Enfield
(H) - 31/3/01|
Maidenhead
U (1) 2 |
Enfield
(0) 1
Georgiou 25 |
| A
DOUBLE blast from top scorer Lee Channell was enough to give
Maidenhead United three crucial points in their Ryman League
Premier Division crunch match against Enfield on Saturday. The Magpies, having been dragged into bottom four before the game, were also thankful to keeper Richie Barnard, who continued his fine recent form with a string of outstanding stops in the second half. Although Enfield started the match four points clear of United, they had played four more games which made the clash a genuine six-pointer. One of the oldest and best clichés in the book is that if you are in threat of relegation, make sure you beat the teams around you. A determined Magpies side led by the ever-commanding Tim Cook made sure of that. Although United still have 36 points to play for this season in their remaining 12 matches, there is no doubt this was a massive victory. The reaction of the players at the final whistle said it all. It actually started badly for the Magpies when Enfield took the lead midway through the first half. But the hosts did not panic and hit back with Channell’s 17th and 18th goals of the season, the latter delivering a knockout blow to Enfield right on half-time. Although Enfield pushed forward in the second half, they met their match in Barnard, who at just 19 is steadily improving. The day was marred for the Magpies 15 minutes from time when on-loan striker Nathan Tyson, 18, kicked out at Enfield’s Dave Reddington and was duly sent off. However United showed all their fighting qualities and held firm to secure a tense but highly important victory. United have not been in the bottom three all season, and they were not about to start now with just five weeks of the season left. They started well and early strikes at goal from Andy Morley and Barry Rake showed the York Road side meant business. Enfield came back into the match though and in the space of two minutes created three excellent openings. First Barnard was alert to parry away Reddington’s header from a free-kick. From the resultant corner the United keeper again produced a brilliant reflex save to push Matthew Bird’s fierce drive over the bar for another corner. However United and Barnard could not withstand the pressure and the third consecutive chance ended in a goal in the 25th minute. Lee Allen curled the corner in from the right and George Georgiou snuck in unmarked at the near post to nod in his first ever goal for Enfield. After their bright start United had been punished for taking their foot off the gas but they responded in style with the equaliser 11 minutes later. Wing-back Paul Woodhouse collected the ball on the right, swung in a trademark Beckham-like cross and Channell was given space to execute a superb flick header in off the far post. This relieved much of the tension which was starting to build and after going close twice, the Magpies took the lead in injury-time. A horrendous mix-up in the Enfield defence between Reddington and Shayne Chandler left Channell clean through and he coolly committed keeper Kenny Addai before slipping the ball past him into the back of the net. The second half saw Enfield come close on several occasions as United gradually sat back to protect their lead. Luckily Barnard felt it was his duty once again to save his team. First he denied Allen when clean through, Andy Morley clearing the resultant rebound off the line, then he brilliantly palmed away a Mike Rodosthenous drive, before denying Enfield once again with another tremendous block from an unmarked Allen. The visitors seemed to lose spirit when they realised they were never going to get past Barnard, and even when Tyson was dismissed - reacting badly after he had been previously roughly dealt with by the Enfield players - the away side could not create the chances to get back into the game. After a ring-rusty 3-1 defeat against Heybridge in their previous match, United boss Alan Devonshire will have been delighted with the three points. |
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| Maidenhead
United: Barnard, Woodhouse, Craker, Rake, Croxford, Hickey,
Cook, Tyson, Channell, Glynn, Morley. Subs: Ferdinand (for Rake,
64), Wiltshire (not used), Grieves (for Channell, 73). Enfield: Addai, Ayres, Soteriou, Magona, Reddington, Chandler, Bird, Jones, Allen, Georgiou, Rodosthenous. Subs: Boyce (for Soteriou, 77), Gregoriou (for Rodosthenous, 77), Peterson (for Reddington, 86). |
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