Report: Magpies 1-4 Forest Green Rovers

Maidenhead United fell to a 4-1 defeat to a clinical Forest Green Rovers side on Saturday afternoon. A goal from Will de Havilland to open the scoring in the second half wasn’t enough to find United a route back into the game. 

 

After an impeccably observed minute’s silence, the visitors got us underway. It was they who would have the first chance of the game as well, but Will de Havilland slid in to block any danger to Craig Ross’ goal. 

 

A first Maidenhead chance can at the quarter of an hour mark, as Casey Pettit took the ball down well on the swivel, but his connection was just a bit to clean, and the ball sailed over the bar. 

 

Forest Green responded with a good opening three minutes later. Charlie McCann controlled on the edge of the United area before laying it off to Harvey Bunker. The latter pulled his shot across goal and narrowly passed the post. 

 

No more than 30 seconds later, the visitors were pushing forward again. This time Joe Quigley was in down the left, his low cross found Bunker in the centre of the goal with the easy task of tapping in from 6 yards out. 

 

As we reached halfway through the first-half, Rovers were pushing for a second only for Ross to deny them. Tom Knowles connected well with a volley on the edge, but United’s keeper got down smartly to his right to turn in round the post. 

 

Forest Green made it two soon after the half-hour mark, McCann picked up the ball and had option right or left, he instead chose to shoot and found the bottom corner. 

 

 

With about an hour gone, United had their first half-chance of the second half, a deep free kick from the left was just a bit too high for Shawn McCoulsky to make a proper connection. 

 

Maidenhead were edging closer to scoring as the half drew on, this time substitute Ruben Carvalho had a go. The ball sat up nicely 25 yards out for United’s number 7, but his shot bounced just passed the post and a slightly worried Jed Ward. 

 

65 minutes in United had found a way back into the game, thanks to Will de Havilland. A deep free kick was headed perfectly into the net by the central defender, out of Ward’s reach and into the top corner. 

 

Within three minutes, the visitors restored their two-goal advantage. A dangerous ball into the back post by McCann was met on the volley by Jordan Moore-Taylor, who redirected the ball into the near corner. 

 

Forest Green made it four through Teddy Jenks, the substitute looped his shot over Ross and into the far top corner. 

 

The visitors nearly made it five as Harry Cardwell pounced on some defensive miscommunication, but his low shot cannoned back off the post. 

 

 

United will look to put things right next Saturday when they travel to the VBS Community Stadium to face Sutton United. 

 

Maidenhead United: Craig Ross ©, Will de Havilland, Kevin Lokko, Thierry Latty-Fairweather (Cochrane 75’), Nathan Ferguson (Carvalho 46’), Shawn McCoulsky (Sho-Silva 75’), Kane Ferdinand, Casey Pettit, Reece Smith, Miles Welch-Hayes, Sam Barratt (Abrahams 46’) 

 

Forest Green Rovers: Jed Ward, Sean Long (Omotoye 88’), Ben Tozer, Kyle McAllister, Charlie McCann (Doidge 90’), Tom Knowles (Jenks 79’), Jordan Moore-Taylor ©, Harvey Bunker, Jamie Robson (Lavinier 86’), Adam May, Joe Quigley (Cardwell 72’) 

 

Attendance: 1,256