Brave u18s lose shootout lottery
Maidenhead United FC vs Marlow FC: Peters claims young Magpies were 'immense' in agonising county cup defeat to Marlow
Maidenhead United 1, Marlow FC 1
(Marlow progress 3-1 on penalties). Maidenhead United might have exited the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup to their old rivals Marlow on Tuesday, but assistant boss Ryan Peters was full of praise for their immense performance.
The Blues will have travelled to York Road expecting to be the underdogs, however, Alan Devonshire threw them a curveball when he opted to play the club’s academy team.
With the first team’s focus very much on National League survival the u18s were handed an opportunity to shine and – despite the result – they grasped it with both hands.
All but a handful of the squad had no experience of senior men’s football but they acquitted themselves with maturity against a side playing in the Isthmian South Central Division.
After a quiet start it was the Magpies who took the lead when Bradley Keetch, the side’s captain on the night, drilled past Simon Grant after cleverly letting the ball run across his body from a pass from the left.
He went close again in the 22nd minute but this time his shot flew just wide of the target.
The Blues made six changes for the cup tie and looked disjointed in the first half.
However, they came close to levelling when Kelvin Bossman went around Fred Chapman and tried to slot home, but Taro Chitepo got back to hook the ball off the line.
Maidenhead suffered the blow of losing Lewis Boniface and centre-half Tom Weedon at half time – replaced by Cole Gough and 16 year-old Marko Borkovic – but were largely
comfortable in the second period.
Bartley was also forced into making changes at the interval, with his side struggling to make inroads, and it had the desired effect. Kameron English gave the visitors some much-needed urgency and they levelled matters in the 60th minute when Isaac Osei-Tutu swept home a cross from the left.
Neither side was able to impose themselves in the final half-hour to win the tie in 90 minutes so the game went to penalty kicks and Marlow prevailed thanks to three saves from keeper Simon Grant.
Borkovic netted for the Magpies, but Reece Smith, Tommy Boyd and Harrison Playle all missed to hand the Blues victory in the lottery of a shootout.
Marlow scored three of their four kicks – the other well-saved by Chapman – to advance but much of the applause on the night deservedly went to this Maidenhead team.
After Peters said on Twitter: "Rubbish way to lose a game of football via penalties.
"But that's the only negative today.
“We were able to field an entire side of our up and coming stars and they were all immense, giving Marlow FC a competitive game. The future is bright at Maidenhead United."
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MAGPIES: Chapman, Chitepo, Dirkin, Curtis, Playle, Weedon (Sub Gough 46’), Boniface (Sub Borkovic 46’), Gibson (Sub Croker 87’), Boyd, Smith, Keetch. Subs not used: Crocker, OwusuBarnieh.
GOAL: Keetch (10’)
BLUES: Grant, Olorunfemi (Sub Chapple ’46), McDonnell, Richards, Salmon, Rogers, Ovenden (Sub English 62’), Osei-Tuti (Sub Abdallohi 62’), Marsh-Brown, Bossman, Caesar. Subs not used: Okunlobi, Bryan-Samuels.
GOAL: Osei-Tutu (60’)