Derby clash overshadowed (23.11.04)

WITH news of manager John Dreyer’s sacking spreading around the ground, few people paid much heed to what happened on the pitch at York Road on Tuesday night.
And it was probably just as well, as this turgid and almost featureless local derby clash provided very little worth watching.
Mistakes aplenty at either end saw the early chances shared between the two teams, although it was United who proved the more profligate, with Craig O’Connor and Rob Saunders wasting three decent openings in the first six minutes.
A fumble by United keeper Andy Goldman then gifted Burnham a sitter, but the defence reacted first and scrambled the ball to safety.
The game was disrupted after 14 minutes by an injury to Magpies midfielder Kelvin McIntosh, who limped off to be replaced by Daryl Elford. And, as against Bromley, within minutes of Elford’s arrival the visitors had scored, when Jeff Brown lumped the ball into the box, where it seemed to ricochet off Michael Bartley for Shane Small-King to poke home from close range.
Elford bears none of the blame, but must be thinking fate is conspiring against him.
Minutes later Paul Brett was gifted a free header from a set piece, but fortunately for United he skewed it wide of the right-hand post from an excellent position
Burnham’s lead did not last much longer, however, as O’Connor bulged the net with a thunderbolt of a shot on 24 minutes, after Simon Patterson held off a challenge before rolling the ball into his strike partner’s path.
The goal lifted the hosts, who then enjoyed their best period of the match.
However, it was Burnham who ended the half on the up, as Bartley skinned Chris Elsegood for pace, before firing woefully wide from just inside the penalty area.
If the first half had been a disappointment, it was nothing to the second, which staggered towards its conclusion like a drunk on ice.
The highlights, such as they were, saw Barrie Matthews fire a good strike straight into Steve Smith’s arms from a free-kick, shortly followed by Bartley heading wide from a Small-King free-kick, when it seemed easier to score.
On 67 minutes Brendan Gallen finally put the game out of its misery following a run to the byline by Matthews, who pulled the ball back for Gallen to blast home. However, the Blues refused to give it up for dead and pushed forward in the dying stages to give United a few late scares.
The closest they came to a Lazarus-style revival came on 80 minutes, when Roger Emms sent a good header goalwards from a set piece, forcing Saunders to clear the ball off the line.
Burnham substitute Darly Jones then caused chaos in the Magpies defence with a string of late corners.
The first saw Bartley miscue an apparent sitter, the second saw Goldman drop the ball before reclaiming it, while the third required a joint effort by at least three Maidenhead defenders to smother Brett’s shot from the edge of the box.
Having finally cleared the danger, United went close to sealing it in the final minutes, when O’Connor burst free, only to hit his shot into the keeper’s body from a few yards out.
The final whistle blew seconds later, bringing a dull clash between a typically rugged midtable Southern League Division 1 side and a struggling Conference South outfit to a welcome end.
Maidenhead now host Milton Keynes Dons in the quarter-finals.

RIGHT: Bryan Smith takes evasive action as Rob Paris and his Burnham marker leap for the ball. Ref:87171/17