Report: Magpies 3-3 Braintree

It was a point apiece at York Road as Maidenhead United drew 3-3 against Braintree Town. The visitors had a two-goal advantage before goals from Reece Smith, Shawn McCoulsky, and Tristan Abrahams gave United the lead before being pegged back late on. 

 

Alan Devonshire made three changes for the crucial clash as Alan Massey, Ricky Korboa and Sam Barratt made way for Manny Onariase, Shawn McCoulsky and Joshua Johnson. 

 

With the first chance of the game, the visitors took the lead as Matt Robinson’s glanced header looped into the far corner from Tom Blackwell’s set piece inside the opening five minutes. 

 

Braintree had the chance to make it two with barely ten minutes on the clock, Kyrell Lisbie won a couple of bounces before the ball fell into John Akinde’s path, but the forward struck straight at Craig Ross. 

 

Halfway through the opening 45, Braintree did double their lead. A defensive misjudgement presented Kyrell Lisbie with a one-on-one with Ross, which the former slotted calmly into the bottom right corner. 

 

The visitors were inches away from making it three as Marley Marshall-Miranda crashed his snapshot against the post, fortunately glancing off the outside of the upright and out of harm’s way. 

 

35 minutes gone and United thought they had pulled one back, as it looked to be that Manny Onariase was destined to score from six yards out. Everyone in the Canal End though it had crossed the line, but the only man’s decision that mattered said otherwise. 

 

With three left before the interval, Maidenhead pulled one back as Reece Smith burst in behind the Braintree defence before smashing past a helpless Henry Gray. 

 

As the first-half looked to be drawing to a calm close, John Akinde gave Will de Havilland an elbow in an aerial challenge for the ball. For this, he received his second yellow card and was given his marching orders. 

 

 

The visitors got us back underway, but they were straight under the cosh as United pushed for an equaliser, looking to capitalise on their man advantage. 

 

Braintree stood firm and sat deep for the opening affairs of the second half, happy for Maidenhead to play in front of them, while the Magpies were getting slight joy in wide areas. 

 

Welch-Hayes had the first half chance of the second period, latching on to Casey Pettit’s cross but the fullback’s header failed to trouble Gray. 

 

As we passed the hour mark, United drew level through an incredibly dangerous in-swinging corner from Tristan Abrahams. With a dozen or so bodies in the box, the ball took a touch off Shawn McCoulsky and crawled over the line. 

 

In a massive shift of momentum, two minutes later United were awarded a penalty as Louie Annersley was adjudged to be holding his man. The man causing all the chaos, Abrahams, stepped up to calmly send Gray the wrong way to give Maidenhead the lead for the first time in the game. 

 

Blackwell, who has been dangerous from set pieces, forced Ross into a massive save to prevent his free kick from flying into the top corner. From the resulting corner, a knock down fell to Jermaine Francis who shot through numerous bodies and managed to sneak it into the net, and we were level again. 

 

United came inches away from retaking the lead with five minutes to go, Nathan Ferguson slid a ball across the area, but Abrahams couldn’t quite stretch to make contact. 

 

One minute into added time Sam Barratt had a chance to nick it/ Smith’s deep cross found him at the back post, but he wasn’t ready for the ball to arrive, and the ball bounced out of play. 

 

As United continued to push and we got deeper into added time, Smith looked to have been tripped twice in the area, the first time he was honest and stayed on his feet, the second he went down but was adjudged to have dived. 

 

 

Maidenhead United: Craig Ross ©, Will de Haviland (Massey, 59’), Thierry Latty-Fairweather (Cochrane, 59’), Nathan Ferguson, Shawn McCoulsky, Joshua Johnson (Barratt, 82’), Casey Pettit, Reece Smith, Miles Welch-Hayes, Tristan Abrahams (Sho-Silva, 90’), Manny Onariase 

 

Braintree Town: Henry Gray, Jacob Pinnington (Cooper, 82’), George Langston ©, Louie Annersley, Aidan Francis-Clarke, Matt Robinson, Marley Marshall-Miranda, Tom Blackwell (Okunuwo, 90’), Kyrell Lisbie (Vennings, 66’), John Akinde, Jermaine Francis 

 

Attendance: 748