| Spitfires fightback to down Magpies (01.03.08) |
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EASTLEIGH 3 (0) |
MAIDENHEAD UNITED 2 (2) |
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Maidenhead threw away a two goal lead to lose
at highflying Eastleigh on Saturday. This proved to a be a great
disappointment as the first half saw the Magpies produce as a good a
forty five minute performance as any this season. An unchanged United team tore into their hosts from the word go, adapting quickly to the swirling wind which engulfed Eastleigh's bleak Ten Acre ground to dominate the first half. The Magpies took the lead in the tenth minute when Carl Wilson-Denis latched onto an incisive through ball. The big striker took the ball to the byline before laying a pass out to Ashley Smith on the left wing. Smith then fired in a pinpoint cross to the far post where Jack Bradshaw had made superb ground from his right back position to head the ball home from point blank range. Brushing off the loss of influential defender Grant Cooper through injury in the eighteenth minute, the Magpies quickly doubled their lead. The goal came in the 27th minute, and again Smith was the provider. This time he launched a free kick from the right to the edge of the penalty area where Jermaine Hinds gave it the eyebrows to flick a header into the back of the net. Six minutes later Maidenhead almost took Eastleigh to the point of no return when a sharp Wilson-Denis shot was goalbound only for David Wilkinson to pull off a superb reaction save to tip the ball onto the cross bar. As half time approached Wilkinson nearly undid his good work by dropping a cross, and left in no mans land could only watch as the ball found Manny Williams on the edge of the penalty area. Fortunately for the Spitfires keeper Williams shot hit the side netting. Doubtless with a half time rollicking ringing in their ears Eastleigh were sent out early for the second half, but manager Ian Baird's words evidently did the trick as his team were level within thirteen minutes of the restart. The fightback started in the 49th minute when a Mark Marshall cross from the left found an unmarked Anthony Riviere at the far post who slotted home with ease. Nine minutes later the Paul Sales struck an equaliser through a forest of players when United failed to clear their lines from a corner. Maidenhead recovered their composure slightly after this setback and did make the occasional foray forward although Eastleigh continued to dominate. The inevitable coup de grace came with five minutes remaining when Sales struck an acrobatic overhead kick to complete his side come back. In the remaining time Eastleigh's Luke Byles was sent off for a second caution but United were unable to make their advantage pay in stoppage time. |
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Spitfires: Wilkinson, Harris, Everitt (57
Hughes), Riviere, El Salahi (82 Hann), Byles, Piper, Murray, Sales,
McBean (52 Forbes), Marshall. Unused subs: Adeniyi, Howells. Goals: Riviere 49, Sales 58 & 85 Cautions: Everitt 26, Byles 42 & 90, Murray 69. Dismissal: Byles 90. Crowd: 545 Magpies: Wells, Bradshaw, Sterling, Hinds, Nisbet, Cooper (18 Kersey), Smith, Clarke, Williams, Newman (76 Daly), Wilson-Denis (64 James). Unused subs: Sealey, Bernard. Goals: Bradshaw 10, Hinds 27. Cautions: Clarke 45+2. |