There are good points and bad points in football, and Tuesday night was very much a case of the former as ten-man Maidenhead United held on against playoff rivals Worthing.
Ryan Peters made four changes to the starting XI which beat Maidstone as Siju Odelusi made his first start in a black and white shirt. Dillon de Silva, Asher Yearwood, and Manny Onariase also returned to starting lineup.
United had the better chances in the first half, and arguably should have gone into the interval ahead. Josh Popoola had an opportunity at the near post with 25 minutes played, forcing Taylor Seymour into a save with his feet. Dulson also tested the ‘keeper, striking on the turn towards the left corner only to be denied by the outstretched Seymour.
The best chance of the half came when Dulson found himself in a one-on-one with ten to go in the first half. The striker tried to play it underneath Seymour, who parried his shot out for a corner. Manny Onariase headed goal bound, but his effort was too high as it fired off the crossbar.
Worthing had a chance of their own shortly before the interval when Remeiro Moulton played through Sam Beard on the left. His delivery sought Callum Morton, who struck just wide from the cross.
Half-time: Worthing 0-0 Magpies
The defining moment of the second half would come when Jack Bloxham, who brandished six different cards to Maidenhead throughout the 90 minutes, gave Will de Havilland a second yellow for a cynical challenge on Moulton with 25 minutes still to go.
From thereon in, United valiantly defended the clean sheet. Jack Young’s shot flew high in the 67th minute, whereas Teddy Jenks couldn’t keep Joel Colbran’s cutback on target. Both shooters would later see their respective shots blocked by the Magpies defence.
Remarkably, Seymour came closest for the hosts in the 94th minute. The Worthing ‘keeper rose above the United defence from a corner, heading inches over the crossbar.
The unsegregated “away end” hadn’t seen much of the action for the second half, and even a corner was cheered as United sought to hold on. A late opportunity for Harry Pritchard gave a momentary hope of an unlikely winner, but it’s fair to say the visiting fans were the happiest of the 1,544 at the full-time whistle.
Full-time: Worthing 0-0 Magpies
Worthing: Seymour, Colbran ©, Cook, Ransom, Beard (Sorondo, 55’), Young (Nkrumah, 86’), Packham, Coleman de-Graft, Jenks, Moulton, Morton (Godziemski, 60’)
Magpies: van Stappershoef, Ragguette, de Havilland ©, Welch-Hayes, de Silva (Mitchell-Lawson 61’), Yearwood (Bartley, 66’), Robinson, Dulson (Umerah, 81’), Popoola (Pritchard, 86’), Odelusi, Onariase
Attendance: 1,544
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