Despite the dream of a successful playoff run, Wednesday night’s defeat to Dorking Wanderers saw our 2025/26 campaign come to an end.
Yet, in spite of the disappointment that it just wasn’t to be, I can look back on this season – the 20th since Una and I took over the club – filled with optimism for the future.
It’s a cliché to say it was a rollercoaster campaign, and one which saw a change in the dugout midway through the season. Alan Devonshire was an exceptional stalwart for Maidenhead United, and his philosophy helped grow the club exponentially over his decade in charge. We were averaging crowds of just under 400 when Dev took charge – a figure we surpassed in the away end alone at Meadowbank.
When one door closes, another one opens, and it is fitting to pay tribute to the exceptional work of Ryan Peters since his appointment in December. As you’ll often see in his post-match interviews, Ryan is a fantastic ambassador for our club, and his tactical insight, backed by a magnificent coaching team, propelled us from the lower half of the table into a playoff place which, at one stage, seemed a near-impossibility.
Off the pitch, we’ve seen our ambitions to relocate move in the right direction. Since we announced our plans just before Christmas, the response and reaction from supporters and the wider community has been overwhelmingly positive. Tuesday night’s Cabinet decision was a positive step forward. Nevertheless, we are aware that there is much more to do before we can one day move to a new home at Braywick Park, and we are working hard to ensure the prospect of relocation soon becomes a reality.
There is so much to be proud of at Maidenhead United, and our women’s team is certainly worth such praise following their best ever league finish in 2025/26. That growth and onward progress is reflected across the club, with our impact on all members of the community, of any age or any gender, increasing year on year. Along with the continued growth of the CALM partnership, sparking conversations and engagement with those who need it most, Maidenhead United has transitioned from a football club into a vital community asset.
Even though our season came to a conclusion on Wednesday, work is well underway for the 2026/27 campaign, and we look forward to challenging for promotion back to the National League ten years on from our title-winning campaign. The memories of that unforgettable season will live with all of us for the rest of our lives, and everyone at the club is working tirelessly to ensure that we can relive those wonderful moments in the season to come.
There’s one thing that will stay with me from Wednesday night’s match. Even when the writing was on the wall, you supported us right through to the very end. It epitomises what makes this club so great; even in the face of defeat, “Black and White Army” rang out from the away terrace right up until the final whistle, and only ceased when our players and staff received their deserved appreciation.
Your support is what makes this club so special. It isn’t always easy, but you stick with us, without fail, through the good times and the bad. It means a tremendous amount to so many of us, and without it we wouldn’t be where we are today.
Thank you to everyone who has supported the club over the past 12 months, and I hope you will be joining us for another chapter in our 156-year history next season.
Peter Griffin, Chairman
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