Home and Away with the Magpies last season

“Sweet are the uses of adversity,
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head;”

As You Like It, Shakespeare

Although asked to pick out one memorable match from last season, I have gone for two that reflected the contrasting demands of winning a league title, both of which required and delivered three points.

Having hit the top of the league in August, the Magpies swept all before them in September leading to growing anticipation for the trip to Hampton in October. The Beavers had carried over their form that had taken them to the Isthmian League Championship the previous season, and the fixture took on the mantle of the first serious test of the Magpies own title credentials. Add in the fact that Alan Devonshire had previously managed Hampton, and the lingering sting of defeat in a promotion clash at the Beveree some nineteen seasons previously, and you had all the ingredients of a tumultuous afternoon.

What followed did not disappoint as both sides went toe to toe from the first whistle. The Magpies scored first through Harry Pritchard only for the Beavers to respond with an equaliser, but before anyone could take stock of the opening goals, Dean Inman had restored United’s lead, all within a breathless first twenty minutes in front of a packed crowd.

For the first time in my time supporting the club, Maidenhead were backed in a league match by an away following measured in hundreds, and they looked like they had got their reward in the second half when Ryan Upward increased the lead to two goals. Hampton hit back again though and really made the Magpies work for their victory, the impact of the win judged by Devonshire’s clenched fist gesture at the final whistle.

A chilly February evening at York Road produced a rather different challenge for Maidenhead. The doubters were out in force that month for the one stage of the season when form could be described as patchy. United had slipped to second behind Ebbsfleet, and as the match moved into the second half visitors Eastbourne Borough’s tactic of slowing down play to stifle the Magpies seemed to be working, particularly when they took the lead from the penalty spot. However, Eastbourne’s time wasting tactics soon started to rile the crowd who in turn used their frustration to fire up the United players.

A triple substitution by Devonshire proved to be the catalyst that sparked the comeback with all three players playing a role in the win. Firstly, Jordan Cox’s equaliser was followed up by Christian Smith’s determination to retrieve the ball from the net to restart the game. This drew the ire of his opponents, the subsequent conflagration fuelling the vocal fire of the Magpies stood behind the goal. Again, they had turned up in numbers unprecedented for a midweek league match, and their roars urged the team forward as the game drew to a close.

With two minutes remaining Kyran Wiltshire’s pass found Cox who applied a delightful finish worthy of his exuberant celebration that saw the striker whip his shirt off and twirl it around his head. The final whistle brought with it the news that Ebbsfleet had dropped two points at Hemel, to restore United to the top of the table.

Winning away at a rival in their pomp. Winning at home when the naysayers were ready to pounce. Maidenhead truly faced adversity at its ugliest and came away with the precious jewels of three points.

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

Firing Blanks

A desperate day in Middlesex yesterday with neither teams or even the officials showing the composure in the final third of the pitch to score the goals this game desperately required.

Struggling Hampton had kept just one clean sheet in the league all season, in the corresponding fixture between the clubs at York Road, and whilst Maidenhead did everything but score the result had an inevitability about it. 

A grey day saw me crawl through the rugby traffic in Richmond, the town centre a sea of green plastic thanks to presumably liberal distribution of Irish favours particularly those odd pointy finger things. Sleepy Hampton village felt a world away from the crowds at Twickenham, the homely Beveree being a reminder of quieter times in the Isthmian League. 

Maidenhead fans gathered under the new roof at the far end as the game kicked off hoping for a first Magpie league win here since 1997. One player remained from this match, centre back Darren Powell. Fifteen years ago Powell was an exciting fresh talent bound for the Football League, now he had returned to Hampton to wind down his career.

Games between the two clubs have always been tetchy affairs. Both tend to be at the same end of the table with all the players very familiar with each other. The pitch, tightly wedged in between the terraces seems to create a frenzied atmosphere with a red card being displayed more often than not. In 1997 Powell saw red and history almost repeated itself just before half time when he was booked for an off the ball challenge on Alex Wall. An hour later David Tarpey kicked out and this time the referee felt a dismissal was in order. The game was far from dirty though and instead these incidents reflected the bitty, stop start nature of a contest which neither team was quite good enough to win.

Hampton had the better start to the game firing some testing balls into the Maidenhead area without finding the target. The Magpies first half was hampered by two forced substitutions in the first half an hour but they grew in stature as time went on, Alex Wall hitting the bar with a cross come shot, and Reece Tison-Lascaris scoring only for the referee to frustratingly pull play back for an earlier foul on a United player.

Both teams seemed poised to score, Reece Jones having a long shot tipped over by Billy Lumley so despite the game remaining goalless at half time a promising second period looked to be in the offing with Maidenhead having survived a few close calls looking best set to take the three points.

The second half though essentially mirrored the first. Hampton took charge from the restart, Charlie Moone drawing a great save from Lumley just ahead of the hour mark but as the game entered its final stages, it was Maidenhead who seemed set to score.

In a frenetic six minute spell Maidenhead had four great chances to take the lead. The first saw Alex Wall go clear, his shot was parried by goalkeeper Craig Ross. The loose ball was collected by Manny Williams but with the goal at his mercy he was clearly impeded by a Hampton defender, the ball rolling out for a corner. Despite good views of the incident both referee and linesman saw nothing of note. As the corner swung in, a Maidenhead head met the ball and was goalbound before being scraped off the line by a defender. With the bit between their teeth Maidenhead upped the tempo and in the move of the game Wall headed the ball onto Tison-Lascaris only for the youngster to scuff his shot when well placed to score.

