Magpies draw some hope
Maidenhead United FC: United battle back to draw with Southend and lift themselves out of the drop zone
After stuttering from poor performance to poor performance, and conceding a lot of goals in the process, Maidenhead United finally delivered a display at Southend United on
Tuesday which suggests they can pull clear of the relegation scrap.
The fight is already on to avoid the drop, and the Magpies fell into the bottom three for the first time this season after Saturday's disappointing 3-0 defeat to Barnet FC at The Hive.
But Tuesday's 1-1 draw with Southend United at Roots Hall was like a jolt to the system and there was a sense that Maidenhead's survival bid had been plugged back into the mains.
Having lost their last five matches in all competitions, and conceded an eyewatering 19 goals, there was little confidence the Magpies would be able to turn around their concerning run of form. And, while a draw with one of their relegation rivals doesn't at first glance appear to be particularly impressive, the side's impressive fightback will have given fans hope.
It was a former Southend United player, Kane Ferdinand, who returned to haunt his old club at Roots Hall, firing home from just outside the area in the 73rd minute to cancel out Rhys Murphy's 40th minute opener for the Blues.
The Magpies might have had more goals in the second half, with Josh Kelly denied by a scrambled clearance on the line by Murphy before goalkeeper Steve Arnold cleared, but a point was enough to lift the side above Weymouth on goal difference and out of the relegation zone.
They'll now look to build on this steppingstone when they host Solihull Moors at York Road on Saturday afternoon.
Speaking to the club’s media officer, Grace Scott, assistant boss Ryan
Peters gave his assessment on an encouraging night for the Magpies, and said they'll win more games than they lose playing like as well as they did. “It was better, a lot better,” he said.
“But the boys are actually disappointed.
“They feel we should have come away with a victory and we probably should have.
“The second half was miles better. If we play the way we’ve played in this game we’ll win more games than we lose, we’d like to think this is a turning point, a point on the road and we’ll move on.”
Peters added that the Magpies were also lifted by the unwavering support of the fans who travelled from Berkshire and further afield to see the side take on former league club Southend.
In fact, a couple of fans travelled down from Glasgow on the day of the game, commitment and loyalty that wasn't lost on the Magpies management team and players.
Storm Barra did its best to postpone the match for a second time, but the pitch was passed fit, and the Magpies gave themselves and their supporters a restorative performance.
“The fans made themselves known,” added Peters.
“We knew coming down that there was a few coming over, and it’s a hell of a journey on a Tuesday night.
“It was fantastic to have them down
and we wanted to put in a shift, consider they travelled all that way, and I feel we did.
“There were some really good performances out there, we haven’t done our chances any harm and we’ll move onto Saturday.”
Peters would love to see another big crowd down for Saturday's game with eighth placed Solihull Moors, and his message to supporters was a simple one.
“Stay with us, we go through blips, it
happens,” he said. “We were going through one and we’d like to think this is the turning point. None of us is resting on our laurels and we’ll keep fighting till we get it right. We know we’re in a fight but we’re up for the fight so stick with us.
“Come down (on Saturday). If anyone was able to see today's game, they’d know it will be entertaining with lots of chances, so please come down and we’ll try our best to put on a spectacle.”