McCoulsky seals impressive fight back from United

Eastleigh 2, Maidenhead United 3

Maidenhead United came from two goals down in the second half to claim one of their most important victories of the season at Eastleigh on Monday afternoon.

With relegation rivals Kidderminster Harriers winning 3-1 at champions Chesterfield, the Magpies were in the process of being dragged back towards the National League drop zone in early stages of the second half.

However, goals from Will de Havilland in the 52nd minute, an own goal from an Eastleigh defender Atangana from Jayden Mitchell-Lawson’s cross and a close-range finish from Shawn McCoulsky rescued all three points for the visitors and capped off a near perfect weekend for Alan Devonshire’s Magpies.

Momentum and consistency is something Maidenhead have struggled with all season, with the team rarely pulling off back-to-back victories in the league. However, in stunning fashion they fought back for a 3-2 win at the Silverlake Stadium to build on Friday’s impressive 4-0 win over play-off chasers Aldershot Town.

The result moves the Magpies up to 15th in the table and above the 50point mark Devonshire usually targets for survival in the division. They’re also now five points above the drop zone.

With home games to come against Barnet next Saturday (April 6), Hartlepool United on April 9 and Gateshead on April 13, they’ll now look to rubber stamp survival so that they can relax going into their final day trip to title-winners Chesterfield on April 20.

For much of the game at the Silverlink Stadium, , it seemed Maidenhead fans would be left fretting over their side’s survival hopes once again after Nwabuokei poked the ball under

Craig Ross to make it 1-0 to Eastleigh after only four minutes.

Worse was to follow for the Magpies as Maguire took aim from outside the area and curled home the Spitfires’ second in the 16th minute.

That’s how the score remained until half-time and, as the Maidenhead United X accounted posted, Devonshire’s side had ‘work to do’.

However, De Havilland began that work, tapping home NathanielGeorge’s cross in the 52nd minute to make it 2-1.

Mitchell-Lawson nearly levelled matters when his shot was blocked in the 55th minute, but the visitors’ second arrived in the 69th minute when Mitchell-Lawson’s run and cross caused havoc and Atangana could only turn the ball past his own keeper.

The Magpies then completed their comeback when McCoulsky, substituted for Tristan Abrahams just after the hour mark, got on the end of a hopeful ball into the box and it had too much power for Spitfires’ keeper Scott.