Peters downplays play-off chances
Maidenhead United FC: Survival still the first target for improving United
Ryan Peters has insisted Maidenhead United won’t rest on their laurels after making an impressive start to the campaign, but he’s downplayed the side’s chances of maintaining their current challenge for a play-off finish.
United are still fourth in the table despite Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat to leaders Torquay United and, while Peters doesn’t think the side will plummet down the table like they did last season, he’s keen for the fans to rein in their expectations a little.
United have more quality and strength in depth than previous seasons and that is serving them well. This week they beat in-form Eastleigh 1-0 away and were competitive in a 2-1 defeat at Torquay United on Tuesday, Shaun Donnellan heading in the visitor’s late goal from a Josh Smile cross.
But Peters’, and manager Alan Devonshire’s, first target is to get to the 50 points they feel is needed for survival before they start to explore other possibilities.
“We’re not resting on our laurels,” Peters said ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Torquay. “But we’re also not looking at finishing in the play-offs or getting promotion or anything like that.
“We’re not thinking
about that at all. We’re thinking about getting to 50-52 points as quickly as we possibly can and then we’ll be able to reassess where we are.”
Peters believes Maidenhead’s players got ‘carried away’ with the form they displayed in the early stages of last season and he’s keen to keep the players grounded this time around. Last season the Magpies produced several eye-catching results in the early weeks as they rose into the top half, however, form and
confidence waned and they were very much mired in a relegation battle when the season was brought to its premature halt by the coronavirus pandemic. They were spared relegation on a points-per-game calculation which saw Ebbsfleet United demoted to the National League South in their place. Peters feels they’ve got the characters to ensure those same mistakes aren’t repeated.
“We’ve got big players in our team now who won’t allow anyone to
drop below their level,” said Peters.
“That could be the big difference between this season and last season.
“We probably got carried away with our form in the early stages of last season and dropped off from where we should have been.
“But now, with the likes of Nathan Blissett and Dan Sparkes to go alongside leaders like Alan Massey, they will help us to train and work hard and to continue putting in good performance,” he added.