Teamwork makes The dream work
Maidenhead United FC: Magpies revive their play-off hopes with
Maidenhead United 2, Chesterfield 0 Maidenhead United revived their play-off hopes with an excellent team display in a thoroughly deserved 2-0 win over in-form Chesterfield at York Road on Saturday.
The Magpies looked the hungrier side throughout and won pretty much all their collective and individual battles in difficult, blustery conditions.
Nathan Blissett side-footed home Dan Sparkes low cross to make it 1-0 after 21 minutes, and Sparkes doubled their advantage with a close-range finish from Josh Coley’s clever cross shortly after the interval. Tuesday's 4-1 win over Torquay United has subsequently lifted the side to 10th in the table with games in hand on the sides above them.
United began brightly. Sparkes pulled an early shot narrowly wide for the hosts before sending a free kick over the angle of post and bar. In the 20th minute Chesterfield’s Liam Mandeville was played in on goal by George Carline’s cross, but the striker’s loose touch allowed the chance to get away from him.
The Magpies took the lead just seconds later when Sparkes found space on the left and whipped in a dangerous low cross which Blissett side-footed home for his second goal in three matches.
Alex Whittle missed a great chance to level the scores on 27 minutes, when Akwasi Asante played him in on the overlap, but Taye Ashby-Hammond narrowed the angle well and saved the low shot with his legs.
Ashby-Hammond made another fine save minutes after the restart when he got down well to keep out Jak McCourt’s well struck drive, but United continued to pose a threat, and it was no surprise when Sparkes ghosted in at the far post to turn home Coley’s cross in the 51st minute.
Substitute Adi Yussuf passed up an excellent chance to half the deficit when he shot tamely at Ashby-Hammond on 62 minutes, while Nathan Tyson looped a header over for the visitors in the 74th minute.
Ryan Upward, who was everywhere for the Magpies in an excellent midfield display, very nearly capped off the performance with a third, but his 82nd minute shot was deflected just wide.
Maidenhead United (4-4-2): Ashby-Hammond 8; Wells 8, Massey 8, Parry 8, Clerima 8; Comley 8, (Twumasi 76’ 7’), Upward 9, Ince 8, Sparkes 9; Coley 70’ 8’ (Barratt 7), Blissett 9. Subs not used: Sheckleford, Orsi, Kelly.
Chesterfield (3-5-2): Smith 7’; Evans 6’,
Maguire 7’, Gunning 7’; Carline 6’, McCourt 7’, Whelan 6’, Smith 6 (Yussuf 57’ 7), Whittle 6 (Taylor 66’ 6); Asante 7, Mandeville 6 (Tyson 57’ 6). Subs not used: Kerr, Clarke.
W Chesterfield boss James Rowe said his players wouldn’t ‘self-destruct’ after the side’s play-off hopes were dealt a blow by their 2-0 defeat to Maidenhead United, however, he was gracious enough to accept his team had been outplayed and outfought by the Magpies.
The Spirerites are likely to be one of Maidenhead’s challengers for a play-off spot this season, having strung together a magnificent run of form that’s seen them lose just three times in 17 matches. However, it was Maidenhead who looked like the form side on Saturday and Rowe admitted his side had been second best in all departments. They had their moments in front of goal at York Road, but there were no complaints about the result from the Chesterfield boss after the final whistle.
He said: “They were better than us today, first and second contacts. They came out of every duel on the better side, and you need to stand up and be counted here on a pitch like that and against an Alan Devonshire side. We knew what was coming, but we didn’t do it. They stood up better in the conditions, but we won’t dwell on this.
“We’ve had three good chances, Liam Mandeville went through in the first half, but had a loose touch when he could have scored. Alex Whittle went through one-onone and the keeper has pulled off a great save.
“And then we’ve had one where the ball’s flashed across the face and Alex Whittle’s a yard the other side. It’s a tap in if he keeps on running but he stopped running. We’re disappointed on those fronts, but collectively and individually we needed to do better on those first and second contacts.
“Full credit to the opposition. I don’t want to take anything away from Maidenhead. It’s not that we didn’t do it, maybe they forced those mistakes from us and forced those duels. They stood up better in the conditions, but we won’t dwell. We’ve only lost three in 17 matches so we’re on a fantastic run and we’ve got to bounce back against Sutton on Tuesday.”
“We’re not going to self-destruct. We bounced back from the last defeat at Stockport well and hopefully we can do the same. There’s going to be plenty more twists and turns.”