd passage of events led to the Magpies retaking the lead. Initially David Pratt and Barney combined well down the right wing to send in an incisive ball across the six yard box. This was missed by all concerned but shortly Alex Wall ended up on the deck following a challenge from a defender. After a lengthy deliberation the referee decided no action was required and inevitably it was Wall who found himself in the book when the next United attack saw the roles reversed. This prompted his withdrawal along with debutant Derek Duncan the replacements Tison-Lascaris and Bobby Behzadi going on to play a crucial role with their respective first touches.

First up was Tison-Lascaris, picking up the ball on the right and driving down the wing before cutting into the penalty area and drawing the foul in Attrellesque fashion from Ollie Schulz. Then it was over to Behzadi who blasted the spot kick high into the net to restore the United lead.

Although events on the pitch then settled down tempers boiled over between the two technical areas in a dispute supposedly sparked by which team was supposed to give the ball back after a stoppage.

Maidenhead then opted to sit on their lead and found themselves pushed back into their penalty area time after time only for Tonbridge to spurn a number of headed opportunities. Such was Tonbridge's dominance in the latter stages that goalkeeper Worgan made frequent sallies over the half way line, a move that cost him dear in stoppage time as a long clearance found Pratt (a man in desperate need of a nickname more creative than "Pratty"), who spotting the keeper well out of his goal, lofted the ball over the hapless stopper to seal the points for United.

So a welcome opening day win at York Road for the Magpies, even if the margin of victory was a little unfair on the visitors.

AN ALTOGETHER MORE SPLENDID KIND OF LIFE - 28th April 2012

23 Seasons watching Maidenhead United

Part 18a: 28th April 2012

Maidenhead United 4 (2) Eastleigh 3 (1)

