AN ALTOGETHER MORE SPLENDID KIND OF LIFE - 2013/14

23 Seasons watching Maidenhead United

Part 20: 2013/14

A typical Drax season with some Cup excitement and a last day escape provides ample material for this weeks chapter but the long term consequences of what happened during the calendar year of 2014 were to be some of the most significant in the club’s recent history.

On the pitch, Drax’s annual midsummer foray into player recruitment produced varying results. There were a couple of players on the slide in Michael Malcolm and Elvijs Putnins, two competent but injury prone defenders in Matt Ruby and Curtis Ujah, promise for the future in Wada Ahmidi, and two erstwhile hidden gems in the shape of Danny Green and Adrian Clifton.

The latter two made their presence felt on debut at Whitehawk on the opening day of the season, winning 3-0 in Sussex to upset the bookies. This was followed by two more wins and two draws in the first five matches of the season, as once again, fired by the goals of Richard Pacquette, the Magpies promised much for the season to come.

Sailing home with three points from Gosport in the last of these matches, confidence was high for the visit of hot title favourites Eastleigh. United went toe to toe with the full time Spitfires but eventually lost 3-1 and that first defeat followed by Pacquette limping off injured a week later at Concord, signalled the end of any pretensions at a top half finish.

The lack of firepower saw an FA Cup exit at the first opportunity at hitherto winless Oxford City, ex Magpie Jamie Cook scoring from virtually the game’s only goal attempt in the last minute.

This was followed by embarrassing home defeats to Slough in the County Cup, and bottom of the table Dorchester, as for the first time, Drax’s tenure at York Road was thrown into serious jeopardy.

An eventful afternoon at home to Bromley proved there was still life in the Magpies, who fought back after a delay in play caused by an injury to one of the match officials. Pacquette had returned as a make shift centre back, reportedly losing two teeth for the cause, only for new signing Jacob Erskine to miss a penalty which would have rescued a rare point.

The season’s salvation was to be found in the FA Trophy. The squad was revitalised by a number of temporary signings, in defence in the form of Leslie Thompson and future England star Alfie Mawson, along with attacking midfielder Harry Grant.

All three travelled down to  Eastbourne for the first Trophy tie of the season as part of a squad that had gone eleven matches without a win, including a sound defeat at Priory Lane just two weeks previously.

Watched by literally a handful of United fans, a second half goal from Grant was enough for a shock result and place in the first round proper.

The draw produced a visit to Daventry Town, two divisions lower than United, but boasting a proud home record which had seen every game end in victory bar one draw. Yet again though, a single goal for the Magpies, this time from the unlikely source of Malcolm was enough to secure passage to the next round and the exotic prospect of a pre Christmas trip to Barrow. 

As the fog descended in the midweek match at home to Chelmsford prior to the trip to Cumbria, the away support looked set to increase to the full eleven with substitutes.
On a never to be forgotten dank day at Holker Street (pictured top), second half goals from Green and Pacquette won a memorable match and the reward of a trip to Grimsby Town in the last sixteen of the competition.

In between these ties, the first league wins since Gosport arrived as a Christmas gift with all six points taken over the festive period.

At Blundell Park, the Mariners looked good for their 2-0 half time lead but a goal just after the break from Reece Tison-Lascaris inspired a fight back which could not quite produce an equaliser.

Longer term hope for the future was kindled at the start of 2014 by the finalising of plans for the Magpies in the Community scheme, and over 27 years since arson destroyed the old one, a permanent new stand. Building works for this would start as the season drew to a close, a visual reminder that regardless of what was happening on the pitch they was much progress going on off it.

This was particularly true with that age old bugbear of home form holding back the fight against relegation. Away from home there was something to cheer, Adrian Clifton revelling in a new deep lying forward role, driving his team on to a 3-0 win at Chelmsford, whilst on a wet Tuesday night at Tonbridge, Danny Green scored all the United goals in a thrilling 4-2 win. Green’s performance reflected a season which saw him thoroughly deserve his player of the year award. His darting bursts inside from his right wing berth, full of elan, entertained and delighted United fans when there was little else to cheer.

Any remaining faith in Drax departed for good with five consecutive home defeats lost by late goals, split only by a 6-1 thrashing at Bromley.

The arrival of Reading goalkeeper Jonathan Henly on loan shored up the defence and set up three wins in a week, two of which were at home. The latter against promotion chasing Sutton suggested survival would soon be confirmed but a goalless draw in a vital home match against Tonbridge saw Green sent off and banned for the final match of the season.

United utterly collapsed at moribund Farnborough on Easter Saturday and now found themselves requiring seven points from the remaining three matches to stay up.

Against all the odds the Magpies rose again on Easter Monday against Ebbsfleet in their first season of new found oil money riches, a Green goal winning a tense match against a team bound for the play off final.

Next up was an away trip to another team in the play off hunt, Havant. Thanks in no small part to the electric pace of winger Lanre Azeez, Green and Clifton scored the goals in an unlikely 3-1 win which meant Maidenhead would travel to Bishops Stortford on the final day of the season with their destiny still in their hands.

A win would secure safety, and an Erskine goal in the first half eased the nerves. With Hayes and Whitehawk both losing all that was needed was the final whistle to blow. In the second half though both drew level, and when Stortford did the same deep in stoppage time, survival hopes were hanging by a thread, the final whistle leading to an agonising wait for the other results to be confirmed before a final finish of eighteenth could be celebrated.

