All Bets Off

 On the face of it Maidenhead’s comfortable 4-2 win over Bromley towards the end of the 2012/13 season was par for the course in the latter years of Drax’s managerial spell at York Road. A decisive win over opponents with nothing to play for securing the Magpies place in what was then called the Conference South for another season.

My on the whistle match report described a Maidenhead performance where they freely created chances throughout the game backed by the support of injured captain Mark Nisbet wearing his lucky pink shirt and tie. More pertinently I mentioned a Bromley team in disastrous form, losing their eighth consecutive game against a backdrop of off the field problems leading to a demotivated team. This was highlighted by a late red card for the Ravens which left spectators bemused as the away team descended into internal arguments on the pitch, ending the match as a shambles of a team that had been expected to challenge for promotion at the start of the season.

At the start of this current season, the truth was finally revealed. The match had been fixed by Bromley player Moses Swaibu. In a BBC audio series he revealed that this was just one of a whole string of matches that he had influenced in return for money from shadowy foreign gamblers. The extent of the corruption now revealed by Swaibu has drawn into question the integrity of the 2012/13 Conference South league table, reflecting long considered opinions on the malign influence of the betting industry on English football. 

The audio series, presented by Troy Deeney, sees him lead Swaibu through his early career and subsequent descent into match fixing.  It serves as a reminder that the joy of watching football is driven by jeopardy and its general unpredictability. This in turn creates the market for gambling, but just as in wider society poses the challenge to minimise risk by influencing the outcome.

The series begins with a sad tale of Swaibu’s upbringing in the shadow of poverty, brightened by a football talent which sees him progress through the ranks at Crystal Palace with a stellar youth career. As in the case of so many talented youngsters, he found the margins of fortune to be thin, and ended up starting his adult career at Lincoln City. Falling out with successive managers, an older pro spotted Swaibu as someone who could be vulnerable to corruption, and although the bait wasn’t taken at this time the seed had been planted.

A move to Bromley in 2011 tempted by a four figure weekly salary, described by Swaibu as stupid money for the sixth tier of English football, saw him slowly move into a position of influence in the dressing room, encouraged by owner manager Mark Goldberg. Swaibu is scathing about Goldberg’s football knowledge, and it presented an opportunity for him to become a leader at a young age. When he unexpectedly became a father, the temptation to exploit his position became too great. He finally responded to the overtures of the gamblers and began fixing matches for eye watering rewards.

The details of the fixes are fascinating with regard to the number of players required and involved manipulating one aspect of the outcome such as being in a losing position at half time via largely imperceptible strategies such as not making a defensive run or leaving an opponent unmarked.

Soon Swaibu was using his contacts playing across the south east of England, alleging that he was able to call fixes in up to half the clubs in the Conference South division. He was helped by the widely available odds for matches at that level, and the disparity between what the players were paid by their clubs compared to what they could receive for match fixing.

Ironically the league at the time was sponsored by Blue Square, a gambling company now owned by Betfair. Its spokesman Alan Alger was well known in non league circles, and he spoke to Deeney about how his suspicion about what was going on had led him to inform league officials that matches were being fixed on a regular basis. For example more money was reportedly placed on the total goals in one November 2012 Conference League South game than on the equivalent market for a Champions League match involving Barcelona.

Alger said that the league’s response was to hush the matter up, and simply ask Blue Square to close markets for any match where they spotted unexpectedly high levels of activity. This in turn signalled to supporters that something was happening, and it turns out that Bromley’s visit to York Road was to be the day when the whole operation was blown wide open.

As well as supporters calling players out from the terraces, the dressing room had also become split between those in on the fix and those not involved. One of the latter was captain Danny Waldren whom Swaibu called Braveheart, and it was his determination to combat his corrupt team mates that led to his red card and subsequent public outpouring of frustration as he left the pitch.

Watching the footage again, it's striking to hear Maidenhead’s Michael Pook in a post match interview describe his team scoring a series of soft goals. It certainly coloured my memory of that season and adds context to something which was witnessed by Maidenhead fans at the start of the next one.

The opening day of the 2013-14 season saw a trip to Whitehawk which ended in a pleasantly surprising 3-0 for United. After the match whilst waiting for a taxi, a group of supporters overhead some Whitehawk players talking about match fixing. Later that year two were charged with conspiracy to defraud following an investigation by the National Crime Agency. Swaibu was also caught in an NCA sting and ended up in prison.

All of this serves as justification for the FA’s sweeping gambling ban on anyone involved in football at any level and yet doubts still remain about the integrity of the sport. This is not only due to those players who are caught and punished for all to see for simply gambling on football but also thanks to the work of Phillippe Auclair and the Josimar magazine. The latter has highlighted the true nature of some of the gambling organisations sponsoring clubs at the highest level of the game and makes it clear that there is now only one solution that must be taken. Gambling should follow tobacco and alcohol in being banned from advertising in any football related activity.

https://thefishy.co.uk/leaguetable.php?table=21&season=10

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0jlg608

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cd05385k722o

https://youtu.be/a3Dix9YIuL8?si=BwwAcF0H-gFvQxTU

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/25263979

https://x.com/StanisElsborg/status/1755880218294624702

Maidenhead United on the move

 1919 was a somewhat pivotal year in the history of Maidenhead. With the town's two senior clubs both losing many members in the Great War it was decided to amalgamate them.

The merged club was to become known appropriately as Maidenhead United and wear a black and white strip to respect the

colours of both pre war clubs.

