AN ALTOGETHER MORE SPLENDID KIND OF LIFE - 2014/15

23 Seasons watching Maidenhead United

Part 21: 2014/15

Early in the 2014/15 season as I waited for kick off I stood outside the changing rooms next to long serving supporter Chris Raine (who could write a series more than twice as long as this). He was gazing in awe at the view opposite, and I realised I was doing the same. It was a very visual symbol of a new beginning for Maidenhead United.

The significance of architecture on the environment where we live, work, travel and relax cannot be underestimated and York Road is no different. For too many years the temporary stand had stood as a symbol of a club trying its best to make do and mend, as memories of the original one grew ever fainter, sustained only by trips to Marlow and its similar structure.

What was built in the summer of 2014 was a statement of bold intent, of a club prepared to invest in the future. Nestling under Brunel’s embankment, it stood congruent with the rest of the ground, fulfilling its function admirably by affording over 500 spectators a perfect view of the match and the urban decay of the town centre.

Despite another 18th place finish, crowds rose by 35% as the stand quickly became the adopted home of those who preferred to watch from a comfortable dry seat.  For the rest of us who walked past it, virtually beneath it due to the clever way the first row had been raised above head height, it served as an inspiration that the Magpie train was bound for glory.

This would have to wait though for Drax’s long goodbye. Following another last gasp survival in April, he was allowed to continue in post albeit without a contract. Once again he signed well in the summer, acquiring exciting young attacking talent in Tashan Adeyinka, Sam Barratt, Stefan Brown and Ryan Upward, along with proven quality in Simon Downer, Eddie Hutchinson, Ashley Nicholls and Dave Tarpey. The services of Adrian Clifton and Danny Green were retained, which when allied with Harry Pritchard, Leon Solomon, Mark Nisbet, Jacob Erskine and Reece Tison-Lascaris, suggested a squad well equipped to do more than survive.

As usual the season began well with back to back wins, the first at home to ambitious Sutton featuring a debut brace from Dave Tarpey, who immediately lived up to the expectations raised by many an impressive performance against the Magpies for his previous clubs.

An amazing goal by Eddie Hutchinson at Bromley in the style of Dennis Bergkamp suggested a more entertaining season was in prospect, a notion sent sky high by the arrival of former Premier League striker and Drax protege DJ Campbell. His impact could scarcely live up to the hype that his presence generated but he impressed with his humility as he quietly tried to resurrect his career.

Ten goals in four days in wins against Whitehawk and Weston, the latter featuring the first of many Tarpey hat tricks, meant an early exit from the FA Cup in a replay at Gosport wasn’t overly painful. The defence was bolstered by the arrival of international goalkeeper Will Britt on loan from Southampton and full back De Reece Van Der Hyde, and after a Boxing Day win against tenants Hayes & Yeading the Magpies sat in the relative comfort of thirteenth place.

However the season soon began to unravel as only one league match was won in the next seventeen and FA Trophy hopes were ended in a replay defeat at the financial wreck of Farnborough. Drax chose to publicly disclose that Peter Griffin had informed him that this season would be his last as manager, and although the league experience of Maidonian ex professional midfielder David Hunt helped to steady the ship with eight matches of the run drawn,  relegation once again loomed large on the horizon.

The last of these draws was an eight goal thriller on Easter Monday at home to eventual champions Bromley. Two goals from the freshly capped international Clifton sent United into an early lead only for Bromley to be 4-3 ahead as the game entered stoppage time. A lightning volley from Tarpey levelled the score for the final time, and buoyed up by the equaliser, safety was secured at Weston the following Saturday thanks to two more Tarpey goals. This game had an odd postscript as goalkeeper Ashley Timms, literally left the club when the coach arrived back at York Road, following an altercation with a teammate on the journey back.

Two weeks later the league season ended at Sutton. Way back in August 2007, Drax achieved his first win for the Magpies at this level, with a 3-2 success at Gander Green Lane. Almost eight years later he signed off on his final league season with Maidenhead with a similar victory which clinched a double over the following season’s champions. club captain Mark Nisbet featuring in the line up for both games.