Attendance 495 Conference South

"The Rain it Rained". It hadn't stopped for 13 days in meteorological terms, but metaphorically the gloom had been gathering around York Road since the Magpies' last win on March 3rd. As the winless run gathered pace the slide to relegation seemed inevitable but a battling point last week at Dover followed by a midweek defeat for Hampton left the door open for a final day escape. A long awaited win was required against perennially tough opponents Eastleigh, as well as a defeat for Havant & Waterlooville who took on struggling Staines in Hampshire.
First of all though the weather had to be beaten, midweek pictures showing a flooded pitch gave an indication of the scale of the task facing the York Road ground staff, with the relentless rain requiring a magnificent effort to make the pitch playable. Their endeavour paid off ensuring referee Adam Bromley's long trip up from Plymouth was not in vain, and the man in black went on to have an excellent game. Thus doomsday scenarios of last day postponements and abandonments were put to one side, with a prescient reference to precedent of a 4-3 win over Braintree on a bog of a York Road pitch at the dawn of the millennium being the order of the day.
As the floodlights flickered into life the game kicked off, Maidenhead relying on the energy of Alex Wall as a lone striker in front of a packed midfield, handily set up to combat Eastleigh's 3-5-2 formation. There was no doubting Maidenhead's sense of purpose and commitment to victory in the opening half hour of the game. Attacking with pace and width at high tempo the Magpies backed up their eagerness to do all they could to survive with a cutting edge rarely seen of late. It can be no coincidence that this was spearheaded by Alex Wall and Reece Tison-Lascaris who between them missed eight games of the winless run through suspension.
Backed by great vocal support from the Bell Street End, between them the pair conjured up two goals in quick succession. Firstly in the seventeenth minute a piercing run into space on the right by Tison-Lascaris saw him square the ball to Wall in the penalty who struck a super finish to opening the scoring. Four minutes later Maidenhead won a free kick on the edge of the penalty area. Wall stepped up to deliver his trademark cannon ball into the defensive wall, the ball ricocheting out to Tison-Lascaris who applied a sweet volley to fire the ball into the back of the net. News soon followed that Staines had taken the lead at Havant, to ensure everything was going according to the survival script.
Prospects of this situation persisting seemed to improve when Eastleigh were forced to substitute both their goalkeeper and inspirational captain Tom Jordan, whilst Staines retook the lead after a Havant equaliser, the Hawks also passing up the opportunity to equalise for a second time when they missed a penalty. However as the first half drew to a close Maidenhead faded, Lee Peacock being given the time and space to pull a goal back with a fine shot. Still half time was reached with the Magpies in the lead and although Havant had eventually equalised, results thus far meant it was United who went into the break with their heads above the waterline in nineteenth place.
Maidenhead again took the initiative as the second half began, looking to catch out the Eastleigh defensive line with a ball over the top. With eleven minutes gone in the second half one of these efforts from Martel Powell bore fruit finding Tison-Lascaris. The youngster coolly rounded the goalkeeper and calmly slotted the ball goalward only for the agonisingly slow path of the ball see it hit the post, Wall blasting the rebound over.
Eastleigh then proved to make their third and most crucial substitution on the hour mark in Sam Wilson. Within five minutes the spectre of the 4-3 reverse against Farnborough on Easter Monday was fully resurrected as Eastleigh took the lead against a Maidenhead defence in total disarray. It was Wilson who hit the equaliser two minutes after entering the fray, Mitchell Nelson giving the Spitfires the lead three minutes later. This coincided with the news that Havant would now be pressing for a winner against a Staines team reduced to ten men by a dismissal, whilst with Hampton now winning 2-0 at Thurrock, it was the Beavers who were now safe whilst Maidenhead slipped to second bottom.
This time round though the Magpies were able to find their second wind, man of the match Tison-Lascaris equalising with his second and United's third goal in the 67th minute.
It was desperate stuff now at York Road with Maidenhead pouring forward at every opportunity relying on the tireless Bobby Behzadi to mop up the counter attacks. Regular substitutions injected fresh blood to the Magpie cause but the aptly named Spitfires fought every step of the way to hold off the Maidenhead blitz. Black and white chances continued to come and go, Wall had a shot blocked, Charlie Strutton hit the post then had a shot tipped wide for a corner, Powell found himself well placed in the penalty area but was dispossessed by a perfect challenge from two Eastleigh defenders, then with the clock ticking down and goalkeeper Billy Lumley joining in regularly up front, Behzadi found himself furthest forward only to see not one but two shots blocked by the keeper.
Fresh hope was given by four minutes of stoppage time and with three of these almost gone, Maidenhead finally added the final instalment of  a seven goal thriller when Paul Semakula (pictured top) made it 4-3 to cue the kind of joyous pitch invasion which you would only see at a non league ground these days. The youngsters from behind the goal were even joined by a temporarily disabled Magpie who miraculously leapt from his seat in the media centre straight onto the pitch.
As the stewards cleared the pitch like dinner ladies in the school playground, play resumed, the game dragging on to make up this latest stoppage. The final whistle soon came to signal the renewal of the Magpie fans acquaintance with the turf but as the celebrations with players went on, the realisation dawned that confirmation of the result at West Leigh Park was required to ensure safety.
Then the news arrived that as Maidenhead hit the back of the net in the 93rd minute so did Havant in the luckiest of circumstances.
With the referee poised to blow for full time at West Leigh Park, the Staines keeper scuffed his goal kick and the loose ball was gleefully picked up by a Havant player to score and secure the Hawks safety with virtually the last kick of the season.
Thus it became clear that the awesome melodrama that had evolved at York Road that afternoon was all in vain leaving everyone to slink dolefully off into the miserable evening.
So Maidenhead were notionally relegated in 20th position to the Southern League Premier Division. In reality the AGM Cup eventually confirmed a reprieve when Darlington folded to maintain the record of no club finishing 20th in the Conference South has ever ended up being relegated. Therefore Paul Semakula’s last gasp goal did end up being important as it felt as the time, as it ended up being the difference between a finish in third or the actually demoted second bottom place.
When the final whistle blew on March 3rd to signal a 2-0 win at champions elect Woking, the main objectives of the season of a decent cup run and a midtable security looked set to be met. That the end of the season played out rather differently can be attributed to three reasons, in ascending order, the inability to get the best out of maverick talents such as Anthony Thomas and Will Hendry, a lack of fitness, and an appalling disciplinary record. These problems had to be solved to avoid a third and surely fatal dicing with Conference South death.

With thanks to Mark Smith’s book One For Sorrow Two For Joy for the statistical content of this series.