This time round though celebrations were tinged by a healthy dose of realism as chairman Peter Griffin discreetly canvassed opinion on the manager’s position. Drax got a stay of execution and within weeks of the end of the season had made one of the most important signings in the club’s history.

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

AN ALTOGETHER MORE SPLENDID KIND OF LIFE - 2011/12

23 Seasons watching Maidenhead United

Part 18a: 2011/12

The narrow escape from relegation the previous April meant a rebuilding job was required by Drax in the final year of his current contract. Most of the players drafted in for the successful battle against the drop left although Anthony Thomas, Jon Scarborough and Leon Solomon remained to play a significant role in the campaign ahead along with  youngsters Alex Wall, Martel Powell and Reece Tison-Lascaris. The exciting talent of the latter was complemented by more experienced new blood from the previously untapped source of the West Country. Goalkeeper Steve Williams encouraged former teammates Leigh Henry, Chris Taylor and Ashan Holgate to try their luck at York Road, and they were followed later in the season by Michael Pook. Ironically Williams was unable to agree a new deal and left before the season started, Billy Lumley taking the gloves for the lion’s share of the season. The squad was completed by the return of striker Manny WIlliams, and although he made it into the Sierra Leone national squad, he did not recapture his prior free scoring form from his first spell at York Road.

A long hard season appeared to be in prospect when the first two games were both lost 4-0 but this was followed by a run of five wins in the next seven outings to settle the team in mid table. Sadly one of these wins at Farnborough on August Bank Holiday Monday ended the season of creative midfielder Taylor who was stretchered off with a broken leg. He was followed onto the casualty list by captain Mark Nisbet, whose presence in the centre of defence was much missed as United went onto ship four goals in a game a further five times before the season was over.

For the second season in a row, league form slipped as interest in the FA Cup took hold. The run that followed secured Drax a two year extension to his contract thanks to performances which turned out to be his highpoint in the competition at the club.

First up were Farnborough, who took the Magpies back to Cherrywood Road for a replay, but were left ruing the chance to win the tie at the first time of asking when they had a man advantage after goalkeeper Sam Beasant was sent off in the first half. The ten men of United actually finished the match the stronger team, and won the replay by a more comfortable margin than the 3-2 scoreline suggested.

This win led to the daunting prospect of a visit from Woking  to York Road. The Cards were already well set on a course to win the Conference South but were blown away in the first half of the Cup tie thanks to some breathtaking attacking play from Thomas, Holgate (right) and Tison-Lascaris. In what was probably the best 45 minutes of Drax’s ten years in charge of the Magpies, his team went into the break 4-1 and the tie all but won.

The final scoreline was unchanged to set up a final qualifying round trip to Godalming Town, who despite their lowly status were having an invincible season. This proved to be no cause for concern for the Magpies who romped home 5-0 thanks in part to a hat trick from the unlikely source of full back Leon Solomon.

For the first time in the club’s history Football League opposition were drawn to play an FA Cup tie at York Road in the First Round Proper. That it was Aldershot took the sheen off the glamour of the tie a little given the frequency of the Shots recent visits to York Road since they had reformed, but all this was forgotten once the tie kicked off before a packed house of over 2,281.

The majority roared with joy when Thomas put United ahead with an audacious chip from distance in the sixth minute. Maidenhead more than held their own and as time drew on a place in the second round for the first time since the nineteenth century became a distinct possibility.

However Shots manager Dean Holdsworth decisively introduced winger Alex Rodman from the bench, and he managed to get around the back of the United defence to square the ball to Michael Rankine to equalise with thirteen minutes left.

The match ended 1-1 but the Magpies’ chance was gone as they were easily beaten 2-0 in the replay.

Back in the league a relegation battle loomed despite a brief rally over Christmas when ten points were taken over four games including a win at Salisbury. This change in form was inspired by the brief return of Richard Pacquette whose three goals in his five appearances earned him a move to Lincoln City.

United continued their dalliance with the relegation zone but a tremendous 2-0 win at the start of March at champions elect Woking thanks to a superb intervention on his debut by sub Charlie Strutton suggested that there would be a somewhat less stressful end to the season this time round with eleven matches left to play.

However no further wins followed in the next ten games, with even a visit to the wooden spoon contenders Hampton only returning a point. The nadir was reached over the Easter weekend against fellow strugglers Staines and Farnborough.

On the Saturday at Wheatsheaf Park, combative midfielder Jermaine Hinds was sent off minutes after coming on as a second half sub for the second consecutive match, as a dire game ended goalless.

Easter Monday brought initial joy as the Magpies raced into a 2-0 lead against Farnborough at York Road only for the visitors to retrieve the match after the break and eventually run out 4-3 winners.

Next up were Woking, who sealed the title at York Road with a 1-0 win from the penalty spot in front of a large away following.

A point at Dover in the penultimate match denied them a playoff spot but this meant that even a win in the final match against Eastleigh at York Road would require other results to go the Magpies way if they were to stay up.                                       To be continued...

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

AN ALTOGETHER MORE SPLENDID KIND OF LIFE - 2008/09

23 Seasons watching Maidenhead United

Part 15: 2008/09

Despite a best ever Conference South finish in 2008, survival was seen as a scant return for the investment in the playing squad. However an unbeaten run in April to secure safety would act as a foundation for a season when United would raise the question of promotion.

Top score Manny Williams moved up to the Conference with Woking but a replacement in Richard Pacquette (pictured right) was already in situ, and he was joined up front with exciting young talent Mustafa Tiryaki (pictured left).

Their supply route would be provided by classy left winger Dale Binns whilst the defence was shored up by new goalkeeper Shane Gore and full backs Tyron Smith and Narada Bernard. Ashley Nicholls improved the central midfield with his tireless running from box to box.

