Hale assured of hearty welcome (07.10.03)

HALE the conquering hero was the cry from United’s fans at Billericay on Tuesday night, as Lawrence Yaku’s former Northwood strike partner Steven Hale capped a fine debut performance with a sweetly struck second-half free-kick.
The Maidenhead strikers, who together tormented defences two seasons ago when playing for Northwood, immediately showed their mutual understanding, as the Magpies dominated the early exchanges. 
With just 10 minutes gone, a Ryan Ashe cross was turned towards his own goal by Russell Penn, and Jamie Dormer did well to clear off the line, although the ball fell to Craig Farley whose well struck shot rattled the bar with the keeper beaten.
Ten minutes later, Ashe again crossed well to Farley and this time his shot was brilliantly saved by Jerome John.
Not to be outdone, Nick Hart also had to show his shot-stopping skills when Marlon Patterson, easily the best of the home players, found Gary Henty with a pin-point cross, but the shot was well saved.
Hale showed his heading ability on the half hour, when he flicked on a Steve Sanders’ throw to give Ashe a chance, but his rasping shot went just over.
And minutes later, a good through ball from Kelvin McIntosh put Yaku free in space but a good smothering save from John again kept the Magpies at bay.
United kept up the pressure for the rest of the half, putting the home defence under constant pressure, while dealing admirably with the occasional break by Billericay.
The home side threatened early in the second period with two good chances. Danny Hockton was afforded a lot of space to connect with Patterson’s cross, but the Magpies’ luck held as the ball bounced against the bar and away to safety. There was a second moment of panic in the goalmouth when a Patterson corner dropped into the danger area and clattered around like a pinball before Hart finally dropped on the ball.
Maidenhead hit back yet again and Hale was unlucky not to open his account 10 minutes into the half, when a well struck shot beat the keeper but deflected wide off his trailing leg. Three minutes later the defining moments of this victory arrived, when Ashe burst through the defence only to be brought down on the edge of the box by David Reddington.
Bendon Gallen and Hale stood over the ball and, as Gallen looked to be lining up a shot, Hale took command and curled the ball round the defensive wall and just inside the far post.
Minutes later, Hale had another good opportunity with a first-time shot from a McIntosh cross, but failed to hit the target.
This was the signal for the home side to pick up the pace and they put the Maidenhead defence, missing two regular players, under considerable pressure as they went in search of an equaliser. The back four resisted most efforts and kept the home attackers at bay but were forced to concede a number of free-kicks, which always presented danger.
However, only once was a real scoring chance created, when Leon Hunter’s free-kick found Hockton in space. But again, the striker was well off target with a free header and the Magpies held on for the last few minutes to claim a well deserved, if narrow, victory.

Maidenhead United: Hart, Sanders, Connor, Ashe, Dreyer, Gallen, Renner-Thomas (Lee, 79), McIntosh, Yaku, Hale, Farley. Subs: Lee (for Renner-Thomas), Costello, Boyce, Wilson, Obe.
Billericay Town: John, Lee, Dormer, Penn, Reddington, Hunter, Henty, Shirley, Ansell, Hockton and Patterson. Subs: Jackson (for John, 45), Jones (for Henty, 85), Palmer, Ritchie, Williamson (for Shirley, 45).