To read more about this season visit www.mufcheritage.com

Farnborough's Day

Farnborough manager Spencer Day (nee Trethewy) may have had a chequered past in football off the pitch but on Easter Monday he showed he knows what's what on it by inspiring his Farnborough team to an inspirational second half performance which saw them overturn a two goal deficit from which there seemed no return.

Day and his management team not only lifted players who must have been at rock bottom, but also made a brave tactical switch to commit more men forward. Faced with a Maidenhead team whose response was to defend a lead in ever greater depth, Farnborough pushed the defensive wall until it cracked to devastating effect, scoring four goals in twenty nine minutes without reply.

This proved to be the key passage in an afternoon of drama which almost never began when the referee expressed serious concern about the fitness of the pitch on arrival at the ground. With the small problem areas mopped up in time for the officials to have a satisfactory kick about at 2 pm, it was game on and the sticky conditions underfoot certainly helped in making the game an entertaining spectacle. Strange to think that this was a problem given that it was not too long ago that grass was  considered an optional extra on non league pitches in the Spring.

With both teams low on confidence and desperate for points to avoid relegation this did not seem a game to savour at face value but as became clear from the kick off, the cavalier attitude shown by both teams would mean it would be something of a classic. Farnborough kicked off and hared straight for goal to create a chance which went wide. It was then Maidenhead's turn to attack, Lee Barney serving notice that he would be a thorn in Farnborough's side with a strong run to force a corner.

It was not long before Farnborough's fragile defence was caught in a Maidenhead attacking blitz which soon led to a two goal lead for the Magpies. On the quarter hour mark, man of the match Martel Powell shrugged off the attentions of a shirt grabbing defender to fire in a cross which found Leigh Henry who diverted the ball goalward. This eluded Barney but fortunately Paul Semakula was waiting at the far post to score. Four minutes later it was Powell's turn to score. A Bobby Behzadi cross was met by an exquisite turn and shot by Barney which could not be held by goalkeeper Craig Bradshaw. Powell was first to the loose ball and slammed it into the back of the net.

Maidenhead went on to dominate the half, Ashan Holgate at last having someone in Barney who was ready, willing and able to sprint on to his deft lay offs. Richard Orlu in particular was made to look out of his depth in defence and at half time everything pointed to a comfortable Maidenhead victory which as things stood would lift the Magpies to sixteenth place.

However Farnborough had other ideas, withdrawing ex Magpie Orlando Jeffrey from the centre of defence at half time to provide a greater commitment to attack. This proved fruitful ten minutes into the half when Nic Ciardini scored but at this stage the game remained open for both teams. Nevertheless Farnborough's desire to get back on level terms was relentless and they gradually pushed the Maidenhead team further and further back until it seemed that there was a line of eight black and white shirts on the edge of the penalty area. Thus many United clearances were only returned back with interest by Farnborough although on the rare occasion that the Maidenhead midfield regained their shape they again threatened to provide the ammunition to score, a Holgate header sending Lee Barney clear only for his weak shot to be collected comfortably by Bradshaw.

The pressure finally told with twenty minutes to go when Phil Page was given the time and space just inside the penalty area to turn and shoot past Billy Lumley to equalise. Maidenhead stuck to their cause, Powell again the inspiration as his strong run saw him pass to Harry Pritchard whose thumping left foot shot was parried by Bradshaw. The momentum was still with Farnborough though and they completed their comeback in the seventy seventh minute in the cruellest of circumstances. A Daniel Bennett shot was pushed behind by Lumley for a corner. Farnborough took this short and quick to give Bennett another go. This time he lashed a cross into the six yard box finding a target in Behzadi who was helpless to stop the ball cannoning off him into the net.

The win was then sealed in style with six minutes left. Again Bennett was in the thick of things being pulled back by Henry. Page stepped up to take the free kick and bettered his earlier goal with a delightful chip to score.