Drax left with a proven track record to pick and nurture talent, the club receiving many a transfer fee as players moved onwards and upwards. He had an ability to motivate players for big games which led to promotion through the play offs, FA Cup glory and some nerve wracking escapes from relegation. His affability along with the entertainment his teams provided (often in a losing cause) attracted neutrals to the club and turned them into fans. However long standing supporters, suffered endless poor home form due to a consistent failing to build a sustainable defence with a goalkeeper. Coupled with a lack of strategic nous, this led to long winless runs when the only tactic was to change the team, creating a revolving door of long since forgotten players.

Happily Drax left on a high, in his final match winning the County Cup final 4-0 against Aylesbury United at Chesham, his son Jonathan Hippolyte coming off the bench to score. Looking on was a man who would have remembered how his final game in charge of the Magpies had been at the same occasion, at the same ground with a similar result against the same opponents. However his thoughts were certainly more focused on how he would reshape the club to which he was about to return.

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

Elvijs dives way down to save Maidenhead

I really don't know what to make of yesterday. Farnborough should have completed taking six points off Maidenhead for the season on the balance of play and chances, even if you disregard the last minute save. Yet it wouldn't have surprised me if Maidenhead had completed a smash and grab victory against the odds on a eerie afternoon played out in front of the lowest crowd I have ever seen at Cherrywood Road (reportedly accurately as 250) and in the second half a beautiful sunset which captivated everyone where I was standing as Farnborough laid siege to the Maidenhead goal at the other end.

To be honest I could have happily stayed in the Prince of Wales all afternoon, a wonderful pub located amongst the town's seemingly endless suburban sprawl (where do people go shopping in these parts?). Two pints of Hophead went down very nicely and I was seriously contemplating the Dark Star Espresso Stout before duty called and we headed off to the match.

Walking completely unchallenged through the complimentary ticket entrance I emerged into the ground Mr. Benn style before shuffling across the face of the still not quite finished big stand to join the few who had travelled from Maidenhead under the covered terraced. Sadly we had to share this part of the ground with the local version of the Archbishop of Banterbury and his guffawing mates (sample quip when Reece Tison-Lascaris was receiving treatment "put him down").

Fortunately there was enough action for this to be only a minor irritation in a half which was characterised by individual defensive errors by Maidenhead United providing enough opportunities for Farnborough to have won the game by the interval.

By keeping two banks of four close together Farnborugh were able to suffocate most of Maidenhead's early attacking endeavours whilst by contrast the space afforded the home team in the middle helped them to force a number of errors as the United defence attempted to recover the situation.

Farnborough took the lead in the eighth minute. Some neat interplay on the left finished with a Michael Richens shot rattling the cross bar. A misplaced clearance by Ryan Upward saw possession return to Farnborough and Dan Bennett got in front of Simon Downer at the near post to head in Louis Theophanous' cross from the right.

Despite this setback Maidenhead began to get to grips with the opposition and once the midpoint of the half was reached they gave as good as they got and were unfortunate not to get a penalty when Ashley Nicholls went down following contact from a defender. This was quickly forgotten when a ball forward by Downer was met by an exchange of passes by Tison-Lascaris and Campbell, the latter scoring with an unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty area.

Having got back on level terms, Maidenhead showed plenty of attacking threat, winning a series of corners, a Danny Green long shot exposing the poor handling of goalkeeper Dillon Barnes who fumbled the ball wide. However it was Farnborough who went closest to scoring a second before the interval. This was particularly true of a Duncan Culley header who capitalised on a clearance by Elvijs Putnins which was blocked at close range. With Putnins unable to clear the loose ball Culley headed goalward with Putnins somehow managing to scramble back an scrape the ball off the line. More of the same was to follow before half time, a loose pass from Devante McKain gave Harry Grant a chance which he put narrowly wide whilst when Downer was caught in possession Phil Page charged forward with the ball but couldn't quite take it round Putnins who was able to block his shot behind for a corner. The set piece saw Putnins make a flying one handed save from Page but the Latvian saved his best for the second half.

