Report: Town Tackle Magpies in 1-0 Defeat

Maidenhead United were denied not one, but two penalty appeals for handball on the way to a 1-0 defeat at Chippenham Town. 

 

Ryan Peters made three changes to Tuesday's starting XI, with Harry Pritchard making his first Maidenhead United start in 2,863 days. He was joined by Ryan Bartley and Owen Cochrane in returning to the starting lineup. 

 

United got the game underway playing up the slope, and had the first chance within three minutes. Will de Havilland headed a free kick upwards for Josh Umerah to head towards goal, but the striker couldn't keep his effort on target. 

 

Bottom of the league Chippenham had caused upsets in recent weeks, and their early chances showed why. de Havilland put his body in the way of two big blocks, while Jordi van Stappershoef did well to save Sol Wanjau-Smith's strike following a preventable counterattack. 

 

The hosts had been the more proactive side in the first half, and it came as little surprise when they earned themselves a penalty with a quarter of the game gone. Ex-Magpie Harry Parsons went to ground contesting a long throw-in, but soon picked himself up to slam his spot kick into the roof of the net. 

 

A flat first half petered out with little action in front of the travelling faithful, with Chippenham's few chances the building behind the terrace. 

 

 

United were slightly improved for the second half, even if their few efforts on goal proved unsuccessful. Manny Onariase headed slightly wide from a Josh Popoola delivery, while substitute Matt Robinson’s impact was almost instantaneous as his shot in the 79th minute drifted just a foot wide of the far post. 

 

The two talking points in a rather uninspiring game involved handballs from former Magpie Freddie Grant, the first of which occurred with a quarter of an hour still to play. Grant’s solution to a dangerous situation in the box effectively saw him go to ground with the ball underneath him, clutching his head as the ball rattled his arms. The theatrics continued ten minutes later, as Grant blocked a shot from Alfie Pendlebury with a good diving save to once again go down holding his head. 

 

A last-minute equaliser somehow bounced over the bar as de Havilland delivered a cross. Onariase headed downwards, but the ball took a larger than expected bounce behind the posts in United’s last chance of the game. 

 

 

Chippenham: Henry, Grant, Haines ©, Scott (Phillips, 77’), Parsons, Koszela, Bradbury, Fleet, King, Chukwu, Wanjau-Smith (Colwell, 58’) 

 

Magpies: van Stappershoef, Bartley, de Havilland, de Silva (Pendlebury, 60’), Yearwood (Eubank, 68’), Mitchell-Lawson (Popoola, 46’), Pritchard (Robinson, 77’), Umerah, Dulson, Cochrane, Clerima 

 

Attendance: 725