Magpies stack up well against Cards having not played in nearly a month
Woking 0, Maidenhead United 0 Maidenhead United hadn’t kicked a ball in anger in nearly a month, but they managed to make up for their shortcomings in match-fitness as they ground out a goalless draw with Woking on Saturday.
The Magpies hadn’t played in the league since their 4-0 victory over Wealdstone on Boxing Day, but there were few signs of rustiness as they matched the Cards for workrate and effort at the Kingfield Stadium.
Devonshire made a host of changes, with Rohan Ince and Dan Sparkes coming back into the side. Jerry Wiltshire replaced Massey in central defence and Nathan Blissett took on the captain’s armband. Top scorer Sam Barratt also returned in place of Josh Coley who was only fit enough to be named on the substitutes bench after a bout of tonsilitis.
It was a game of few chances, but Maidenhead could have nicked all
three points in the second half with a header from Blissett that went just wide of the post. Afterwards manager
Alan Devonshire accepted that would have been harsh on Woking, who deserved a least a share of the spoils, and he was pleased enough to collect a third clean sheet in four National League outings. The result saw the Magpies drop to 11th in the table, ahead of last night’s home game with Yeovil Town, and Devonshire’s men will have been hoping to jump back into the play-off places with a positive result in that game.
Woking’s best opportunities fell to Slavi Spasov, who cut inside from the left before dragging his shot narrowly wide, while Ben Dempsey was denied by Taye Ashby-Hammond after Manny Parry was dispossessed.
The Magpies also had their chances, with Sparkes stabbing a Barratt cross wide of the target at the far post before smashing a free-kick into the Woking wall. George Wells thumped the rebound high and wide. Barratt failed to add to his season’s tally when he lifted a Sparkes cross over the crossbar while Ince had a chance late in the half deflected over the top.
There was even less goalmouth action after the break, with Ben Gerring tamely glancing a header at AshbyHammond, while Danilo Orsi-Dadomo had a shot deflected wide. Maidenhead’s best sight of goal came with seven minutes remaining when George Wells swung in a cross for Blissett, but the Magpies striker headed wide. A Sparkes free-kick was also safely gathered in by Ross after a foul on Barratt.
MAGPIES: Ashby-Hammond, Wiltshire, Wells, Parry, Blissett, Orsi (Sub Coley 80’), Sparkes, Ince, Sheckleford, Upward, Barratt (Sub Smile 80’).Subs not used:
Comley, Keetch, Twumasi.
CARDINALS: Ross, Cook, Casey, Cooper, Gerring, Ferdinand, Kretzschmar (Sub Napa 79’), Spasov (Sub Smith 64’), Lofthouse, Dempsey, Goddard (Sub Jarvis 79’).Subs not used: Collier, Block.