All Maidenhead could do now was to go pell mell in search of a way back into the game. Unsurprisingly it was Powell who offered a lifeline, making a tricky run into the box which saw him fouled. Behzadi converted the penalty as the watch approached the ninety minute mark. Powell again came closest to levelling the score deep into stoppage time with a shot that was blocked and deflected wide by a defender, but it was Farnborough's day. They had seized the initiative at half time with a recognition that a refusal to change would only lead to more of the same, and backed up a revised strategy with renewed enthusiasm and character. This bamboozled Maidenhead who could only offer effort in response which although laudable in terms of commitment to the cause was not enough to prevent a slide into the relegation places. 

Whether the result of this epic game has a greater relevance  will be seen by the end of the month, it certainly provided the ingredients for an escape plan: equal parts ingenuity, nous, energy and character.

Magpies Strutton to victory

One of the upsides of being a Maidenhead fan in recent years has been the regular league "cup finals" for the Magpies when we make an annual trip to the one genuine big club in the division. This year Woking play that role, filled in the past by the likes of Aldershot, Newport and Wimbledon, and its always a fixture to look forward to because as often as not United take something from the game. Even if the game ends in defeat it tends to be of the heroic failure kind in the face of a promotion chasing team backed by a four figure crowd.

Thus I travelled to Kingfield in optimistic mood yesterday despite last week's depressing defeat. The sunny weather and pleasant walk through the park to the ground continued the positive theme. En route I was surprised by the development taking place near the leisure centre which included a floodlit football pitch suitable for the Hellenic League or similar, certainly it looked as if could accommodate some of Hayes and Yeading United's Alliance Premier games if Woking got fed up with the groundshare.

On arrival at Kingfield it had the buzz of a club chasing the title. A packed club house watch the end of the lunchtime TV game, the Albanian broadcaster providing a unique view of the crucial climax when it froze on Dirk Kuyt's angry face for several minutes, the screen jolting back into action to reveal Robin Van Persie peeling away in celebration at his winning strike.

An away win against the odds for Arsenal was a good start to the day and appeared to reflect a local meme, with a tangible sense of nervousness about the home club's chances despite their clear superiority against all comers with only three defeats all season and a nine point advantage at the top of the table. These fears were only reinforced by a programme article revealing that Maidenhead had lost just once in twenty two games at Kingfield in a period covering over a century.

Certainly the opening stages of the game showed Maidenhead had little to worry about as the hosts sat deep and relied on launching long balls aimless balls forward, a tactic which must have been meat and drink to Hampton trained centre back Alan Inns. A lack of any vocal encouragement from the home terraces hardly created the febrile atmosphere necessary to create the pressure for this simple but often effective plan to work although the number of goals scored by Woking in the latter stages of the game suggested that manager Garry Hill was happy to play an attritional game.

Maidenhead were understandably cautious given the hosts lofty status,so despite forward runs from debutant left winger Harry Pritchard showing promise, and an early Ashan Holgate effort from distance being deflected wide there was a natural resistance to fully testing a Woking defence whose lack of pace looked ripe for exposing.

So for the most part the first half descended into a game of cat and mouse save for the odd Woking hoof which found its target on the wing and enabled the plan of an incisive ball into the six yard box to be executed. When it did, any chance created went begging, a prime example being Kieran Murtagh's header over the bar with the ball at his mercy.

However with an early visit to the bar looking a safe bet, with two minutes to go before the break the game erupted in controversy when United goalkeeper Aaron Lennox was booked for a last ditch challenge on Paris Cowan-Hall at the edge of the penalty area. The referee then doubly defied the convictions of most spectators by awarding Lennox a yellow card and Woking a penalty. This gave rise to a prisoner's dilemma of a problem. Would Maidenhead have preferred a free kick and a red card which with Billy Lumley on the bench would have probably led to a goalless first half and uphill struggle with ten men in the second, or a penalty and the opportunity to fight for the points with a full complement of players? Game theory suggested the former option to be most favourable but for once the longer odds of the latter proved to be the better option as Lennox saved Jack King's spot kick.

The second half began with both sides showing more forward enterprise, Woking encouraged by kicking towards the one quarter of their ground which is Football League standard, the Leslie Gosden stand. As the game entered its last half an hour Woking's pressure tactics looked that they might pay dividends, Giuseppe Sole going round Lennox, only for his shot to hit the side netting. The half's turning point then came as King proved more effective a goal threat from long range than the penalty spot, his thumping drive parried well by Lennox. The ball remained live in the penalty area and found its way to Cowan-Hall on the left but his shot hit the post. Maidenhead then counter-attacked, Harry Pritchard's shot going narrowly wide and the scene seemed set for the opening goal.