Johnson Hippolyte used half time to shore up the Maidenhead midfield by replacing Tison-Lascaris with Eddie Hutchison which certainly did the trick and had a Campbell effort soon after the restart not been cleared off the line by Lloyd Foot a classic smash and grab raid could have occurred. This made the next intervention of Putnins even more essential as he made the save of the match. A deep cross from the right hand touch line one was met by the head of Page, Putnins sinking like a stone to save the ball on the line.

This set the tone for the half as Farnborough continually tried and failed to find a way to score, whilst Maidenhead threatened the odd breakaway the best of which saw Green combine with Campbell to fire in a shot which Barnes could only Parry. 

With one minute left on the clock it seemed Farnborough had at last made the breakthrough when Theophanous went to ground under pressure from Leon Solomon but it appears that the weight of his rumoured £7,000 price tag was too much to bear as he was unable to give his penalty kick the necessary power and direction to beat Putnins who dived to his right and just about held on to the ball to seal his man of the match award.

So can't grumble with a point, but United really need to cash in on the run of home games coming up with just two points taken from the last fifteen, four of those games being away. 

There was time for a swift pint in the Thatched Cottage on the way back to the station as news filtered through of a series of tweets on the official Farnborough timeline which lacked class. At least we could ponder the karmic retribution of their blank Boxing Day thanks to Salisbury's demise, a just reward for the farce created by the Hampshire club at the start of the previous season which had led to a raft of unnecessary postponements.

That's All Right Elvijs

Much of the focus in recent weeks at York Road has been on the forwards, whether that be for their lack of goals, the signing of DJ Campbell or in the last fortnight their goal glut, but yesterday it was time for the defence to step up and dig in to ensure the Magpies would be in the draw for the fourth and final qualifying round on Monday.

Gosport have come along way as a club since they joined the Conference South in the summer of 2013, working their way through a transfer embargo, storm damage to the ground and the theft of their pitch to stand now as a formidable outfit. As United found out at the start of the season Borough play with strength, and discipline at a high tempo. They do the simple things well, and with the Magpies returning to top form a cracking cup tie was in prospect. Add in a heavy pitch freshened up by torrential rain at kick off and the bumper Cup crowd got exactly that in a game that although short on goals lived up to expectations as a tense affair with both sides happy to fight again on Tuesday for a place in the next round.

Attendance: 519+1 bear

The Gosport supporters however showed they were yet to adjust to life at a higher level, standing at the same end for the whole game, their flag somewhat dwarfing their surprisingly small travelling support given their home crowds.Their error was then compounded by the banging of a drum.

Drax had the luxury of being able to name an unchanged team and as on Tuesday the Magpies started brightly but without an end product. Twice within the first quarter of an hour DJ Campbell had chances to open the scoring, firstly with a free header from the edge of the six yard box and then later, having caught Brett Poate in possession, burst clear into the penalty area opting to square the ball to Adrian Clifton when he might have been more selfish and gone for goal himself with keeper Nathan Ashmore collecting the pass before it reached Clifton.

From this point on it was Gosport who had the upper hand until the final whistle. Their uncomplicated approach of defence in depth and direct early balls unsettling Maidenhead throughout. Winning the 50/50 balls in their half Borough were able to keep the United attack in check which enabled them to ratchet up the pressure on the opposition defence. 

The impressive Steven Ramsay served notice of Gosport's intentions with a dipping shot from distance which was superbly tipped over the bar by Elvijs Putnins. Maidenhead were then unable to clear their lines and within sixty seconds Justin Bennett headed in at the far post from a Ramsey corner in the nineteenth minute. Borough continued to press for a second goal, firing a number of crosses across the face of the United six yard box, with Andrew Forbes coming closest, his header being scrambled off the line by Putnins and Simon Downer.

Downer, protecting his unbeaten record in United colours was having another fine game, making some judicious tackles to hold the Magpie line which brought enough respite to create an opportunity to equalise nine minutes ahead of the break. A Campbell effort was blocked on the line by a collection of Borough defenders which typified their will to win spirit, but fortunately the loose ball fell to Harry Pritchard who thumped the ball into the top of the net.

Within a minute of the restart, Ashmore was given the opportunity to show his talent with an astonishing save to divert a rocket of a Clifton shot but from this point on the focus switched to the other end as Gosport gave it the kitchen sink treatment to try and force a winner.

