Winning run takes a break at Thurrock Hotel (20.09.03)

MAIDENHEAD United’s recent run of good form came to a disappointing end at the Thurrock Hotel on Saturday, a ground where the Magpies have never been victorious.
Right from the start, Thurrock – formerly known as Purfleet – showed their intent to play a very direct style of football, with long balls out of defence towards tall and fast forwards.
Consequently, the Maidenhead defence was under constant pressure.
After just two minutes, Kris Lee latched on to a long ball and set up the league’s top scorer Cliff Akurang but Nick Hart pulled off a good save to deny the striker.
Minutes later, Hart again had to react quickly to snatch the ball off Martyn Lawrence’s head, following a good cross by Terry Bowes.
Maidenhead then produced their best spell of the match, showing their hosts that good passing football can work.
Ryan Ashe and Phil Gray exchanged passes to allow Ashe a chance of goal, but his shot was deflected for a corner.
But the best chance to open the scoring fell to Gray on 20 minutes, when he latched on to a pin-point pass from Mark Boyce but blasted the shot well over the bar.
Maidenhead continued to press and Yaku went very close with a spectacular overhead kick, after Farley’s initial shot was blocked.
On the half hour, Gray was again guilty of wasting a perfect chance, when a poor defensive header by Meah fell invitingly to his feet on the edge of the area, but the ball sailed high and wide again.
Thurrock continued to play the long ball and the tactic almost paid off 10 minutes from the break, when Lawrence hit a speculative long shot which went inches over the bar.
The half ended with another Thurrock chance, when Lee again set up Lawrence.
But, as he homed in on goal, Hart was quickly off his line to make a brave save at the striker’s feet.
The second period saw the home side again exploiting the long ball and keeping the pressure on the Magpies defence.
Hart once more showed his shot-stopping skills to deny Akurang in the first minute, but the striker did not have to wait too long to claim the inevitable first goal.
A Collis corner was only partly cleared and was put back in the danger zone by Meah, where Akurang pounced to turn the ball home from close range for his ninth goal of the season.
Maidenhead also tried the long ball tactic but only found centre backs Basham and McFarlane, who cleared most efforts with consummate ease.
After 67 minutes, another long clearance found Akurang in space on the right and he showed the sparse crowd just why he is one of the most dangerous strikers in the league, dancing through a rather static defence before placing the ball well wide of Hart.
Steve Sanders was then replaced by Kelvin McIntosh, who had worked out from the bench that the only way to trouble the Thurrock defence was to run at them. This he did to great effect on 72 minutes, beating three players before being scythed down in the box by Goodfellow, who certainly did not live up to his name.
The resulting penalty was stroked home from the spot by Martyn Lee.
Maidenhead then went in search of an equaliser but never really came close, while, at the other end, Thurrock continued to stretch the defence.
With two minutes to go, Akurang broke through and looked certain to complete his hat-trick, but was denied by a superb tackle by Connor tracking back.
But the Thurrock pressure finally paid off in the last minute, when a Lawrence chip over the defence left left Hart exposed, whose rushed clearance was blocked by Allen and chipped back over his head into the unguarded net.

Maidenhead United: Hart, Sanders, Connor, Ashe, Durrant, Gallen, Boyce, Gray, Yaku, Lee and Farley. Subs: McIntosh (for Sanders, 69), Dreyer, Paxton, Wilson, Currie (for Durrant, 69)
Thurrock: Gothard, Basham, Goodfellow, Collis, McFarlane, Bowes, Meah, Heffer, Lee, Lawrence, Akurang. Subs: Allen (for Bowes, 62), Howard (for Meah, 75), Broom (for Lee, 82).