Once this momentum faded though the game drifted to a goalless conclusion, with neither team having the quality up front to earn three points. This will be of less concern to Maidenhead who continue their crawl to safety whilst Hampton are now looking down the barrel of relegation particularly as they will now be deprived for three games of play maker Tarpey.

No fun in the sun

On a beautifully sunny Spring afternoon twenty two gladiators took to the field.  Perhaps the ball should have been mounted on a plinth in World Cup 2010 style so it could have been welcomed with a for those about to die we salute you introduction. As with the corresponding fixture downstream in Middlesex ten days earlier the match quickly turned into an attempt to restart the British space by the unconventional method of dispatching the ball skyward at every opportunity. With both teams in such a long desperate spell of form you could see the logic in getting rid of the ball from defence with alacrity and patron saint of the long ball Charles Hughes must have been beaming at the number of goal scoring opportunities created in the first ten minutes. Once these had been spurned or denied though there was precious little to enjoy and with so much to lose, particularly for the Magpies it was time for teeth to be gritted at the prospect of enduring a goalless draw which at least brought to an end a run of six consecutive league defeats.

That's the point

A point at last at Hampton on Tuesday night to stop the run of defeats, whether this will be a pitstop on the race to the bottom or a veritable turning point will be made clear by the time Hampton make the return trip to York Road on April 9th.

I always enjoy the trip to Hampton.  Although London based I consider them a village team.  This is not a derogatory label merely a nod to their pleasant riverside hamlet location which comes as a relief after travelling through miles of middle class suburban homes in Hounslow and Hanworth. The village feel continues with the friendly welcome by faces which are generally familiar due to the Magpies longstanding rivalry with the Beavers. Not sure what message the barmaid was trying to pass on though with the obscene stencil she made in the top of  my pint of Guinness.  Certainly wasn't a shamrock.

The ground itself is an architecturally curious collection of structures which reflect the steady development of the Beveree.  The absence of a thematic look to the stadium is no bad thing and is a pleasing contrast to the smooth antiseptic lines which are increasingly common at grounds at this level such as Ten Acres or Ship Lane.  A broken printer and PA system are hardly a disaster and a reminder that this is a match between two clubs run by amateurs, again no bad thing.

The game itself was not one for the purist, perhaps a bad advert for non league football, with the key influence being shared between Wimbledon FC and Wimbledon tennis as the ball pinged back and forth through the air.  Then again the dry bobbly surface meant any attempt to avoid playing on it was definitely excusable.

A tactical switch by Johnson Hippolyte to 4-3-3 proved very effective in increasing the number of chances for the Magpies and they deservedly took the lead through Jefferson Louis. Hampton's swift equaliser reflected their committed performance and the influence of the impressive David Tarpey on the right side of midfield. It was inevitably scored by ex Magpie Lawrence Yaku.  Both sides had very good chances to win the game so a draw was the fairest result, the 1-1 scoreline neatly trailing my journey back into London on the 111 bus. With St. Albans' points deduction being confirmed its now up to United to try and get some momentum from this result by turning this into a full blown recovery in the six pointer at Lewes this afternoon.

Cards sharp

Well beaten by Woking last night even though the score was only 1-0.  They looked a class apart from Maidenhead and I would imagine it would have been clear to a neutral which team which was aspiring to the play offs and which was battling relegation.

Garry Hill seems to have invigorated Woking and with the incentive of last season's play off final disappointment they look a really good bet for promotion.

As for Maidenhead on the positive side the players continue to work hard to remain in contention for points but every defeat must sap the confidence that little bit further.  This is nothing like Carl Taylor's relegation season when twice as much money produced heavy defeats week in week out, nevertheless the corner that needs to be turned is still nowhere to be found.

Matters have been made worse by Mark Nisbet's dismissal.  With him on the pitch the defence looked capable of holding firm, he will now presumably receive a three match ban starting in a fortnight inconveniently timed to coincide with fellow defender Jamal Fyfield's return to York at the end of his loan.

The fixture list is also taking a bizarre turn, six out of the next seven league fixtures are at home (there are also two other home games during this period), followed by four away games.  As with the 1997/98 it could well be that two late seasons games against Hampton could well seal the fate of both clubs although this time relegation rather than promotion is at stake.

An odd postscript (which ironically prevented one) was the referee's decision to reduce the stoppage time to 100 seconds after initially indicating five minutes which seemed reasonable given a half which included five substitutions, a protracted goal celebration and foul/handbags/double sending off incident which itself must have taken two minutes to sort out.  Still as one Woking fan pointed out the extra time could have increased the score to 2-0 and made United's goal difference even worse!

I also spent some time yesterday at the Hammersmith and Fulham archive doing some research for Mark Smith's latest edition of Maidenhead United's history.  I was specifically looking for details of Maidenhead's games against Shepherd's Bush at the turn of the twentieth century.  Maidenhead were regular visitors to West London at this time and at least one of the games was played at Loftus Road, presumably on the same site as the current QPR ground.  I was really lucky to find this information as the centre will be permanently closed next week as part of the cultural vandalism being wreaked on the borough by the local council whose shock doctrine philosophy views even David Cameron with suspicion as a dangerous pinko liberal.