“It felt unreal, to be honest.”
Those were the words of Josh Popoola – scorer of Saturday’s winner in our 2-1 victory over Chelmsford – when describing his 92nd minute goal in front of the Bell Street End.
Popoola began his career rising through Watford and later Bournemouth’s academy programmes. Upon joining Stockport County in the summer 2023, the 21-year-old enjoyed loan spells with Spennymoor, Chorley, and Warrington. A move back down south saw him play for Hitchin Town and Tonbridge Angels, with a year at Buxton before joining United over the summer.
It’s been a prolific start for the winger, who already has three goals and four assists to his name. The most recent, of course, was last Saturday.
“The ball came in from Liam Dulson onto Corie [Andrews],” Popoola explained. “Corie's headed it back across. I'm like… I just wanted to make contact with the ball, so I've tried to overhead kick it and the defender has come across and blocked it, and then luckily the ball was just right next to me, so I managed to get up and just toe poke it into the near post and it felt unreal, to be honest.
“This team, we always go into games wanting to win, so it was good that we didn't want to settle for a draw, especially at home. So to get that winner was special.”
Popoola came to Maidenhead after appearing as a trialist in four pre-season friendlies, initially playing as a winger. Popoola signed on Saturday 26th July, just two weeks before the season began.
“It's brilliant,” the 21-year-old said about life at Maidenhead United. “A lot of the lads have welcomed me, and I've settled down quickly. I’m enjoying my time here.”
Although he has traditionally played as a winger, Popoola’s role within the squad has seen him move into a number ten role – allowing him to create opportunities as well as convert them.
“The gaffer has asked me to play in the ten. It’s not a position that I'm really used to; I have played there before, but it's not my main position,” Popoola said. “But the coaching staff has helped me a lot in terms of what they want me to do in that position and I'm finding that great in there.”
Popoola’s tied with Liam Dulson for the MUFC Golden Boot on three goals, leading Will de Havilland (2), Josh Umerah (2), Remy Clerima (1) and Jayden Mitchell-Lawson (1). It’s an impressive start, and Popoola remains adamant that this is only the beginning.
“There's definitely more to come, but we're taking it step by step,” he explained. “I'm happy with the involvement I've had with this team, but step by step I'm going to keep on building and just show the fans what I've got to offer.”
Popoola doesn’t have long to wait for his next chance to showcase his talent in front of the York Road faithful, with Faversham Town coming to Berkshire for an Emirates FA Cup Second Qualifying Round on Saturday.
“Yeah, looking forward to it. I mean, it's always good to get a good cup run going,” said Popoola. “But we don't even think about that. It's one game at a time. Just win as many games as possible. But yeah, it'll be good to have a good FA cup run for the lads.”
And on the atmosphere within in the squad? “It's buzzing,” he answered. “Four wins back-to-back. We’re in a good place right now, so the vibes are right. We’re just going to go into the game and do what we do best.”
Tickets for Saturday’s FA Cup tie are available on our ticketing portal, with reduced admission fees for all supporters. Beat the queues and buy yours online via the link below.
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