With a succession of Gosport corners, the Maidenhead had to be at their absolute best to protect Putnins goal, with Downer and Mark Nisbet thriving under the pressure. Downer was required again to head off the line from a Forbes header whilst once more Putnins saved at full stretch from Ramsey, pushing his free kick round the post. To almost complete the repeat of the first half Bennett looked set to score with a shot only for Putnins to save one handed, diving along the ground to ensure the loose ball was also pushed out of the way of the opposition players following up.

The introduction of Reece Tison-Lascaris, Jacob Erskine and Lanre Azeez, provided the glimmer of a threat on the break, but despite some deft touches from Erskine, Gosport capably dealt with these attacks and understandably on a heavy pitch the action faded in the dying minutes to end the game in a draw.

All in all a fair outcome with all the plaudits being directed to the Maidenhead defence, and in particular Putnins whose string of saves under pressure ensured the hard work of his team mate was not wasted and gives everyone the chance to fight another day.

No bear left behind

Great Expectations Miss Faversham

Something of a media frenzy surrounded Maidenhead United following the announcement late on Thursday night that DJ Campbell has signed for the Magpies. Therefore it was a pleasant contrast that the FA Cup tie against Faversham at York Road on Saturday, played in beautiful sunshine in front of a modest crowd, resulted dare I say it in an efficiently dull 4-0 win for the Magpies.

Campbell went straight into the team in his usual striking role, but in a change to formation Stefan Brown played alongside him as Drax reverted back to 4-4-2. More changes to the line up came in the form of Dave Tarpey who returned from suspension, with Danny Green, Eddie Hutchinson, Simon Downer and Mark Nisbet all back in the team after injury. Finally Harry Pritchard made his first start of the season, ably filling in at left back.

Maidenhead started the game cautiously, fully aware that their opponents came to York Road full of confidence. For much of the first hour, Faversham gave the appearance of possessing an attacking threat but failed to trouble Elvijs Putnins, Josh Stanford blazing their best chance wide when well placed.

At the other end Faversham naturally seemed preoccupied by Campbell, with ex Magpie Jon Scarborough given the task of man marking him but this in turn created more space and time for the rest of the forwards, Brown playing well before having to depart at half time after receiving a knock from a heavy challenge.

The game's opening goal came from the penalty spot in the twentieth minute after Tarpey had been pushed over by Aidan Sherlock. Despite a miss from his last opportunity against Eastbourne, Green remained the man on penalty duty and this time sent goalkeeper Simon Overland the wrong way to score.

The score remained 1-0 at the interval, reflecting Maidenhead's marginal superiority which had been far from convincing as United having scored at home for the first time since the opening day of the season, looked to close out the win.

Kicking down the slope in the second half Maidenhead gradually took control of the game as the visitors ran out of steam. Campbell put the ball in the net from a Tarpey cross eight minutes after the restart but was flagged offside. With Tashan Adeyinka coming on for Brown at the break, further fresh legs in the form of Ryan Upward and Reece Tison-Lascaris then gave United the pep they needed to accelerate into the next round by scoring three goals in the last twenty minutes.

The crucial second goal was rather fortunate as a shot across the box by Campbell struck a defender,  the ball looping over Overland's head into the back of the net in the sixty ninth minute. Ten minutes later Overland managed to push away a Tarpey shot, then had the woodwork to thank as from the resulting corner Tarpey fired the ball against the cross bar.

With both Tarpey in a conventional left midfield role, and Green playing with more freedom across the pitch, Maidenhead were beginning to torment their opponents, and with six minutes left Green found Adeyinka in space on the edge of the penalty area, the big forward thumping home his first goal for the club.

At 3-0 down, Faversham rallied slightly, forcing Putnins to scoop a corner to safety from under the bar and as injury time began Matthew Bourne hit the bar with a header. The £4,500 cheque for the winning team was soon signed, sealed and delivered though as Tison-Lascaris skipped through the defence in trademark fashion to score United's fourth.

Mission accomplished for the Magpies then with progress on the first of the three Cup fronts which will hopefully take up the lion's share of the autumn fixture schedule.