The Magpies hit the ground running, a Lee Newman brace at Bromley securing an opening day win, and the first three points of seventeen earned from the twenty available in the first seven matches. The last three of these at Fisher Athletic on September 1st, saw United hit top spot in the Conference South for the first time.

This set up a top of the table at resurgent Wimbledon, the Dons disabusing United of any title notions with a comfortable 3-1 win.

For once there was little joy in any of the knockout competitions but the pleasure derived from watching improved league form week in week out meant this was shrugged off.

The team peaked perfectly on my birthday, destroying Worcester City 5-0 at York Road, new signing Rocky Baptiste notching his first goal for the club. This set up a real promotion clash with Chelmsford City for the next match at York Road, a crowd of almost 800 turning up only to once again see the Magpies found wanting when it came to a stiffer test, the Clarets winning 2-0.

At the turn of the year though, the playoffs was very much a realistic target and a plan was hatched to renovate the existing stand to ensure it could accommodate the five hundred seats required to meet the criteria to qualify off the pitch.

However heavy snow at the start of February stalled the season, and in the unexpected winter break Chairman Peter Griffin announced three decisions which would have consequences for both the short and long term future of the club. Firstly he decided to cut the playing budget. Initially this only led to the departure of Dale Binns to Hayes & Yeading United, and a loan to Histon of top scorer Richard Pacquette to test his Conference potential, but it signalled the break up of a promising squad over the summer. This naturally led to  a second decision not to install the extra seats in the stand and therefore ended any interest in the playoffs. Finally after three years of discussion with the council, it had become clear that planning permission for a new ground in the Maidenhead area of the standard required for the Conference and beyond would not be forthcoming. Therefore Griffin announced that the club would no longer seek to move away from York Road, bringing to an end twenty five years of speculation.
The air of initial disappointment around the club at losing the opportunity to seek promotion was compounded by the confirmation that popular striker Lee Newman had been jailed for drug dealing. However as the season drew to a close results matched those at the start, helped by the burgeoning talent of Tiryaki, as five wins and two draws in seven matches meant the final game of the season at home to Hampton would offer the possibility of a top five finish. This hope ended when Pacquette was sent of early in the match, as the Beavers secured their runners up place with a 3-0 win.

The fledgling partnership of Pacquette and Tiryaki which saw both of them score prolifically quickly came to an end as they were snapped up by York and Havant respectively. They were joined on the way out by player of the season Ashley Nicholls who moved to Bishops Stortford to herald a summer of rebuilding with tighter purse strings for Johnson Hippolyte. Having at last consolidated their position in the Conference South and at York Road, another milepost was reached in stabilising the club as a traumatic decade started to draw to a close. With average crowds breaking the 400 mark for the first time in a generation thanks to winning football, the dilemma for the club was how to develop hand in hand the playing side with a ground fit for the twenty first century.  It was a problem that would take six years to solve.  
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

The last cut is the deepest

I expected little from Tuesday's visit from Eastbourne Borough. Already one of my favourite clubs, this season they are the best passing team I have seen and I fully expected them to take the Magpies to the cleaners following United's 6-1 thrashing at Bromley in the previous match, with the added incentive for the play off chasing visitors coming in the way they had been mugged by Maidenhead in our last meeting back in November in the FA Trophy.

Yet within minutes of the kick off Maidenhead served notice that unlike the two games in Sussex in the autumn they would have plenty of opportunities to score, a neat pass from the centre circle finding Harry Grant in the clear only for the young forward to skew his shot wide.

This golden missed opportunity to take the initiative was punished in the seventeenth minute when James Stinson picked up the loose ball in the penalty area to score. Elvijs Putnins, returning to the team after a two game layoff, then made a good save from Frankie Raymond to keep the Rocks within touching distance. 

As half time beckoned United began to threaten to equalise and enjoyed their best period of the game either side of the interval. Richard Pacquette levelled the score with a deft finish on the stroke of half time, and although the striker immediately pulled up with a hamstring injury, his replacement Jonathan Constant was at the heart of Maidenhead'a attacking play when the second half began.

The focus was now on the Eastbourne penalty area with keeper Craig Ross in the spotlight, blocking an Adrian Clifton shot from close range to stop the Magpies completing their comeback. Ross was then involved in the game's pivotal incident, dropping the ball close to his goalline. Constant was first to it but could not apply sufficient power to propel the ball into the empty net enabling a defender to clear off the line.

Relieved by this let off, Eastbourne made Maidenhead pay by retaking the lead with a text book free kick from the right wing, captain Ian Simpemba giving it the eye brows to score just after the hour mark.

Maidenhead's renewed task to equalise was then given fresh impetus by the introduction of Brett Longden, the youngster regularly scheming down the wing. With the force now back with Maidenhead Constant made the scoreline 2-2 with a good finish with only six minutes left on the clock. Longden spearheaded the next attack and unleashed a shot which forced Ross to push the ball wide at full stretch. 

By this stage the force was very much with United and they pushed hard for a winner only to be hit yet again by a sucker punch. Deep into stoppage time Eastbourne broke away down the left, the ball falling to Stacy Long to shoot from just inside the penalty area. His effort seemed to be destined for the side netting, only to hit a bobble on the pitch and skid under the dive of Putnins.

