Magpies up-beat after Canvey defeat

DESPITE losing 2-0 to Canvey Island on Tuesday night, Magpies manager Alan Devonshire has praised his side's performance against 'the best team in the league'.
And, while admiring the Essex side's slick movement and professionalism, Devonshire thought his boys could have nicked a point.
Starting the game with an injury list which included Tim Cook, Steve Croxford, Barry Rake and Paul Kelly, the game was never going to be an easy one.
Canvey Island are having a terrific season and could go top of the league if they beat mid-table Basingstoke on Saturday.
More impressive still is their scoring record, having notched up 39 goals in just 14 outings – almost three a game. So it came as no surprise when they took the lead in the opening few minutes of Tuesday's clash.
However, they had to rely on a second half penalty to seal the win, explaining why Devonshire was so generous with his praise.
He said: "Canvey are the best team in the league, no doubt about it. But there were a lot of good performances from our lads out there. I was very pleased. There were lots of positives, which isn't normally the case after a 2-0 defeat.
"I don't think the scoreline really reflected the balance of play. We played very well at times. I think we dealt with them pretty well."
Maidenhead lost 1-0 in the same fixture last year, but Devonshire attributed the
2-0 result to Canvey's improvement rather than Maidenhead's decline.
He said: "We played a lot better this time.
"We caused them lots of problems and last year we didn't. The corner count was eight each so we were creating chances."
A long injury list did enforce some dramatic team changes, not least at the back, where midfielder Jamie Jarvis stood in for the injured skipper Tim Cook.
Devonshire said:"They got a scrappy first goal and we could have got back into it. But it was their second goal that killed us off.
"It was a penalty, which was down to Ferdy (Chris Ferdinand), and I was very disappointed. It ended the game."
However, it is United's abysmal scoring record which is hampering their progress in the league.
Barry Rake and Matt Glynn are out injured, but with Lee Channell, Ricky Ibe, Paul Scott, Adrian Allen, Jamie Jarvis and Dominic Polisano all capable of playing up front, the goal drought is something of a mystery.
Adrian Allen seems to be the in-form player, but is prone to picking up knocks.
Devonshire said: "Okay, we're not scoring goals at the moment but that's not just down to the strikers. It's down to the creativity in midfield as well."
Tomorrow the Magpies welcome Hendon to York Road, who lost 3-1 to Hitchin on Tuesday, giving the Magpies some room for optimism.
Devonshire said: "It's going to be a hard game. They're a big name club and it will be tough.
"After Hitchin and Croydon I want to get back to some decent performances."
Kick-off is at 3pm.