It was a five-star performance from Maidenhead United on Sunday afternoon as they returned to winning form with a York Road victory over a spirited Portishead Town side who are in desperate need of points to remain in the FAWNL.
On balance, the Magpies – who earned a precious point on the road in midweek at Abingdon United as they endeavour to secure a top half finish in Tier 4 for the first time ever - perhaps played their better football in the second half of this Division 1 South West match but there were good moments in the first half too. A flowing move early on involving Katie Vince and Lyndsey Preston found Aaliyah Charles whose ball around the corner found top-scorer Izzy Stockton just outside the box who fed Megan Harper who was denied by Posset goalkeeper Abi Footner at the near post. The away side looked threatening particularly through forward Kimmi Tanner-Joyce but United edged in front just before the half hour as Charley Evans nudged home a Katie Akerman corner (pictured) for her first goal in Maidenhead colours.
The second strike crucially came early in the second half from another Akerman corner which she later admitted had been under hit to the near post where crucially the alert Megan Harper flicked the ball right footed to loop home a goal over the head of Footner and the visiting defenders in attendance. United nearly added a third shortly afterwards when Chloe Chapman fed Stockton who turned on a sixpence but saw her shot well saved by Footner, who parried the effort as far as Preston whose shot on the rebound was straight at the Portishead ‘keeper.
There were a key couple of minutes just before the hour mark which swung this match firmly into Maidenhead’s favour. Firstly, a through ball from the excellent Alanna Torrington for Portishead saw Magpies ‘keeper Kenny Clarke forced to race off her line to clear the ball, and her firm kick rebounded off the face of the luckless Evans – who was dazed and had to be replaced – with the rebound just going the wrong side of the post as far as the visitors were concerned. From the resultant corner Chelsea Heal’s imperious header beat Clarke but also the far post. A let off for the Magpies, and their luck was in again with the very next attack – a clearance from Nathalie Zajaczkowski struck her own player, the ball kindly falling for Chloe Webb, whose delicious cross was slid home right-footed by Stockton for her sixteenth goal of the season.
The fourth goal came just five minutes later when captain Akerman spread the play for the dangerous Preston to whip in a delightful cross to the far post where the unfortunate Portishead defender Adele Brown sent the ball with her head past Footner. Akerman then struck the crossbar with a dipping effort from range and the final Magpies goal in the 88th minute was a joy to behold. Substitute Emily McMaster chested down a loose ball and then played a delightful pass with the outside of her right foot into the path of fellow substitute Simone O’Brien who controlled the ball and sent an intelligent overhead pass for Webb to send a cross in to the near post which was cleverly flicked towards goal by Stockton who was denied by Footner only for Preston to claim a richly deserved goal with a simple first time left footed finish into the back of the net.
United now travel to Fleet Town in the last sixteen of the Combined Counties League Cup on Wednesday night before Sunday’s long FAWNL trip to Marine Academy Plymouth next Sunday.
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