Cue the inevitable crazy touch line celebrations led by Eastbourne manager Tommy Widdrington as once more Maidenhead fell at the final hurdle. This was the hardest of these five defeats to take, primarily due to the fact that for once United were finishing very much the stronger team and if anyone looked likely to grab the points it was the Magpies. However the end result revealed Maidenhead to be the eternal hapless gambler, refusing to settle for a draw, but instead chasing that elusive win by resolutely doubling their efforts to score only to be faced by the inevitable result. With the dandy highwayman of non league football Steve King coming to York Road this afternoon a more subtle approach is required to begin to take advantage of the the 27 points remaining.

Can we play here every week?

The approach to Woking's Kingfield stadium could not have been any more different to that of Maidenhead's last destination of Holker Street, Barrow. Over 300 miles separated the two, the latter a stereotypically grim northern industrial town whilst Woking is the epitome of leafy suburbia. Indeed there was a spring in my step as I wandered through the park en route from the station to the ground as I remembered the excellent results achieved by the Magpies against the Cards in recent years, which added to last season's draw at Kingfield against today's opponents Hayes & Yeading United is part of a six game, thirty year unbeaten run on this ground.

Reaching the car park, the home of Westfield FC came into view, set against the backdrop of Woking's anomalous big stand. Windsor & Eton were the visitors to the Combined Counties league club, twenty years on from when the Royalists last visited York Road for a Christmas fixture, the last time both clubs shared the same league status (Isthmian League Division One). Despite the juxtaposition of the Royal Borough's rival clubs there was no need for kick offs to be moved or local police leave to be cancelled with the combined crowd barely challenging the figure at York Road that day.

Hayes' continued presence at Kingfield shows no sign of ending as their sorry tale of a botched relocation continues, the attendance of 159 being slightly above the average for the season. In this context it was surprising to read Phil Babb's manager's notes speaking of pushing for promotion, given the rumours about the size of the Kingfield rent.

The corresponding fixture at York Road in August had been Maidenhead's last home win until Boxing Day, and as the long suffering Magpie fans are used to, that opening run of six games without defeat have at last been followed by a similar run of four from mid December, with the last three games all won.

Today's victory was founded on a first half display in which Maidenhead could have been accused of profligacy in only going into the break two goals to the good. In an open first half Maidenhead took the lead in the fifth minute when a searching cross from left back Leon Solomon found Richard Pacquette at the far post to apply a textbook header into the back of the net. Six minutes later Pacquette turned provider, flicking on a long ball with his head to put Reece Tison-Lascaris through on goal, only for the returning winger to scuff his shot wide. Tison-Lascaris had replaced Harry Pritchard in the Maidenhead line up, the other change from Boxing Day being Matt Ruby for Jacob Erskine in central defence after the attacker turned defender had picked up a knock in the win against Staines.

With Maidenhead finding it easy to make their way through a porous Hayes' defence, the home team were also able to cause problems at the other end, with Elvijs Putnins' knee injury clearly hampering his movement as he failed to collect a couple of crosses cleanly. These errors went unpunished and it was soon time for Tison-Lascaris to atone for his earlier miss. He was about to go clear again when pulled back by a Hayes defender, the referee generously adjudging that the offence took place outside the penalty area and only being worthy of a yellow card.This mattered little to Danny Green though who stepped up to deliver a perfect free kick which beat the despairing dive of goalkeeper Jamie Young to double the Magpies' lead.

Maidenhead could and should have sealed the points before half time, Pacquette making a mess of an opportunity to double his tally when he dollied up a one on one chance into the arms of a grateful Young, the half closing with Hayes going close to grabbing a goal back.

After the break the game looked to continue in a similar fashion, but as the half drew on Hayes gained the upper hand as Maidenhead defended in ever greater depth with ever fewer counter attacking opportunities. The introduction of substitutes Pritchard and Bobby Behzadi did little to alleviate the pressure which eventually told with four minutes remaining when Kamaron English pulled a goal back with a fine finish.

The announcement of five minutes of stoppage time raised the spectre of a late comeback but it was Pritchard who came closest to scoring with a shot that Young pushed wide for a corner. The final whistle soon followed to signal what will be a rare double for the Magpies this season, although New Year's Day presents another opportunity for a second win over Staines. With most of the other struggling teams picking up points, leading to Maidenhead actually dropping a place in the table, something approaching New Year's Day 2013's 6-0 win at Wheatsheaf Lane will be most welcome.

Magpies Roll Out The Barrow

When looking forward to a draw in the FA Cup or Trophy, a common hope is for a Football League club whether current or former away from home to experience a touch of the big time. Barrow AFC was not what I had in mind when the draw was made two weeks ago but as things turned out it proved to be the setting for one of those days in the club's history that will live long in the memory.

The bungling manner of the FA's calendar for the competition meant that there was little time to organise group travel to York Road, which coupled with the scheduling right in the middle of the Christmas shopping season, meant that a few lucky Maidenhead fans made it to Holker Street with the consensus on the number travelling in no official capacity whatsoever being twelve. 

I took up Peter Griffin's offer of a lift up north, setting off from Maidenhead station at 8.30, speeding up the M40/M6 to the edge of Granadaland where we picked up Andy to increase our company to five.Stopping for a break a bit further on in the bona fide north, I earned my spotters badge by spying the West Cornwall Pasty concession and a group of Barrow players heading to the game. This reflected the Bluebirds remote location with the squad coming from far and wide (one of the starting eleven was rumoured to have come from Skegness), reminding me of past tales of the team never training together. 

