ASHLEY’S A SMASH BUT YORK SLIDE CONTINUES

MAIDENHEAD United sealed a crucial three points in a relegation battle against a York City side facing a fresh ownership crisis.

Minstermen fans are locked in an ownership row with underfire chairman Glen Henderson, who last month appeared to U-turn on his offer to sell his shares in the football club to the Supporters Trust.

And the split is beginning to affect performances on the pitch with this latest home defeat leaving David Webb’s side within just five points of the National League relegation zone.

Goals from Ashley Nathaniel-George and Charlee Adams put the Magpies in control before Lennell John-Lewis at least set up a tense finale by halving the deficit 12 minutes from time.

However, it wasn’t enough to prevent a second straight defeat and Webb said: “No excuses. I can’t offer anything up today, I’m not going to talk about too much, we just weren’t good enough.

“We started really slow, we never really got going until probably halfway through the second half. The tempo wasn’t there and we just started really, really slow. We gave away a soft goal, we let someone run from our halfway line all the way in. It just wasn’t good enough.”

Alan Devonshire’s Maidenhead, who started the day three points behind York and five clear of the relegation places, were also in desperate need of points and it was they who looked the likely from the off.

They started the game the more dominant after Emile Acquah snuck in behind the York defence but a reactive stop from Ryan Whitley denied the opening goal, before Fraser Kerr made a pivotal goal line clearance on the follow up.

It wouldn’t take long for the breakthrough however when dangerous winger Nathaniel-George latched onto a teasing cutback from Reece Smith to slide the ball past an unlucky Whitley 38 minutes in. Maidenhead never really looked troubled and it was no surprise when they doubled their lead on the hour mark, albeit in controversial fashion.

A back pass to Whitley was judged to have hit the goalkeeper’s hands, despite York’s claims that the ball came off his knee.

Referee Aaron Bannister awarded a freekick within the York box and up stepped former Birmingham City youngster Adams, who smashed through a crowd of bodies to give Maidenhead breathing room.

York pulled a goal back in the final 15 minutes, as a lovely flick-on from substitute Manny Duku was expertly controlled by John-Lewis, before being poked past the outstretched Maidenhead keeper Alexis Andre Jr, but the visitors held on to claim a first league win in eight matches.