Maidenhead Away Saturday 24th of January 2015

[Hatboy]

Can't believe no one has even started a thread on the game yet !

Saints Team To Play Maidenhead United: Welch, Hall, Locke, Chappell, Kaloczi, Comley, Beckles, Corcoran, Lowe, Malcolm, Frendo

Subs: Gorman, Smith, Wales, Keenleyside, Manny


Today's best available odds:

Basingstoke Town (13/10) Draw (5/2) Bromley (2)
Concord Rangers (2) Draw (13/5) Whitehawk (13/10)
Eastbourne (20/19) Draw (13/5) Wealdstone (11/4)
Gosport Borough (1/2) Draw (7/2) Bishop Stortford (11/2)
Havant & Waterlooville (4/6) Draw (16/5) Sutton Utd (19/5)
Maidenhead Utd (6/4) Draw (5/2) St Albans (9/5)



Form guide:

Maidenhead @ Home WWLWDL F 12 A 10 Pts 10
Saints on the road WLWLLL F 5 A 8 Pts 6

[PaperSaint]

Late change - Gayle unwell so Comley playing and Gorman sub

[Hatboy]

Kaloczi moving back into defence I guess then

[Hatboy]

Comley red card !!!



Davymac will not be happy with Def Com 1 !

[Saint]

Maidenhead 1-0 up

[westwalessaint]

The number of red cards received by Saints players due to complete lack of discipline. Not only does it cost the club financially, it costs the club games! Do these players have a brain??!! ?

[Saint]

Do we know that it was even a red? No point judging before we see the vid!

[Saint]

1-1! Malcolm!

[Saint]

1-1 HT.

Tom Norman's tweeted that he's fuming with the officials... Coms sending off questionable?

[Saint]

Frendo effort off the post.

[Saint]

Maidenhead red card, 10 a side.

[Hatboy]

10 v 10 now

[Saint]

Frendo, Corcoran off, Smith and Wales on.

[citycentresaint]

Surprised DJ Campbell is still allowed to play football.

I wouldn't trust him in my team.

[Hatboy]

Keenleyside on for Malcolm

[Hatboy]

Man City, Chelsea, Spurs and Southampton all knocked out of the cup

[Saint]

1-1 FT

[Boomer]

Attendance 405.

[notsorecentconvert]

One question about Maidenhead... Their big mural that spells Maidenhead Utd FC on the wall at one end... It's a nice idea but there is room for it to say Maidenhead United, so why doesn't it?

Anyway, our starting line-up looked strong and when I learned that Gayle was unable to play I was at least cheered by the fact that Comley was back.

In common with all but one man in the ground (the linesman on the railway side of the ground) I had no idea why Comley was sent off within seven minutes of the start.

The uncharitable part of me thinks he lashed out at DJ Campbell because he knew Campbell was famous and he wanted to prove he was the guvnor.

Whatever the truth of the incident, there's usually a reason why talented footballers don't make it at a higher level and spending 83 minutes in the dressing and leaving your ten team-mates to it is one of them.

Our disciplinary record is dreadful and no effort seems to be made to improve it but some of our worst challenges were no more than late or clumsy.

Anyway, after a very bright start up the slope we found ourselves down to 10 following an incident no one saw.

The defence and the goalkeeper didn't cover themselves in glory defending the free kick. While it was very well taken, we did leave the fella with a very inviting portion of the goal to aim at.

However, Joe Welch more than redeemed himself with two or three absolutely blinding saves. He really is a very good shot stopper and he kept us in it.

We thoroughly deserved the equaliser in the first half. It was a very nicely taken goal by Malcolm too and I will forgive his lack of commitment in challenges and his reluctance to chase and close down if he scores goals.

Going down the slope in the second half gave me confidence but we didn't keep the tempo anything like high enough. I can forgive that because we played with 10 for 80+ minutes. Even when they had a man sent off we didn't have enough to compensate. We definitely could have won but a draw was a fair result.

High spots were Beckles, who dropped back to replace Gayle in defence. Kalozci who had to do the job of two men in midfield. Corcoran who played well but had to be subbed to save him from a red card. Lowe who was fast, skilful and positive. Frendo who held up the play well and kept the pressure off the midfield and defence.


I shared Lee Chappell's frustration late on. Long throw into the box came to nothing and he shouted to the bench "where was everyone?" Good point.
Although the second half was not great, it was a decent point and, but for the dismissal, it could have been all three.

