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A Lee Newman double saw Maidenhead turn over an early
deficit and run out winners at Bromley, the Magpies’ first opening
day win for five years.
With the game taking place in distinctly unseasonable
rain, both sides showed how much they had been itching to get into
competition by trading blows for the first twenty minutes in an exciting
opening period.
It was Newman who came closest to opening the scoring
as early as the fourth minute when he collected a pass and ran clear of the
defence only for his shot to go inches wide of the post.
Two minutes later the Ravens took the lead from a set
piece. A Louis Fazakerley
free kick from the right wing just outside the box sailed home beyond the
despairing dive of United keeper Shane Gore.
With both teams looking like scoring every time they
attacked, Maidenhead’s equaliser was not slow in coming, and again it
was from a set piece. This time a
twelfth minute Ashley Smith corner from the left sailed over to the far
post when Grant Cooper rose unchallenged to head the ball down to Richard Pacquette. Pacquette struck the ball goalwards
where Newman was handily placed to apply the finishing touch to put the
ball over the line.
Ten minutes later Pacquette
was unlucky not to put Maidenhead in front with a header that went narrowly
wide, but after this frenetic opening spell, the game calmed down into a
tough midfield battle, the score remaining fairly poised at 1-1 at half
time.
After the break, despite Grant Cooper having to hobble
off in the 49th minute, Maidenhead slowly took control of the game,
patiently cranking up the pressure on the Ravens defence. United served notice on the Bromley goal
when a superb Dale Binns cross confounded
everyone in the penalty area just shy of the hour mark. The winner shortly followed from the
penalty spot. Picking up a deft
flick from Ashley Nicholls, an Ashley Smith ball was handled by Steve
Clark, Newman making no mistake with the spot kick.
Bromley worked hard to get back into the game and
Warren McBean found himself with a half chance on
more than one occasion only for Dominic Sterling and Shane Gore to tidy up
the danger. Indeed it was Maidenhead
who came closest to a further goal, Pacquette
spurning a good opportunity in the final minute.
Ravens:
Williams, I’Anson, Haverson
(78 Obaze), Toppin,
Clark, Gillman, Joseph, Murray (78 McBean), Hockton, McDonnell, Fazakerley. Unused subs: Davis, Manning, May.
Goal: Fazakerley 6.
Cautions: Murray 74, Williams 89.
Magpies:
Gore, Smith T, Bernard, Hinds, Sterling,
Cooper (49 Nisbet), Smith A (84 Bradshaw),
Nicholls, Pacquette, Newman (79 Surey), Binns.
Unused subs: James, Behzadi.
Crowd: 438.
Goal: Newman 12 & 65 (pen).
Caution: Sterling
30.
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