Maidenhead manager Johnson Hippolyte then made his key intervention, sending new loan signing Charlie Strutton into the fray. The young striker who has spent his career at county level with Chalfont St. Peter, was totally unphased by the big stage he now found himself on and with the ball at his feet started to make the first of several runs which stretched the Woking defence to breaking point.

The first of these saw Inns stretch out an almost fatherly hand to the youngster's shoulder, almost a gesture by the veteran to the young pup to slow down, but downward pressure was applied as Strutton entered the penalty area and sent him to ground. The resulting penalty kick saw the referee aim to make two wrongs a right by awarding Inns a yellow card, but this time Bobby Behzadi made no mistake with his penalty kick to put Maidenhead into the lead with nineteen minutes to go. 

Two minutes later Strutton again burst clear, but this time the only problem he faced heading for goal was competition from Wall for the chance to shoot, but there was no stopping him as he fired home the second Maidenhead goal. 

Woking fought hard to get back into the game, although either side now looked likely to add to the score, and despite several goalmouth scrambles in the Maidenhead penalty area the score remained at 2-0, a visual symbol of the home side's frustration coming late in the game when Dale Binns was sent off for kicking an opponent off the ball.

So a return to winning ways for Maidenhead who have now taken eighteen out of the last thirty available points, whilst Woking seem to be a club willing themselves to fail. With everything going for them all that's needed is a positive mindset to secure the league title, which must be inspired by vocal support from the crowd which was markedly absent yesterday.

Dead Wood

The slow but inevitable demise of Thurrock as the Conference South's purveyor of joyless efficient football witnessed by next to no one has left a vacancy, with two possible candidates to fill it, Maidenhead United and Boreham Wood. 

The contestants went into yesterday's game level on points, cut adrift with Thurrock at the bottom of the attendance table with the Wood stone last, a somewhat surprising statistic given their facilities and chairman's conceit for their marketing strategy.

The game promised to be a tight affair. With both sides looking to quickly move the ball forward into the final third to maximise opportunities for scoring, it was clear that defensive discipline would be paramount. So it proved that after holding out against Maidenhead's early attacking promise, two goals midway through the first half for Boreham Wood effectively decided a game tainted by an inept refereeing performance.

This early spell of dominance was as good as it got for Maidenhead, a Leon Solomon drive being tipped over the bar and in the Magpie move of the game Bobby Behzadi running the length of the pitch before being denied by a last ditch challenge.

This initial effort proved fruitless when David Bryant volleyed home the opening goal, despite being deemed offside by reporters from either side's local newspaper.With the Maidenhead defence still stung by conceding they afforded Omer Riza the time and the space to fashion a delightful chip to double the lead within three minutes.

As the game drew on the main feature became the woefully inconsistent performance by the referee who steadily crumbled in the face of constant berating by the Boreham Wood players. Matters came to a head in the second half when as Maidenhead showed the intent to get back into the game, Wood successfully broke the game up by fashioning a series of controversial incidents starting with a soft challenge to the chest by Alex Wall on goalkeeper Elvijs Putnins which saw the stopper roll around on the ground until Wall was booked. Later a more severe body check on Solomon saw no such sanction. Still the Maidenhead pressure at least started to rattle Wood when chief yahoos Charlie O'Loughlin and Mario Noto started arguing with their own bench.

The introduction of all three Maidenhead substitutes upped the pace a little but still the Magpies could not conjure up a chance to seriously test Putnins and with the points looking destined for Hertfordshire it was left to the referee to lead the game to its nadir.

With time ticking away O'Loughlin clearly tripped a Maidenhead player, a foul as deserving of a yellow card as any of the others in the game. As the referee called him over the penny dropped that this would be a second card for the defender and so with the help of Captain Noto he successfully hectored the weak official into giving him one more chance.

All there was left was for an all at sea Maidenhead defence to concede a third goal, Osei Sankofa taking advantage of the wide open spaces in the United penalty area to score.

