Magpies Ensure Silence Of The Lambs

Maidenhead United breathed potentially new life into their season with a much-needed and well deserved victory over an in-form Tamworth side. 

 

Alan Devonshire had been forced into a major change due to goalkeeping injuries which gave new signing Sam Howes a debut. Brendan Kiernan was also reinstated to the starting line-up. 

 

The first twenty minutes were dominated by Maidenhead. Inside the first five minutes Nathan Ferguson’s through ball sent Reece Smith away and his early shot was deflected behind. Brendan Kiernan then stole the ball off the toes of Munashire Sundire but Shawn McCoulsky could only screw his shot wide. The lively Smith then saw a dangerous cross just evade the forehead of Kiernan at the far post and there was a glorious opportunity minutes later when Reece took the ball away from the full back and whipped in another delicious centre only for Kiernan to steer the ball over the bar on the stretch inside the six yard box. 

 

A goal was coming and it duly arrived midway through the half. Predictably Smith was involved in the opener. His well-weighted pass gave Kiernan a chance to send the ball in from the right and there was McCoulsky to bundle the ball home at the near post. The visitors to their credit worked their way back into the match, mainly through the dangerous long throw of Tom Tonks. Kennedy Digie – later cautioned for a foul on the marauding McCoulsky - nodded the ball wide from close range at the end of a Tonks toss into danger just minutes after Ben Milnes had struck the frame of Sam Howes goal from a free-kick. 

 

 

United started the second half well and some early pressure led to a Ferguson ball into the box being nodded behind by a hard-working Tamworth defence. The mood set, Maidenhead doubled their lead seven minutes into the second period. The Magpies broke at pace and McCoulsky swept a cross shot across goal which snuck in past Singh at the far post with Kiernan claiming a touch. Certainly the Magpies midfielder’s intervention wrong-footed the Lambs ‘keeper. 

 

Tamworth to their credit hit back. Callum Cockerel-Mollett will feel he should have done better with a headed opportunity off target from a corner and before the hour Ben Milnes nodded against the crossbar at the far post following a dangerous cross from the right. Smith cut in and shot wide as United threatened on the break but the Magpies winger made an unfortunate intervention in his own area inside the final fifteen minutes, an obvious penalty given by referee Mr Watkins and dispatched by Milnes to thwart Howes hopes of a debut clean sheet. 

 

Thereafter Maidenhead stood firm. Remy Clerima sliced a half chance well wide and the game was sewn up in injury time when substitute Sam Barratt’s persistence on the edge of the box saw the ball break for Joshua Johnson to thrash home a game-clinching third. The majority of the 1,034 crowd almost have another goal to acclaim in time added on but Singh saved well from Johnson after a cut back from substitute Welch-Hayes. 

 

 

Magpies: Howes, De Havilland, Latty-Fairweather, Fergsuon (sub Johnson ’64), McCoulsky (sub Sho-Silva ’90), Ferdinand, Pettit, Smith (sub Welch-Hayes ’90), Clerima, Kiernan (sub Barratt ’85), Onariase. Subs not used: Cochrane, Abrahams, Massey 

 

Tamworth: Singh, Crompton (sub Waldron ’62), Digie, Hollis, Cockerell-Mollett, Milnes, Tonks, Sundire (sub Curley ’62), Maher (sub Williams ’71), Creaney, McGlinchey (sub Enoru ’71). Subs not used: Fairlamb, Raikhy, Ponticelli. 

 

Attendance: 1,034