United ready to sign London duo (Story posted 18.04.02)

MAIDENHEAD United coach Alan Devonshire has confirmed that two new players have been lined-up for next season – and their transfers could be completed within days of the impending Berks & Bucks Cup final.
And, with three or more players expected to join the Magpies before the new season kicks-off, players who do not make the cup final squad will have serious concerns about their future with the club.
To the casual observer it is hard to see a clear divide between those who will go and those who will stay, as nearly all the players have had distinctly iffy patches during this long season.
However, the tight-lipped coach is refusing to end the speculation over next year’s line-up, only going as far as saying the two new players are from London.
One obvious problem in the current campaign has been United’s inability to keep clean sheets.
However, United’s leaky back-three usually come under pressure when the midfield is malfunctioning, so many of the team changes may prove to be purely tactical.
This certainly fits in with the experimental nature of recent games, when Devonshire has clearly been searching for a new formula. Saturday’s game at Hendon revealed a few of those tactical changes and it is now clear that the 2002 campaign will involve a major change in playing style, as well as personnel.
The main difference on Saturday seemed to be the positioning of the midfield pairing of Paul Kelly and Tom Hickey, who stayed put in front of the back-three in the first half, but began to stray wide when United came under pressure after the break, which eventually led to Hendon’s equaliser. However, Devonshire dismissed this claim, saying: “We were playing in a particular way. It wasn’t one or two players, it was the whole team.
“But I don’t want to discuss it at the moment because of the cup final.
“I think it was losing Adrian (Allen) in the second half which hindered us.”
Despite his propensity to pick up knocks, Allen is one player who looks set for another season at York Road, as Devonshire is refusing to risk his speedy striker in tomorrow’s home clash with Braintree Town, a game which offers United another chance to experiment against quality opposition.
The Essex side have been struggling in recent weeks and have failed to win in five outings, which include a 3-0 drubbing by Hendon on Tuesday night.
However, Devonshire expects a very different side to turn up for tomorrow’s (Saturday’s) game.
He said: “I think they will have their strongest side out on Saturday. We know what to expect. So it will be down to the way we play, although I will still be experimenting.”