Unbeaten Pre-Season Continues to United Defeat Wood

Maidenhead United’s unbeaten pre-season continued at York Road on Tuesday night as the Magpies beat National League opposition, Boreham Wood. 

 

Maidenhead opened their goal tally with as few as five minutes on the clock. A dangerous ball in the box was passed into a promising area by Asher Yearwood, allowing Kane Ferdinand to fire towards goal. Former Magpie Nathan Ashmore could only parry, with Josh Umerah tapping home an early lead. 

 

Much like Saturday, United doubled their advantage within minutes of their first. Harry Pritchard, this time providing an assist, lofted a volley to the back post where Manny Onariase was on hand to head the ball into the back of the net. 

 

Manny found himself in the thick of it down the other end of the pitch as Boreham Wood sought to halve the deficit. Junior Dixon worked himself into an almost certain scoring position, but a magnificent sliding challenge – met with penalty appeals from the visitors – prevented the opportunity. 

 

Jordi van Stappershoef had been left will little to do during his debut appearance at York Road, but he was swiftly called into action as the game reached the half-hour mark on Tuesday evening. Dixon’s header was met by van Stappershoef’s outreached hand, with the ‘keeper tipping the shot over the bar. 

 

There was little he could do to prevent Matt Rush’s 40th minute volley. A strange scramble around the penalty spot saw the ball come loose before it was flicked up and hammered home by the striker. 

 

 

United often struggled with set pieces throughout 2024/25, with attacking and defending them proving to be problematic. That, however, appears to have been addressed over the off-season, with Sam Barratt calmly heading home Yearwood’s corner in the 51st minute to reinstate the Magpies’ two-goal advantage. 

 

Both teams made substitutions throughout the second half, although it was Rush once again who scored for the visitors. A strike against the run of play proved unreachable for van Stappershoef, with the Wood scoring their second with 20 minutes left on the clock. 

 

An entertaining encounter saw few chances as both managers made further changes. Jordon Ragguette beat his man in the box to deny a Boreham Wood leveller with ten minutes left on the clock, while Harvey Collins fell foul of the new eight-second rule, but United defended well to see out the victory. 

 

 

Magpies: van Stappershoef (Collins, 76’), Bartley (Ragguette, 46’), de Havilland (Clerima, 46’), Trialist A (Trialist D, 57’), Yearwood, Ferdinand, Pritchard (Dundas, 76’), Umerah (Andrews, 46’), Cochrane, Barratt (Trialist C, 61’), Onariase (McMenemy, 71’)