Previously Maidenhead FC had been based at York Road wearing black and red kit but it was decided to play the first team's competitive fixtures at Kidwells Park, home of Maidenhead Norfolkians FC who had worn a red and white strip.

The move away from York Road was due to the ground being seen as not fit for senior football as it was shared with the town cricket club. It was initially hoped that the council would build a new ground on the Cordwallis Estate. Thus began a century long ground move saga, the latest chapter of which closed last year when the council called a halt to a move to a new purpose built stadium at Braywick.

Keen football historians may by now be furrowing their brow at the thought of Maidenhead United not playing at York Road, and indeed the stay at Kidwells Park lasted only one season.

In November 1920 York Road was bought from owner Lord Desborough, thanks in no small part to the generosity of

Ernest Dunkels. He also helped finance the 500 seat stand opened in September 1922. The cricket club then moved out and the matter of the Magpies’ location was settled for a generation.

Post World War Two a move was again proposed. This time as part of a brand new sports complex at Braywick to celebrate the 1951 Great Exhibition. This never got beyond the drawing board but by the start of the 60s the ground was starting to hold the club back, as a run of Corinthian League titles proved to be bitter sweet success as elevation to a more senior league was denied due to poor facilities.

The construction of the Bell Street Covered terrace in the mid 60s helped the spectator experience but the 80s property boom saw eager developers beating a path to the boardroom. A project to build  stadium in Bray was floated with the destruction of the 1920s stand in an arson attack seeming to make a move at some stage inevitable.

The fact that the ground was and remains in the ownership of trustees, prevented a leave now, build later approach, which proved to be disastrous for former local rivals Wokingham Town to name but one example, However local politicians very much coveted the town centre site and serious progress was made towards a move to a Thames Water site just across the railway tracks, and then to Summerleaze.

Ominously the main stumbling block over the latter move was the local authority's refusal to grant permission for anything more than a County League set up which effectively settled the moving debate for a decade or more.

It was progress on the pitch which brought the matter to the fore again. The Magpies’ sensational 2017 National League South title season brought step one football to York Road for the first time and with the requirement to develop a stadium fit for the football league. Needless to say the plans for this required significant investment, not to mention the possibility of having to temporarily groundshare whilst the work was done.

This sparked conversations with a more biddable local authority about a move to Braywick, as part of the redevelopment of the whole town centre. An incredibly thorough plan was drawn up in conjunction with the local Athletics club to create facilities which would not only provide a state of the art football stadium but also a much needed recreational Athletics track and football pitches for the local community.

Steady progress was made clearing all the obstacles in the path of starting construction, and in 2022 a proposal to purchase the land was put forward, the final step before planning permission was applied for.

Unfortunately this was effectively the end of the project. As the local Conservative authority stagnated in the manner of its national counterpart, deadlines were missed and the putative new ruling Lib Dem led coalition started to cast aspersions about the move.

Almost as soon as they were swept into power they cancelled the Braywick project, backed by an unholy coalition of disgruntled ex Tories, Nimbys,  an egregious Rugby club chairman, and naked anti football prejudice.

A brave supporter led campaign  to overturn the decision last autumn was contemptuously overturned by the council who refused to even debate the petition backed by thousands of Maidonians.

A club now United in every sense of the word went onto secure National League football for an eighth successive season, and the recent transfer windfall from ex Magpie Max Kilman's move from Wolves to West Ham does at least offer the prospect of some redevelopment at York Road. The worry now is what will end up surrounding the ground, and what limits the residents occupying the planned neighbouring tower blocks may seek to place on the club.

Whatever happens next, the only certainty is that change continues to be a requirement for Maidenhead United FC.

 Magpie Miscellany Part 23

Dog Racing

For the last episode of this season’s Magpie Miscellany, I’m going to look at the club’s final attempt to raise money in the close season with a summer sport.

As the Magpies homed in on promotion from the Isthmian League Division Two South in 1991, the club spied an opportunity to boost revenue by launching whippet racing.

This first meeting on Friday 8th March attracted 220 spectators, one more than the official crowd for the first team match against Ruislip Manor the following day. Although more popular in the north of England, meetings in that part of the country tended to be held on Sundays which precluded betting. The York Road meetings were thought to be the only events in the south east. 

The previous Sunday the competitors had attended York Road for grading to decide their handicap. The whippets had to be registered with the kennel club with a pedigree stretching back five generations. They ran a 220 yard course around the perimeter of the pitch with a horseshoe turn at the Canal End, chasing a set of rags on a motorised rope.

On Friday nights throughout the summer York Road took on the appearance of a race track with on course bookies and even a tote, with some evenings culminating in a final between the best dogs.

This wasn’t the first time canines had trod the hallowed turf. In 1970, the club tried greyhound racing, again as a summer alternative to boost club funds.

The venture was headed up by local owner and trainer Roy Furby with the first meeting held on 30th May 1970 (pictured top). The Advertiser reporter explained: “The track, which will be grass, will encircle the pitch but because of lack of space will have to encroach on some parts of the field.” Admission was priced at four shillings which included a race card. Up to 200 spectators attended watching seven “flapping” races with Catweazle recording the fastest time of the night.

The greyhounds only lasted one summer whilst the whippets returned for two more seasons with the last meeting being held in 1993. This was the end of the York Road dog track, following the local horse racecourse at Hawthorn Hill into the pages of history. From this point on football was the only pursuit permitted at the Desborough Sports ground.

Sources:

One for Sorrow, Two for Joy, Mark Smith, 2011

Maidenhead Advertiser