Maidenhead Advertiser

Mags’ week to remember

Devonshire thanks fans for cheering the team on to two memorable away victories

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What a week it’s been for Maidenhead United, firstly condemning promotion hopefuls Chesterfie­ld to their first defeat of the season on Saturday before claiming a dramatic win at Torquay United on Tuesday evening to rise to 15th in the National League table.

Twice in the first half the Gulls went ahead thanks to Will Goodwin and Aaron Jarvis but after their goals were cancelled out by Emile Acquah and Charlee Adams respective­ly, Remy Clerima scored an unexpected winner in stoppage time.

Perhaps the Magpies were buoyed by their performanc­e at the weekend, beating the high-flying Spireites, 2-1, at the Technique Stadium with the goals scored by summer signings Koby Arthur and Ashley Nathaniel-George.

Now, the Magpies faithful will be optimistic of witnessing a third victory in a row on Saturday when York Road plays host to a struggling Oldham Athletic side, and Alan Devonshire says his men will try their very best.

Speaking to the Advertiser earlier this week, the manager was also keen to show gratitude to the supporters who made the recent away trips and cheered on the Magpies until the final whistle.

“I want to say a big thank you to our fans. I think there were 51 who made the journey on Saturday and 20-odd came up on Tuesday. They helped us so much,” said Devonshire, who was named Vanarama National League manager of the week.

“They were brilliant, and I’m glad their long trips weren’t wasted.

“I am really pleased for the players. We let ourselves down the week before [against

Gateshead] but in the last two games we have shown a lot character and desire.

“We definitely deserved the win on Saturday

against a good team, a team that were unbeaten at the time.

“Then we showed a lot of spirit again against Torquay. It was a very end-to-end game and when we went one down and then 2-1 down, it could have gone either way.

“They had a couple of chances towards the end, and we cleared one big one off the line. A minute later we went down the other end and scored the winner. Yeah, we went for the win. Our subs were attack-minded and sometimes you get it right, sometimes you get it wrong, but this time it worked.

“At the end of the day, I am just so pleased for the players. We got the win in the last minute which is great, maybe not for the team you are playing against and we’ve had it happen to us.”

Devonshire added: “They were two long trips. The boys were tired with all the travelling so to get six points out of six is no mean feat. The coach was buzzing on the way back, I got in at 2.30am.”

This weekend’s opposition, Oldham Athletic, sit one place below Maidenhead United in the league with three wins, three draws, and six defeats.

The Latics were founder members of the Premier League in 1992 but, two years later, were relegated and fell to the third tier by 1997.

They ended a lengthy stay in the third tier with relegation from League One in 2018. At the end of the 2021–22 season, relegation from League Two was confirmed and the club fell into the National League, becoming the first former Premier League team to play non-League football.

“We respect Oldham, we will have to look at them, identify what system they play, and come up with a plan to deal with them,” said Devonshire.

“We were disappoint­ed with the way we played against Gateshead at home so we want to put that right. There are no bad teams in this league which is shown by the table.

“All we can do is take care of ourselves and we’ve had two good wins recently. We’ve got another big game against an ex-Premier League club on Saturday. We’ll try our very best.”

 ?? ?? Charlee Adams celebrates. Photo: Maidenhead United
Charlee Adams celebrates. Photo: Maidenhead United

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