An accomplished team performance took Maidenhead through to the next round of the FA Trophy, in doing so inflicting on their hardworking opponents Dover their first away defeat of the season.

New manager Johnson Hippolyte opted to stick with the team which had won the four previous games, and the players repaid his faith by playing entertaining football which delivered goals.  The first came in the 22^nd minute when good work from Dwain Clarke on the left saw him find Lee Newman in the penalty area.  Newman dinked the ball through to Craig O’Connor who carefully struck a half volley into the back of the net from a tight angle through two opposing players (pictured above).  Dover’s main threat came from set pieces and on 29 minutes a free kick from James Dryden went narrowly wide.  A tumultuous end to the half then really lifted the atmosphere.  Playmaker Clarke this time combined with O’Connor to put Ryan Parsons through on the left and his cross found Rob Hughes at the far post.  Hughes cut the ball back to Richard Witt just inside the penalty area, and the tall midfielder powered his shot into the back of the net to double United’s lead with his first goal for the club.  This really stung the men from Kent into action and they tore into Maidenhead from the restart.  With the half time whistle about to blow Maidenhead failed to clear a free kick and with the ball pinging around the box like a pinball Craig Wilkins kept a cool head to fire it home and reduce the deficit.  Despite this boost the half ended in unseemly fashion for Dover, when with the Maidenhead players looking on bemused, two Athletic players squared up to each other as they headed for the dressing room.

This fighting spirit translated itself into a more effective force on the field of play early in the second half, with Dover pressing hard for an equaliser.  They were unable to create a clear cut chance however and it wa Maidenhead who now began to exploit the increasing gaps in the Dover defence as they committed more men forward.  On 53 minutes Lee Newman broke through the defence but with only the keeper beat he put his shot into the side netting.  Twenty minutes later though the striker turned provider combining well with Clarke in the midfield and then unselfishly squaring the ball to the unmarked Yashwa Romeo who made no mistake with his shot.  With seven minutes left Clarke again set Romeo up.  Romeo hit the target once more only for a defender to clear the ball off the line.  With injury time about to begin Stephen Hughes came off the bench and almost capped his return with a goal when Romeo put him through, only for the tall striker’s cheeky lob to go just over the bar.  The final whistle sounded soon after to give Johnson Hippolyte the perfect start to his new job, and with United now on a hot streak of five straight wins, the perfect warm up to the big cup tie against Merthyr.

Magpies: Ramos. Smith, Parsons, Nisbet, Sterling, Hughes R (84 Allen), Witt, Osman, O'Connor (64 Romeo), Newman L (77 Hughes S), Clarke. Unused subs: Bunce, Lewington.

Goals: O’Connor 22, Witt 41, Romeo 74.  Bookings: Witt 26, Osman 27, Hughes S 89.

Magpie of the Match: Abdul Osman. Gate: 290.

Mavericks: Smith, Hamshare (71 Vallance), Rogers, Bourne, Wilkins, Humphrey, Tyne, Spiller, Dryden, Spice (60 Chase), Walker.   Unused subs: Tanner, Quinn, Wright.

Goal: Wilkins 45.