Magpies stoked by late winner (08.04.06)

A MUCH-NEEDED last-minute goal gave the relegation-doomed Magpies a morale-boosting victory at old rivals Basingstoke Town on Saturday.
With both teams struggling to find form, attempts on goal were few and far between, but the side playing with the strong westerly wind at their backs dominated each half.
For the first 45 minutes this was Basingstoke, and they came closest to opening the scoring in the 26th minute.
Giuseppe Sole swung in a free-kick from the right which was flicked on by the head of Jamie Gosling, bringing a good save from Chico Ramos.
Ten minutes later James Taylor made a penetrating run down the left wing and cut the ball back from the byline to David Ray, who flashed a shot narrowly past the wrong side of the right-hand post.
In the second half it was United’s chance to have the ascendancy, with Chris Wild testing keeper Stuart Searle within 12 minutes of the second-half restart.
Searle was less steady-handed with 15 minutes left, when he comically spilled a Dean Bradshaw long-range shot, which trickled round the post for a corner.
With the game seemingly headed for a goalless draw, United snatched victory in the last minute, when a Mark Graham cross from the left wing found Ryan Ashe at the far post.
His effort beat the keeper but agonisingly ran along the goal line, hitting the right hand post before a bungled attempt at a clearance by Taylor ended with the ball in the back of the net.
The Magpies should have doubled the lead in injury-time, when a Neville Roach cross from the right left Eric Kwakye with the goal at his mercy, only for the striker to head a point-blank effort straight at the relieved keeper, who scrambled the ball to safety.

Basingstoke Town: Searle, Molyneaux, Stamp, Bristow, Heath, Ray, Surey, Gosling, Sole, Taylor, Cook. Subs: Basualdo (for Sole, 62), Maledon (for Gosling, 64), Dolan, Beasant and Smallpiece (unused).
Maidenhead United: Ramos, Dell, Parsons, Johnson, Wild, Lewington, Graham, Kelly, Roach, Bradshaw, Kwakye. Subs: Ashe (for Lewington, 77), Osman, White, Romeo and Stevenson (unused).