As we turned off the M6 the countryside continued to grow more beautiful, the scenery calling to mind Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon's Trip with any worries about the rain threatening the game disappearing as Morecambe Bay appeared with a sunny backdrop. Reminders that we were in the north continued as we followed a car sporting a rear window sticker stating "no pies left in this vehicle overnight" but it was something of a surprise to be confronted by the evidence of the manufacturing industry as we entered Barrow, for once a set of magnificent floodlight pylons drawing  us towards the football ground.

Stiegl time

Arriving at the ground at the same time as the team, who had stayed overnight in a nearby hotel, we made our way up the stairs to the Crossbar to sip Stiegl Lager to the backdrop of the goal fest at Eastlands and the Holker Street stadium.

Venturing out to the ground ahead of kick off we were greeted by absolutely grim weather, a strong wind and driving rain to see a functional ground, clearly of a different scale to the usual non league structure. After initially heading for the popular side covered terrace, it soon became clear this would provide little in the way of shelter so we returned to watch behind the Barrow goal, the brutalist clubhouse building cutting out the worst of the weather.

In a dull first half where the only excitement came from a couple of Barrow efforts which caused a tremor of excitement by hitting the side netting, and an Adrian Clifton shot which dipped just over the bar, I took the opportunity to chat to a couple of long time Barrow fans who joined us behind the goal. They explained how the ground used to look very different with cover on all four sides and a speedway track which they felt was the cause of their failure to be re-elected to the Football League in 1972 as opposition teams did not like the way the track cut into the corners of the pitch. They certainly conveyed the image of a club once worthy of the Football League which probably in no small part to their location became like Workington a few seasons later, persona non grata. Indeed the programme detailed a time in the late 70s when the Holker Street pitch was perfectly playable but the opposition were simply unable to make their way to the area.

One aspect of their potential status was the fine club shop and decent vocal support in the face of a league season where they stood at the foot of the Conference North, losing 6-0 at home on their previous outing. The £13 admission and £2.50 programme further suggested higher expectations but you could have forgiven the locals if they snubbed this pricy entertainment.

Earlier in the week the Bluebirds had appointed Darren Edmondson as manager. He had pledged to build a squad based on local talent. This will naturally take time to come to fruition but in the short term he sent out a team which played methodically, with at least showing signs of a goal threat. Our local company advised that the team kicking towards Holker Street and into the wind was usually on top, and so it proved as early in the second half having changed ends Richard Pacquette gave the Magpies the lead. 

Halftime entertainment next door floodlights by ASDA

I'd already been and gone from this end of the ground as having worked out how to gain entry to what would normally be the away end by drawing back a bolt from a yellow gate, two minutes in the wind and rain was as much as I could take so I retreated back undercover.

Packed away end

This location provided additional entertainment due to the background commentary from a professional northerner who did actually utter the phrase "southern softie" when a Magpie went to ground. Pacquette's goal signalled the start of Maidenhead taking the upper hand but the slender nature of a one goal lead meant Barrow efforts for an equaliser were always a worry.

With five minutes left though Maidenhead sealed the win when a mazy run by Harry Pritchard saw him deliver his second assist of the afternoon with a cross to Danny Green whose exquisite finish meant that the second goal represented an upgraded version of the first.

As the clock ticked down the rain abated so I returned to the away terrace to milk the applause of the players at the final whistle, the magnitude of whose achievement only became clear on the walk back to the railway station where the wind was so strong it was struggle to stand up and walk never mind run around. Taking the train home, after a brief stop for a pint in Lancaster and an odd meeting with the Queen of the South first team squad en route to their Christmas night out in Liverpool, it was now time to wallow in the drunken haze of an epic win away from home. Regardless or indeed because of the shortcomings in the Magpies league form, this FA Trophy run has been a great tonic with three superb wins on the road against the odds. The last round may not have presented much in terms of opposition but the sheer distance travelled and the biblical weather conditions mean this will go down as a day when a select few will say "I was there".

Brutalist clubhouse

Grandstand

The Popular Side

Proper floodlights

A Sketch for Winter

Glad I made a late decision to attend this game yesterday. In the first place an hour of bumping into people wearing novelty Christmas hats and jumpers was all I could take in Central London, but more importantly the game itself was great entertainment, and certainly more wholesome than spending the afternoon in the pub. So I found myself at 2 pm on a train crawling through the South London suburbs accompanied by the wistful guitar musings of Vini Reilly.

With the temperature warm enough to leave my long johns at home, the sun vied with the floodlights to light up a dank and sparsely attended Gander Green Lane. After a great end to last season, and backed by the heavyweight financial resources of manager Paul Doswell it seemed that this season's Conference South title race would be played out between Sutton and Eastleigh, but the Us form has dipped of late leaving them outside the play off places with presumably the sub par Borough Sports Ground crowd of 472 a consequence of deflated expectations.

In selecting his team Drax continued to juggle the squad with their varying levels of fitness, wisely opting to repeat his decision which worked so well at Eastbourne of opting for a back three (Mark Nisbet, Jacob Erskine and Devante McKain) with wing backs Les Thompson and Leon Solomon complementing Daniel Brown, Adrian Clifton and Danny Green in midfield, leaving Richard Pacquette and Michael Malcolm up front.

The extra man in central defence was certainly required in the opening stages of the game as Sutton started strongly, Jamie Slabber showing his intent to continue his role as a thorn in the Magpies' side with an early effort that was tipped round the post by Elvijs Putnins. 

Sutton's early dominance was confirmed in the twentieth minute when inevitably Slabber giving the home side the lead with his amber colleagues virtually queuing up to score. However this was not to prove the cue for a thrashing as Maidenhead played their way back into the game. Within four minutes of going behind Clifton took his time to pick his spot before firing through the defensive line to equalise.