[knockers]

set off to follow saints today got as far as paddington all trains delayed due to jumper further down line at twyford, went to waterloo but no trains would have got me there in time for ko, spent pm on embankment following saints via mobile, gutted, good point prob, my next game basingstoke home on 14th feb, first match ever saw was basingstoke in 1992, a 4-0 win, steve clark double think, same score be nice, COYS

[Saint]

www.stalbansreview.co.uk/sport/11747971.Point_gained_at_Maidenhead_comes_at_high_cost_for_Saints/

A man down in seven minutes, a goal down in eight, and yet St Albans City were still good value in securing a Conference South point from Maidenhead United in an occasionally feisty 1-1 draw at a chilly York Road on Saturday.

St Albans, looking to complete their first double of the season, had problems even before the kick-off when Ian Gayle, suffering from a cold and a suspect hamstring, withdrew close to the start of the game.

Gayle’s place was taken by James Comley, as the City captain made his first starting league appearance since the end of December.


Unfortunately for Comley though, his participation lasted just seven minutes before he was dismissed following an off the ball clash with the former Queens Park Rangers – and many other clubs – striker DJ Campbell.

Comley was accused of putting a hand to Campbell’s face after Campbell too had, allegedly, raised a hand. Campbell was shown a yellow card while Comley, on the advice of linesman David Smart, received a straight red; City’s seventh of the season.

In the few minutes played before the dismissal, St Albans had been very much on the front foot and sustained pressure appeared certain to be rewarded with an early goal, as both Michael Malcolm and Sam Corcoran went close.

As it was, Maidenhead opened the scoring from the free kick following Comley’s departure when United’s leading goal scorer Dave Tarpey, from 20 yards, curled an excellent set piece to the right of the static Joe Welch.

Maidenhead sought to press home their advantage, but other than for a header over the top by Campbell and a close range header by Tarpey that struck Welch’s legs before being cleared, the Magpies struggled to break down a City defence superbly held together by the central pairing of Darren Locke and Omar Beckles.

But as the half moved on City, even with their numerical disadvantage, became the more dominant side.

John Frendo flashed a shot wide and had a second charged down before City’s already dismal disciplinary record suffered further blots with bookings for Corcoran – his tenth of the season – and Locke.

Maidenhead, with just one win from their previous ten Conference South matches, surrendered their lead on 35 minutes.

De’reece Vanderhyde, accidentally, handled the ball some ten yards inside the United half and from the ensuing free kick Chappell launched the ball towards the edge of the home penalty area.

As the ball dropped James Kaloczi, who was in excellent form, clipped the ball into the box with a most unusual back-flick with the heel of his right boot.

As the ball ran to the apex of the six-yard box one-time Maidenhead striker Malcolm slid in to cut the ball low across keeper Elvijs Putnins and inside the far post.

With that goal Malcom became only the 15th player to score in each of his first three games for St Albans.

Maidenhead began the second half pretty much as St Albans did the first in that they made light of the upward slope of the pitch facing them and pressed for a goal.

Tarpey did well on the left and crossed low to Lanre Azeez whose first time shot was kept out by the outstretched leg of Welch, Tarpey seized upon the loose ball but his shot from 10 yards was deflected over by Kaloczi.

Frendo went close to putting the Saints ahead when he latched onto a quick throw from the left and unleashed a long range half volley that Putnins excelled to claw away for a corner.

From Chappell’s corner Kaloczi looped a header towards goal that Putnins again dived at to keep out.

The match took another twist on the hour when Reece Tison-Lascaris, just five minutes after replacing Azeez, lashed out Kaloczi with his left foot after the duo had tussled for the ball, and was promptly dismissed.

City, wisely, sent on Charlie Smith for Corcoran on 65 minutes after the midfielder was given a final warning by referee Ian Cooper.

Steve Wales came on for Frendo at the same time and later collected St Albans third booking of the day.

As the half progressed both the pitch, which was heavy and wet from the start, and the quality of the play both deteriorated rapidly.

Green offered the occasional flash of inspiration before the final ten minutes were lit up the introduction of the former Bracknell Town teenager Sam Barratt.

After speeding past Howard Hall and forcing Locke into a hasty clearance, the Magpies substitute tried an audacious shot from wide on the left that surprised Welch and dipped only just over the crossbar.

Barratt continued to terrorise the City defence with a well struck free kick that Welch watched carefully and gathered at the second attempt.

Deep into added time Maidenhead mustered one final attempt on the home goal, needless to say it was Barratt who, after holding off two challenges, tested Welch with a firm drive along the rough surface that the City keeper again did well to smother.

Having come through 83 minutes with just ten players City will be satisfied to have ended a run of three consecutive away league defeats but it came at some cost.

