IT WAS a tale of two halves at York Road on Tuesday night, as United finally overcame Division 3 stragglers Flackwell Heath to emerge comfortable 3-0 winners in this Berks & Bucks clash.
However, the abiding memories of this game will be the spirited resistance from a team almost 80 places below United in the Ryman League – and the hit and miss brilliance of United’s Rickey Ibe.
That said, the rain soaked surface was lucky to see any football at all, as the heavens opened in the hour leading up to kick-off, leaving greasy, treacherous patches all over the pitch.
Not the usual fare for Premier matches, but certainly helpful to the Heathens, whose players were reported to have asked ‘What’s that green stuff’ when they stepped out at York Road.
However, it was United who started the brighter, launching themselves forward, as Flackwell struggled to gain possession.
That said, it was Heathen’s striker Rino Sepede who got first sight of goal, hitting a low shot on five minutes, which Richard Barnard did well to smother.
The effort seemed to lift the visitors and they were soon camped-out in United’s half, looking to grab an unlikely lead.
On eight minutes Greg Murphy cut in from the right and forced Barnard into another good save at his near post, repeating the trick a minute later.
Maidenhead were starting to buckle, but finally found an escape route on 16 minutes, Chris Ferdinand’s through ball putting Adrian Allen clean through on goal.
Rounding the keeper, Allen squared the ball to the advancing Ibe, who simply could not miss from two yards out.
Flackwell were still holding their own, dominating possession with a tidy short passing game and causing the odd panic in United’s defence with some lovely deep diagonal balls into the box.
United, for their part, were hitting Flackwell on the break, Ibe netting again on 24 minutes only to have his effort ruled out.
Allen then missed the target from 10 yards, after Ibe had robbed the defender and squared the ball into his path.
However, Flackwell ended the half the stronger, denied by an off-the-line clearance from Andy Rose and then forcing Barnard to drop the ball inside his own six-yard box.
United survived the scare and, three minutes after the break, Adrian Allen doubled the lead when he latched on to Ibe’s through ball and steered it past Chris Tullett.
There was no way back for Flackwell and as the half progressed fitness became the deciding factor, as United ran the legs of their visitors and took control of the game.
Ibe could, and should, have had a second half hat-trick.
On 59 minutes he hit the post from close range, then drilled the rebound straight at Tullett’s legs, later missing an open goal from five yards.
He then ran too wide when one-on-one with Tullett, only salvaging his pride by retrieving the ball and setting up a wicked shot from Carl Levene, which rattled the cross bar.
Flackwell were rocking and were only managing the odd foray into United’s half, Rob Anson drawing a finger-tip save from Barnard from a free-kick in one attack.
But Ibe was not finished yet, robbing a defender and smashing the return ball into the top corner on 80 minutes to wrap it up for United.

Maidenhead United: Barnard, Rose, Connor, Ferdinand, Jarvis, Jeffrey, Levene, Allen, Ibe, Rake, Ulasi. Subs: McConigley (for Ulasi, 70), Morley (for Ferdinand, 80), Saunders, Hickey (for Allen, 66), Hart.
Flackwell Heath: Tullett, Cox, Jamil, Green, Elliott, Heywood, Neptune, Anson, Murphy, Sepede, Eaton. Subs: Ramsay (for Heywood, 70), Frith (for Eaton 66), Shone (for Neptune 80).