Sutton continued to threaten, Slabber hitting the crossbar with a header just after the half hour mark, but Maidenhead were up for the fight with Pacquette back to his snarling best, bumping the goalkeeper over to leave the moral majority in the covered terrace on the far touchline baying for his blood.

Sutton skipper Jamie Stuart's response to this incident was to indicate that his goalie needed to lead with a combination of his elbow and knee in future so it was ironic that minutes later he found himself on the deck after an aerial challenge with Pacquette. The Referee correctly awarded a drop ball right in front of the covered terrace which sent the moaners into apoplexy, and yet if anything it was Maidenhead who had reason to complain as the game had been stopped with the Magpie attack in full flow.

The game now turned to resemble a boxing match of the footballing kind with both teams trading blows in front of goal in the last minutes ahead of the interval. Firstly Slabber rose salmon like at the far post, hanging in the air to head home at the far post, but any hastily rewritten team talks had to be rehashed once more as Pacquette equalised with the goal of the game.

Receiving the ball outside the penalty area, the striker hit the ball on the half volley. the strike dipping into the back of the net as Pacquette rushed off to collect the plaudits of the covered terrace.

The game changed after the break with Thompson being replaced by Harry Pritchard, and once Craig Dundas had returned the lead to Sutton within six minutes of the restart, the home team took a more conservative approach to the match, working hard to stifle any hope Maidenhead of getting back on level terms for a third time.

Drax's response was to pursue his recent Wengeresque predilection for wingers by introducing loan players Harry Grant and Josh Clarke into the fray, the former appearing for the last time, whilst the latter's debut was characterised by a pleasing tigerish approach to the game.

Despite a few set pieces Maidenhead failed to seriously trouble goalkeeper Tom Lovelock and so the result eventually ended as expected. So as I made my way back to the scenes of enforced fun in Central London, not much to ponder to the sound of the Durutti Column as Maidenhead continue to vie with Alexander Armstrong for the most Pointless appearances this season. 

The next three games will be vital for the club's prospects in 2014. With Barrow losing 6-0 at home yesterday, hopes must be high that United can continue to enjoy life away from the league with a third Trophy win in six weeks to progress to the last 16 of the competition. The team will certainly be well rested, travelling up on the Friday with an overnight stay up north ahead of the game. Furthermore the league games either side of this tie present ideal opportunities to get out of the bottom two with opposition in struggling Chelmsford and Tonbridge. The former though will be buoyant after two wins in two games following the wise appointment of Heybridge Swifts manager Mark Hawkes, whilst Maidenhead have lost all three games they have played at Tonbridge's Longmead ground.Time for the team to deliver on their promise of August.

Wing Backs of Desire

I see a bad moon rising for Eastbourne

It was Albert Einstein who said that insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, thus it was a relief that Drax's response to the league defeat down at Eastbourne was to tinker with his squad and formation in the games that followed. This development continued yesterday when the presentation of the team sheet before the game revealed defenders stretching down to number seven.

The mystery over how the team would set up was revealed at kick off as Alfie Mawson, Curtis Ujah and Matt Ruby formed a three man defence, whilst full backs Leslie Thompson and Leon Solomon moved up the pitch to become wing backs alongside a central midfield of Adrian Clifton, Harry Grant and Mark Nisbet, leaving Reece Tison-Lascaris and Richard Pacquette up front.

We got a corner

Thus Drax's plan to combat Eastbourne's high tempo passing by packing the midfield was revealed and immediately paid dividends in a first half of few genuine chances which saw Maidenhead compete on an equal footing with their hosts in stark contrast to the last meeting between the two clubs a fortnight ago.
In Magpie terms this led to frequent substantial territorial advantage which translated into several set pieces, the best of which saw 1950s footballer Leslie Thompson drive into a gap in the penalty area and unleash a ferocious shot which flashed wide of the post.
At the other end the early departure of Curtis Ujah with a knee injury did little to upset the United line up, Mark Nisbet moving back in to his usual defensive role whilst Daniel Brown came on to replace him in midfield.

At half time, Eastbourne manager Tommy Widdrington clearly got to work, as after the break Borough displayed all the vim and vigour shown in their impressive win in the last match. They soon swamped the Maidenhead defence by upping the pace but could not find a clear cut opportunity to score.
The upside of this attacking purpose was that the game opened up and Maidenhead themselves began to threaten once they had weathered the opening storm of the second half. As the game passed the hour mark, a Tison-Lascaris cross went begging for a close range tap in across the face of the goal, then Pacquette split the defence with a ball heading for Thompson who was only denied a shot on target by a well timed tackle from a defender.

It was thus no surprise then when a goal arrived in the 66th minute when a Pacquette cross from the left was bungled by the goalkeeper, Grant being first to the ball to bundle the ball into the back of the net.
This was the cue for the inevitable siege on the Maidenhead goal as Eastbourne gave it the kitchen sink treatment in pursuit of an equaliser. Borough threw everything at the United goal but were unable to fashion a chance to score against a resolute defence determined to defend the team's first lead away from home since September 7th.
As four minutes of stoppage time were signalled, the pressure cranked up another notch and this time it was Elvijs Putnins turn to shine as he flew across his goal to tip a goalbound header over the bar with one hand.
In true cup tie fashion Maidenhead attempted to keep the ball in the corner when they broke out of the Eastbourne half and this was just enough to see the game through to a successful conclusion and the Magpies first win since that glorious trip down to Gosport in early September.
It will be interesting to see if this win has any lasting effect in terms of the team as for me the effective use of wing backs was a key factor in the victory, with Thompson in particular impressing by the way he genuinely played the role of a midfielder supporting the Magpies' attacking moves.

