TWO great goals, two missed penalties and not a lot else just about sums up Maidenhead United’s victory over relegation-threatened Aylesbury United, at York Road on Saturday.
In a truly dreadful opening period, the entire game was compressed into midfield, with neither side capable of mounting a meaningful attack, as pass after pass went distressingly astray.
However, with the crowd beginning to give up hope, recent returnee Richard O’Connor finally sparked the game into life on 25 minutes, when he forced Ducks keeper Lee Worgan to concede a corner with a snap-shot from the edge of the box. O’Connor curled the resulting corner-kick to the unmarked Andy Cook at the far post, whose downward header foxed two defenders to find the back of the net.
Almost from the restart, play broke to the other end, where Richard Barnard made a brave save to deny Chris Bangura from close range, only to see the ball ricochet up and hit Brian Connor on the arm, as he attempted to clear the loose ball. To the neutral it appeared to be ball-to-hand, but the travelling fans made a loud appeal and the referee obediently pointed to the spot. Justice was done, however, as the hapless Joe Baker scuffed his shot well wide of the left-hand post.
Thankful for the let-off, United immediately rubbed salt into the Ducks’ wounds by breaking away and scoring their second goal of the game, with O’Connor again at the heart of the action.
Finding himself in space out wide on the right, the midfielder attempted an audacious shot from a full 40 yards, which beat the surprised keeper but not the woodwork.
Fortunately, the lurking Joe Nartey collected the rebound off the foot of the post and slammed it into the roof of the net. The defences got on top after that, with very few chances at either end, although Barnard had to be on his toes to snuff out two late forays by the otherwise impotent guests.
In a largely uneventful second half, Peter Hinks forced Barnard to turn a hooked shot over the top on 60 minutes, Ryan Ashe missed from the penalty spot five minutes later, and Ducks substitute Kezie Ibe blazed high over the bar from six yards out shortly after that.
With neither side really threatening, a 2-0 victory for the Magpies seemed the likely outcome.
However, with the game in its 96th minute, slack marking allowed Ducks’ substitute Adam Campion to score with a close-range header, adding a modicum of respectability to an otherwise undistinguished performance.

Maidenhead United: Barnard, Boyce, Connor, Cook, Durrant, Jeffrey, O’Connor, Yaku, Nartey, Ashe, Ulasi. Subs: Coppard, Allen (for Nartey, 83), Keywood, Channell (for Yaku, 70), Morley.
Aylesbury United: Worgan, Dicker, Stanley, Gordon, Ifura, Hunter, Plummer, Manuella, Hinks, Bangura, Baker. Subs: Maskell, Gell (for Hinks, 83), Campion (for Baker, 59), Ibe (for Hunter, 73), Boothe.