Clevedon Town (2) 5

THE Magpies’ eight-game unbeaten run ended in dramatic fashion at York Road on Saturday, as league stragglers Clevedon Town claimed their first away points of the season in a five-goal whitewash.
In a very one-sided first half, United looked a class apart in every department but one.
Crucially, that was in the goal-scoring department, as a string of fine saves from Town keeper Danny Greaves and the woodwork thwarted United’s attacking ambitions.
Telling misses from Craig O’Connor (3) , Yashwa Romeo (2) Abdul Osman (2) and Richard Witt completed the story, as it gradually became clear it was not to be United’s day.
Just to prove the point, Town landed a classic counter-punch on 36 minutes, when a seemingly innocuous long-ball was allowed to bounce in the box.
With the defence ball-watching, Pitcher darted in and lifted the loose ball over Ramos into the back of the net.
A minute later it was 2-0, when Pitcher beat two defenders before picking out Sheppard, who drilled a low shot into the bottom corner.
Things almost got worse for the Magpies on the stroke of half-time, when Sheppard slammed a powerful header against the upright.
But United still had time to waste another gilt-edged opportunity, when Romeo was dispossessed by Greaves, just as he prepared to tap the ball into an empty net.
Desperate for a first home win of the season, United manager Carl Taylor switched formations at half-time, with Lee Newman joining O’Connor and Romeo in the forward line.
Unfortunately the tactic backfired, as Clevedon repeatedly breached United’s now paper-thin defence and racked-up three further goals, courtesy of Pitcher, Leon Hapgood and late substitute Tom Jacobs. The first arrived on 63 minutes, when Hapgood’s corner was put back into the danger area by Scott Hendy, allowing the unmarked Pitcher to complete his brace with a simple tap-in.
Four minutes later it was game over, when Pitcher beat his man, raced to the byline and pulled the ball back to Hapgood for another close-range finish.
United looked broken, making Jacobs’ late strike seem a little vindictive.
However, Pitcher showed a more humane side to his character just before the death, when he fired his shot into the path of the retreating Ashley Smith, who hacked the ball off the line to prevent an even more embarrassing thrashing.

Maidenhead United: Ramos, Smith, Parsons, Witt, Sterling, Osman, Hughes, Nisbet, O’Connor, Romeo, Clarke. Subs: Newman (for Nisbet, 45), Driver, Haule, Gorman (for Osman, 69), Jackson (for Hughes, 52).
Clevedon Town: Greaves, Witcombe, Bater, Clark, Hendy, Trought, Hapgood, Scott, Rawlins, Page, Haines. Subs: Sheppard (for Bater, 10), Pitcher (for Page, 29), Jacobs (for Trought, 81).