YATE TOWN 1 (1)

A delightful Ashley Smith goal gave Maidenhead a share of the spoils on Saturday in an entertaining fixture with the visitors only denied victory in the second half thanks to a sterling performance by man of the match Delroy Preddie.  With a view to Tuesday night’s FA Cup replay, Magpie boss Johnson Hippolyte again shuffled his pack to keep the players fresh, giving debuts to new signings from MK Dons Kieran Murphy and Sam Collins, and a first start for Stephen Hughes.

Yate were first out of the blocks and only a last ditch tackle by Ryan Johnson in the fifth minute denied Aidan Sims a great goal scoring opportunity.  Ashley Smith, who gave a scintillating performance on the right wing, then began to influence the play, putting through Craig O’Connor with a defence splitting pass in the tenth minute.  O’Connor was denied by a tackle from the Yate goalkeeper Tony Court, a full 30 yards out of his goal, the ball then fell loose to Smith whose shot at the open goal was cleared by a defender.

Yate took the lead in the 20^th minute when the United defence failed to deal with a cross from the right and Jason Wood fired the ball home from close range.  Within two minutes Maidenhead were level.  Smith spotted Court off his line and came up with an exquisite lob from 25 yards to float the ball into the net.  Both teams went close to adding to the score before half time, David Seal having a shot deflected wide in the 31^st minute and then with six minutes of the first period left Smith put Stephen Hughes through only for Court to block the shot.  Smith again picked up the rebound, but it was dealt with by a Yate defender once more.

In the second half Maidenhead almost took the lead when an O’Connor headed was tipped over the bar by Court  in the 52^nd minute.  Twelve minutes later it was Preddie turn to do the same at the other end from an effort by Wood.  This heralded a sustained period of pressure from the Bluebells, who repeatedly made headway down the flank, calling Preddie into regular action.  The keeper made a succession of good saved to keep United in the game and with the end in sight his performance almost paid dividends when a Hughes shot looked giving the Magpies victory only for Court to palm the ball away to safety in the 86^th minute.

Magpies: Preddie, Johnson, Parsons, Murphy, Sterling, Smith, Lee, Osman (77 Witt), Hughes S, O'Connor (68 Allen), Collins. Unused subs: Fotheringham, Bunce, Ramos.

Goal: Smith 22.  Magpie of the Match: Delroy Preddie. Gate: 248.

Bluebells: Court, Thomas, Elsey, Jenkins, Jeffries, Sims, Williams, Chenoweth, Edwards, Seal, Wood. Unused subs: Blakemore, Wyatt, Brice, Bridson, Lucas.  Goal: Wood 20.  Booking: Williams 73.