Despite the lack of points at stake,  this win could provide an important lift to the club with draw for the next round on Monday offering the potential of a meeting with any one of the plethora of ex league clubs in the Conference Premier. The win and the prospect of the potential opponents in two weeks time proved enough to send my Twitter time line spinning with activity on the long train ride home and distract me from the bizarre economics of the Southern railway buffet which charges £3.25 for an egg sandwich and only £3.50 for a half litre bottle of Harveys. The challenge is on for First Great Western to do better next week on the trip to Bath.

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. 

Magpies in need of a dose of Dr Feelgood

Such is the nature of football that the puffed up feeling engendered by a five match unbeaten start to the season can be swiftly deflated by taking one point in nine in eight days.

The first defeat wasn't exactly unexpected as it came at the hands that could generate plenty of commission for league sponsors Skrill, the current version of "lets throw loads of money at a football club in a meaningless attempt to accrue prestige which is bound to all end in tears" that is Eastleigh.

More or less a year on since manager Richard Hill arrived at Stoneham Lane, the massive investment in playing personnel is starting to pay off for the Spitfires as they looked the part of champions elect in their 3-1 win at York Road.

In the same way that the win at Gosport felt like a Cup tie at a County league club, the visit of Eastleigh resembled a visit from a club playing in a higher division which is not surprising when you read their pen pictures.

The away team set off at a high tempo from the first whistle but fortunately unlike fellow Southern moneybags Ebbsfleet, they did so with some style, matching their pace with some slick passing. As United struggled to keep up Elvijs Putnins was in his element fighting to maintain a clean sheet, diving full length to tip a Stuart Fleetwood free kick around the post.

Then against all odds, and backed by a cow bell liberated from the erm Bell, Maidenhead took the lead as Richard Pacquette applied his usual consummate finish to a lovely pass from Wada Ahmidi. Eastleigh equalised virtually from the kick off, but having smelt blood the Magpies showed no fear in looking to retake their lead, and all but did so when Reece Tison-Lascaris rounded the keeper. As is his wont, the young dasher attempted to stylishly pass the ball into the net which sadly allowed a defender to get across and clear the ball.

Still the point had been made that United were to be no pushovers and made a good fist of it until conceding the lead following a defensive mix up which saw an Adrian Clifton clearance deflected by a team mate into the path of Yemi Odubade to score his second goal. The scoreline then ended up a little unbalanced as Maidenhead pressed for an equaliser allowing Craig McAllister to slip through the defence to pick up a through ball and score the Hampshire club's third. All that was left was for a handful of Eastleigh fans to play out a bit of glory hunting before the final whistle saw United beaten but unbowed.

Spirits remained high as Maidenhead travelled to Canvey Island following a decent point in midweek at Weston-super-mare. This second leg of Magpies in Europe promised much but delivered little on a grey day on the Thames Estuary.

Benfleet for Canvey

Meeting up with the Maidenhead contingent of travelling Magpies in the deserted square mile in preparation for a rare trip out of Fenchurch Street, there was not the same buzz as the first leg in Hampshire, the rather perfunctory transfer into a taxi at Benfleet for the short ride to Concord's Thames Road ground being capped by the sight and smell of a gas terminal across the road from the car park.

Rangers were named after a youth team that used to play adjacent to Concord beach and having only transferred to senior football in 1967, the club should be justly proud at the progress they have made which includes a tidy ground which puts Whitehawk to shame.

Welcome to Concord

The island, cut off from the mainland until a bridge was built in the 1930s, feels like its in Essex rather than of Essex, the predominance of one storey dwellings adding to an aura of otherness wonderfully captured in Julien Temple's fine documentary Oil City Confidential about Dr. Feelgood.

Certainly the support Gosport mustered was lacking with the official crowd of 295 lending itself to an updated version of the rumour about Thurrock counting its hotel residents in the attendance, in this case it may have been the residents of the (im)mobile homes overlooking one touchline.

The game itself saw the home team in charge throughout as Maidenhead struggled under the burden of injuries to Mark Nisbet, Curtis Ujah, Wada Ahmidi and Harry Pritchard which led to full back Leon Solomon moving to the centre of defence. It was good to see Sam Collins back in action in the Concord midfield, and it was his corner which led to the game's opening goal when his ball to the far post saw Putnins make an uncharacteristic slip allowing Sam Higgins to poke the ball home from close range.

The goalkeeper soon redeemed himself with a great save which spurred the Magpies onto equalise, the mercurial Danny Green travelling forward before releasing the ball to Tison-Lascaris who scored with a shot which deflected off a defender.

A tiring comeback

After the break Maidenhead almost took the lead when Bobby Behzadi ran half the length of the pitch before unleashing a shot from distance which was tipped round the post. From here on in though it was all down hill for the Magpies. Firstly Higgins was given too much time and space in the penalty area to double his tally and return the lead to Rangers then a double injury to Matt Ruby and Pacquette saw United denuded of key players at either end of the pitch.

With a defence now made up of three full backs and Daniel Brown, Maidenhead were opened up twice more, Leon Gordon scoring the goal of the game with a finish from a tight angle on the right wing before Steve King completed the scoring with a free header at the far post.This left Drax a growing injury list ahead of next Saturday's cup tie with at least a blank week to allow for some recovery. Likewise off the pitch some were feeling the pace with Mr Logic clearly not fully fit on his comeback after missing the first leg in Gosport whilst Popejoy was reported missing last seen in the Paddington area late on Saturday night.