The result leaves Maidenhead anxiously looking ahead at a seriously difficult fixture list for the rest of the season, an outcome of the ridiculous way it was planned in the summer. The unscheduled winter break was clearly unhelpful and a tricky seven days follows with trips to promotion chasing Chesham in the County Cup on Tuesday followed by table topping Woking next Saturday. 

The team is crying out for creativity in the midfield as the defence is unable to maintain the discipline and concentration required to regularly achieve the clean sheets which are necessary to complement the sides parsimonious forward play.

As for Boreham Wood, their ugly use of gamesmanship, particularly with regard to the treatment of officials is unlikely to lift them off the bottom of the attendance league despite being based in the middle of a housing estate. Still with his desire to constantly discuss the laws of the game, a career as a referee clearly beckons for Charlie O'Loughlin.

Forward March Halted

Felt like two points dropped yesterday after an opening half an hour where the Magpies were every bit as dominant as in the win over Thurrock but were only able to score once. 

The die was cast in the second minute when a Manny Williams effort from close range hit the post. This was the signal for United to set up camp in the Staines half, gradually ratcheting up the pressure. 

Ex Magpie Louis Wells was able to push a Chris Taylor long shot round the post in the twentieth but cracked in the next wave of attack when he was only able to deflect a Will Hendry effort into the path of Williams who helped the ball over the line to break his duck for the season.

So the afternoon looked set fair for a third successive win for Maidenhead and the chance to erase their negative goal difference, but a soft penalty let the visitors back into the game eleven minutes ahead of the interval. Striker Richard Butler seemed to be going nowhere in the box but once goalkeeper Billy Lumley went to ground, he was presented with the opportunity of an outstretched arm to tumble over, and as was repeated several times on Match of the Day that evening, the referee pointed to the spot. 

Butler got up and converted the spot kick himself with the equaliser changing in the tone of the match, Maidenhead going into their shell and reverting to the virtual 8-0-2 formation which ubiquitous in the Devonshire years. Unlike the previous Saturday at Bromley where two disciplined banks of four had both repelled attack and provided a midfield outlet for respite, Maidenhead seemed to be pinned to the eighteen yard line and it was only the post which stopped Butler giving Staines an unlikely half time lead.

After half time Maidenhead again started strongly but Staines looked equally dangerous on the break so that although Hendry and Bobby Behzadi went close in the dying minutes it was David Wheeler who had the best chance to score in the second half, Lumley standing up well to make the save.

Looking ahead to Monday's trip to Farnborough the wisdom of squad rotation, particularly in the ageing back line in self evident but the lack of a replacement for Daniel Brown's energy and drive in the midfield to compliment the creativity of Hendry and Taylor means Bradley Quamina's return to fitness cannot come quick enough.

Dover hangover

Great afternoon in Kent yesterday. I eschewed the modern rapidity of High Speed one preferring to take the leisurely stopping service to the coast, which allowed me to alight at Kearsney and take a pleasant walk to Crabble through the chocolate box village of River.  With the sun shining, the laidback rural idyll was complemented with the smell of a Camberwell carrot wafting out of one of the cottages on the banks of the River  Dour.

This proved to be a fitting metaphor for an entertaining game played at a lilting tempo which held the attention throughout.  Although all the goals came in a mad thirteen minute spell at the end, if they had been more evenly spread it would have only been a more accurate reflection of the game.

With Maidenhead missing the talents of Bobby Behzadi, Mark Nisbet and Will Hendry through suspension, this outcome was hardly what the travelling Magpies had expected with opponents Dover playing their first home game since beating Aldershot in Kent in the FA Cup.  Perhaps all the pre match talk of air travel to the next round, along with announcements about ticket sales went to the players heads and contributed to an FA Cup hangover as they scarcely looked like a team that had between two Football League teams in recent weeks.    Certainly the locals seemed to anticpate this with over 3,000 going missing in the fortnight since the Cup shock to produce a season's low crowd of 754. Still mustn't grumble as this entertaining game played out in front of Crabble's countryside backdrop raised the spirits and gave me hope that I will see the team in red deliver against opponents in Black & White for the third Saturday running next weekend.