When St Albans return to action in a fortnight, on 7 February away to Chelmsford City, Comley will be absent at the start of a three-match ban, while Corcoran will be on the side-lines for two games for reaching ten bookings.

Maidenhead United: E.Putnins, D.Vanderhyde, L.Solomon, A.Nicholls, M.Parsons, J.Erskine, D.Green (S.Barratt 82), R.Upward, DJ Campbell (S.Brown 77), L.Azeez (R.Tison-Lascaris 55), D.Tarpey, unused subs; M.Emmanuel-Williamson, S.Gray.

Booked: Campbell (7), Upward (17).

Dismissed: Tison-Lascaris (60).

St Albans City: J.Welch, H.Hall, L.Chappell, O.Beckles, D.Locke, J.Comley, J.Kaloczi, S.Corcoran (C.Smith 65), J.Frendo (S.Wales 65), M.Malcolm (D.Keenleyside 82), J.Lowe, unused subs; C.Gorman, M.Soetan.

Booked: Corcoran (18), Locke (30), Wales (80).

Dismissed: Comley (7).

Goals: 8 1-0 Tarpey, 35 1-1 Malcolm.

Referee: Ian Cooper (Rochester).

Att: 405.

[PaperSaint]

We started extremely well and Maidenhead looked unlikely to cope with our line-up until the incident that resulted in the red for Comley. I didn't see it - like everyone else in the ground except the linesman - so can't comment further. However, after then going one down, I thought we did well to keep a now confident Maidenhead team at bay and also grab a classy equaliser. Welch made one superb stop but otherwise we limited their attacks. Second half they came at us more strongly but our atracks looked more threatening - their keeper making a finger tip save to keep out a good Frendo strike. After their red, we actually seemed to struggle more (probably also due to their bringing on a lively youngster, Barratt).

The pitch looked dire (and also sloped downwards and sideways) which made a passing game very difficult to maintain in most areas of the pitch - wasn't the most attractive game but after playing with 10 men for more than 85 minutes (with all the added time) I was happy to see us come away with a point.

Also, our normally loud away support was disrupted by the noted train difficulties and first half - Maidenhead placing a large number of schoolkids behind their goal who kept singing throughout the half and broke our crowd in two! Is this some new kind of strategy Maidenhead have developed in their bid to try and move away from the relegation zone?

[Hatboy]

www.sacfc.co.uk/index.php/the-club/2012-04-10-18-56-53/latest-interviews/2945-james-gray-the-lads-never-gave-in.html

[Boomer]

Really not much else to say about the game that has not already been said. After the Comley/Campbell incident (which I didn't see either) and the subsequent free kick, that Tarpey scored, I did fear that we might be in for a long afternoon. However, after initial pressure from Maidenhead following the goal, we gradually started to take a lot more control and equalised with a clinical finish from Michael Malcolm, after being played in superbly by James Kaloczi. I felt that the 2nd half continued in much the same way as the 1st half had finished, until John Frendo was subbed with 25 mins to go. The resultant effect was that we lost the one person, who was holding the ball up and as much as we got the ball into their half, it seemed to be being returned with interest and for the last 10 minutes or so, we were forced to defend in numbers. A tremendous battling performance by all 10 players on the day, with colossal performances by Beckles and Kaloczi especially but with 11 on the field, I feel sure we would have more than likely returned with all 3 points. The pitch was an absolute disgrace and on a par with the quagmire, we had to suffer at Bromley just before Christmas. Overall, though, a somewhat scrappy game and probably a fair scoreline.

COYS!

[Hatboy]

[COYS]

Why were we in blue? Such a pet hate of mine, that. There'd be no clash at all between our yellow home kit and their black-and-white.

[Hatboy]

I just hope it was a genuine red and not another 'Richard Graham' decision !

[Boomer]

Same referee at Havant v Concord tonight - Ian Cooper from Rochester. Sounds like he has been handing out cards like confetti. 2 Havant players sent packing so far, one straight red, the other 2 yellows. Mr. Cooper wasn't very convincing on Saturday, either. At least if we are still playing Havant on Feb 10, they will one regular first teamer suspended.

Tonight's final scores -

Havant 0 Concord 1
Hayes & Yeading P Gosport P
Hemel 1 Sutton 2

Not surprised at the Hayes & Yeading postponement, after seeing the state of Maidenhead's pitch on Saturday. Sutton's winner at Hemel came in the 89th minute,

[eartheart]

Jeepers, we could have had 3 sent off against Maidenhead - shocking challenges

[eartheart]

Jeepers, we could have had 3 sent off against Maidenhead - shocking challenges