Coach plays down winning streak (Story posted 05.09.02)

VERTIGO may become a serious problem for Maidenhead United if their early season form continues at its current level.
Four wins out of six, comprising the prestigious scalps of Braintree Town, Chesham United, Billericay Town and Hayes, have lifted United into the top five in the Ryman Premier.
And, with many of the toughest matches already out of the way, the feeling is that things can only get better.
However, this leaves coach Alan Devonshire with the unusual and enviable task of trying to keep everyone’s feet on the ground.
He said: “Saturday’s game against Billericay was our best performance of the season so far.
“ I thought we were really good for the whole 90 minutes. Those are the sort of games we have lost 1-0 in the past.
“We’re playing well and I like to think we’ll get better, but only time will tell.
“There are still plenty of games to come, so I don’t want to get carried away.”
And, while he praised his players for their deserved win over Billericay, he was less flattering about Tuesday night’s 2-0 victory over local rivals and former Conference side Hayes.
Encouraged by Saturday’s victory, Devonshire decided to field the same team for Tuesday’s game.
However, after a tight first half, he was disappointed with what he considered a below par performance.
He said: “I thought we were poor in first half, for us. There were a lot of average performances out there.
“But a few things were sorted out at half-time and, after I said what I had to say, I was confident we would play better in the second half.
“We did, and we deserved the win.”
But, despite his criticisms, Devonshire did admit that his team were generally giving a good account of themselves in the league, adding: “I thought the players would take longer to bed down, but they are taking everything on board straight away
“I’m pretty pleased with them all but I think there’s more to come.
“We haven’t tapped their full potential yet.”
If current form is any guide, tomorrow’s (Saturday’s) trip to Enfield (kick-off 12.30pm) should be three points in the bag, as the Middlesex side are languishing at the foot of the table with just two points to their name.
The only thing going in their favour is that they are still undefeated at home, having held Hendon and Grays in low-scoring draws.
However, Devonshire was typically downbeat about United’s chances, saying: “There’s no easy games in this league.
“Hayes had a couple of chances last night but we got away with it. And some of the other games have been like that as well.
“Things are going well for us at the moment, but that might just be the rub of the green.”
The acid test of just how far United have come takes place on Tuesday night, when the mighty Shots roll into Maidenhead for what is always a highly-charged encounter, kick-off 7.45pm.
Aldershot hammered Braintree Town 3-0 two weeks ago, but were then held to a 1-1 draw by Premiership new boys Bishop’s Stortford on Bank Holiday Monday.
Devonshire said: “We’re looking forward to it. It’s going to be our biggest crowd of the season.
“We’re going into the game on top of our form, so it should be a good contest.”