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Any hope that the FA Trophy
could provide some relief from the recent slump in home league form was
quickly dashed in a humiliating 4-2 defeat by Southern League Division One
Midland Chesham United.
Buoyed up by a terrific away
support Chesham took the early initiative, the lightning pace of Darrell
Cox regularly worrying the Maidenhead defence. Just when it looked like the Magpies had
weathered the early storm though; the Generals took the lead in farcical
circumstances.
A cross from the right by Josh
Cooper was headed goalward at the near post by
Maidenhead defender Mark Nisbet. Goalkeeper Steve Smith managed to deflect
the ball onto the post but the rebound fell kindly to Cox who converted
from close range in the 19th minute.
Maidenhead then began to look
like the senior team for the rest of the first half, striking back in the
27th minute when a Dale Binns cross
from the right was met by an unchallenged Rocky Baptiste
at the far post, who calmly headed the ball home.
With Maidenhead manager
Johnson Hippolyte sending his team out early from
the half time break it was evident that he expected a much improved
performance in the second half but with less than a minute gone after the
kick off his plans were in tatters.
From the restart Chesham launched
another Cooper directed attack, finding Cox with a well judged long
pass. As the striker went clear into
the penalty area, Maidenhead captain Dominic Sterling clipped his
heels. Sterling received a red card for this
indiscretion. The damage was compounded when former Magpie Danny Burnell stepped up to convert the penalty kick.
Needing a goal to get back
into the tie, Hippolyte gambled by leaving three
in defence, eventually removing left back Narada
Bernard in favour of the more centrally positioned Jermaine Hind. This gamble backfired almost immediately
when Jack Kyriacou exploited the newly created
gap to collect the ball and go onto hit an excellent finish to double Chesham’s
lead.
As the game drew to a close
Maidenhead refused to give and with Chesham sitting back on their lead,
began to apply pressure on the General’s penalty area. This bore fruit with eight minutes
remaining when good work by Lee Newman and Manny Williams on the left
helped the ball through to Ben Surey who coolly
set himself to shoot and halve the deficit.
As the game drifted into
stoppage time Maidenhead continued to push for a scarcely deserved
equaliser and the match was finally decided in the 94th minute. Newman cut into the right side of the
penalty area, but as he attempted to take the ball past the defender, he
was tackled; the defender making sure Newman would not pass by flailing a
hand at the ball. With the referee
waving away claims for a penalty, Chesham swiftly counter attacked, Burnell setting up Cox to hit his second and settle the
tie.
Magpies: Smith S, Behzadi, Bernard
(57 Nicholls), Surey, Sterling, Nisbet,
Smith A, Hinds, Williams, Baptiste (63 Newman), Binns.
Unused subs: Smith T, Clarke,
Carter.
Goals: Baptiste
27, Surey 83.
Cautions: Nicholls 69, Binns 86.
Dismissal: Sterling 46.
Crowd: 256.
Generals: Underwood, Lambert, Ledger, Keepence,
Kyriacou, Talbot, Fotheringham,
Cooper (72 Cotton), Burnell, Cox, Marsala
(Cawley 77).
Unused subs: Chemlal, Howell, Turner.
Goals: Cox 19&90+4, Burnell 47 pen, Kyriacou 59.
Caution: Ledger 52.
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