View from the clubhouse

Behind the goal

Cross pitch

The Far Corner 

Looking toward the club house

Ferry Good

Hail the conquering heroes home

Anticipation was high yesterday as Maidenhead came as close to a trip into Europe as they're ever likely to get with a trip overseas from Portsmouth island to the Gosport peninsula. With the match conveniently scheduled for good weather in early season, it felt like a return to the days when United had to play in the earliest FA Cup qualifying rounds with lots of infrequent travellers joining the usual flock of Magpies away from home. Helped perhaps by the lack of any top flight football due to the interlull, and more likely by the prospect of a first ever visit to Privett Park, I knew that my time alone on the train down from Waterloo would be short.

The London terminus was jam packed with people off to sporting events at venues as august as Twickenham and Ascot, and the real meaning of non league day was brought home to me when police swooped on a group of England fans presumably heading home after a Friday night at Wembley. On face value the group looked guilty of nothing more than having criminally short haircuts. Maybe this was part of the clampdown on anti social behaviour on public transport announced at the start of the season, but it came across as another example of criminalising going to the match. The freedom to enjoy football as you wish, without advance tickets, police escorts, over zealous stewards and regulations is the real value of non league football. It is not as some would have it a different sport, it is a way of watching football that has been lost to the professional leagues, and that's why sometimes its a better way of spending your leisure time.

Getting on a fairly empty train felt a relief which grew as the train sped away from the capital. The second stop at Guildford saw one contingent of Magpies who had travelled from Maidenhead join me, John and Bob rather optimistically dressed for the seaside, whilst Maurice introduced everyone to a vital matchday accessory, a chiller bag for beer.

Correct change only

HMS Warrior

Where's the duty free?

Arriving at Portsmouth Harbour, we could see the Gosport ferry coming towards the Portsmouth shore giving us just enough time to wander down the gangway to purchase tickets (£2.90 return from a correct fare only machine - wonder how many people pay £3?) and take for many of us the first trip by boat to a Maidenhead game.

Goodbye Portsmouth

All aboard for the short trip which just about gave everyone time to sample the view, starting with the sight of HMS Warrior, before contemplating the game in prospect.

As we set foot on dry land, Andy proved to have the most effective beer antennae, spotting the Castle Tavern, just a short walk away. It was a perfectly friendly pub offering cheap food and beer, but the way all the tables were set for lunch meant it felt compulsory to stand, a brief attempt at sitting outside ending once the wind and rain began to bite.

Soon enough our numbers doubled as the second Maidenhead train party joined us, and the prematch stories started to circulate before taking a taxi from the rank handily placed between pub and ferry terminal.

Any worries that our presence would attract the attentions of the local constabulary were assuaged when it looked like all the boys in blue were busy looking after a tiny animal rights march, and we sped through the nondescript peninsula town swiftly arriving at our destination, Privett Park.

The ground was pleasant enough, belying its recent county league origins, one club official confessing that two promotions in a row were something of a surprise to all concern. They clearly have some work to do to, due to the Conference's irrational dislike of grass anywhere other than the pitch, but the two stands stretching alongside each touchline were impressive enough, the more modern of the two giving a glimpse of what will be built at York Road in the coming months.

View from the clubhouse end

The one downside was the complete absence of terraces, covered or otherwise which did little for my view of the game, stood as I was on the level behind each goal.In the first half there was also the distraction of a steward insisting everyone who had a drink in their hand, return inside, something of a mixed message considering alcohol was served in plastic glasses. However there was no doubting the outcome, with the home team being the weakest I have seen at this level for sometime, which is not surprising considering that they were in the Southern League Division One eighteen months ago.

Maidenhead's most fruitful line of attack came down the left wing with Reece Tison-Lascaris leading full back Dan Woodward a merry dance all afternoon.United should have opened the scoring in the fourteenth minute when Michael Malcolm received a gift of an opportunity only for his far post header to hit the post.

In reply Maidenhead seemed happy to give Gosport ground to attack, but the home team could find no way through the defence to effectively test goalkeeper Elvijs Putnins. Any thought that this might be the day when Gosport would win their first Conference south match was dismissed when Tison-Lascaris skipped through the defence as he had done at Ebbsfleet, calmly rounding the keeper to score.

Maidenhead remained on top for the rest of the first half, with former player Steve Claridge having seen enough with ten minutes remaining, leaving his seat in the stand to head for the bar.

Boardroom art

After the break brightened up by a fine painting in the boardroom, the Magpies made a concerted effort to make sure of the three points. This time it was right winger Danny Green's turn to shine, having a shot blocked by goalkeeper Nathan Ashmore. Minutes later Bobby Behzadi set up Richard Pacquette to fire home the second goal from just inside the penalty area with typical aplomb.

This proved to be the most entertaining passage of play with Green again denied by an Ashmore parry before Putnins took his chance to impress, flying across his goal like an orange flash to stop an Andy Forbes header, repeating the trick a minute later.

Borough worked hard in the time remaining to find a way back into the game but could create no chances of note and there was little danger of the points heading anywhere else other than back on the ferry.

The final whistle is about to blow

Thus the post mortem saw a happy Magpie band wend their way back north via a pub on either side of the ferry reflecting that awaydays don't get much better than this, and even looking forward to the visit of league leaders Eastleigh to York Road next Saturday. Gosport however look like they've got a lot to do to avoid sharing the fate of Hornchurch and Billericay, by having the briefest of stays in the Conference South.