|
A Richard Pacquette goal at each end of the game wrapped up the
points for Maidenhead to give them their first home win of the season, and
complete an excellent opening week to their Blue Square South campaign.
Maidenhead got the perfect
start after no more than ninety seconds when an Ashley Smith corner from
the left was met at the far post by Pacquette who
headed the ball over the line from close range. This stung Braintree into action. Hitherto pointless
and goalless, the Iron dominated the next twenty minutes, almost equalising
straight away in identical fashion to Maidenhead’s opener. It fell to Louis Riddle to solve Braintree’s goalscoring problem, taking advantage of Tyron
Smith’s failure to deal with a crossfield
pass by picking up the loose ball and finishing well to beat Shane Gore in
the Maidenhead goal. As the half
drew on Maidenhead clawed their way back into the game and after the break
took firm control of proceedings.
However clear cut chances were few and far between, and with Braintree looking
dangerous on the break a tense struggle ensued. Maidenhead’s problems at home last
season were well documented and indeed this could well have played out in a
similarly disappointing fashion, but the 2008/09 Magpies are a much better
organised outfit, especially in defence where despite the absence through
injury of Mark Nisbet and Grant Cooper, Jermaine
Hinds slotted in effectively alongside the ever reliable Dominic Sterling. Maidenhead continued to press for the
winner and with four minutes left free kick from just beyond the left
corner of the penalty area was rolled to Pacquette
who drilled the ball into the net in thrilling fashion. The last word though fell to keeper Gore
who made an outstanding effort deep into stoppage time to save a Gareth
Williams shot which came through a forest of legs and proved to be the last
kick of the game as the referee blew for full time before Gore could even dispose
of the ball.
Magpies:
Gore, Smith T (75 Bradshaw), Bernard, Hinds, Sterling, Surey,
Smith A (75 Behzadi), Nicholls, Pacquette, Newman (78 James), Binns. Unused subs: Baddeley,
Carter. Goals: Pacquette
2, 86. Crowd: 322.
Romans: Holloway,
Burgess, Jones, Moran, Wiles, Burns (72 O’Sullivan), Shinn, Piper,
Marks (61 Williams), Grazioili (81 Bryant),
Riddle. Unused subs:Hawes, Bruce.
Goal: Riddle 16. Caution: Holloway 85.
|
