BASINGSTOKE TOWN 0 MAIDENHEAD UNITED 1
Francis Vines saw his side let a crucial point slip in the last minute against bottom side Maidenhead at the Camrose, his first defeat since taking over the reins.
Having dominated, and largely controlled proceedings throughout, Basingstoke were arguably the architects of their own downfall in blustery conditions. In a scrappy and instantly forgettable encounter, the visitors frustrated the home side with a gritty defensive display as both sides struggled to come to term with the bouncy surface.
The first half saw the Camrose Blues spend the majority of their time in the visitors half, but with little or no creativity coming from the midfield, the best chances of scoring came from errors. New signing Giuseppe Sole and James Taylor both failed to trouble Francisco Ramos with headers, whilst Taylor and midfielder David Ray were both marginally wide with efforts from the edge of the box. Ramos did have to produce two good saves in the first period, the first to turn a goalbound header from his teammate Ryan Johnson around the post and the second to deny Rays swirling cross, which was dipping under the crossbar at the far post. When Taylor did find the net from Lewis Cooks centre, referee Linington adjudged the striker had used an arm to control the ball before firing past Ramos.
The second half was a huge disappointment for the home crowd, and with numerous unforced errors with simple passing, and a lack of support for the strikers, who were largely starved of service after the interval, there were plenty of frustrations for the management team of Francis Vines and Steve Richardson. The Magpies had the wind in their backs in the second period, but aside from a low shot from Eric Kwakye which Stuart Searle gathered with ease, neither side threatened a goal.
Substitute Ryan Ashe scored the killer goal in the last minute with a header which looped just over the line (inspite of Lee Molyneauxs efforts on the line) to give Maidenheads slim chances of survival an unlikely boost, and put Basingstoke right back into the relegation scrap. Even then, it took a goalline clearance by Wayne Heath allied to a superb reflex save by Searle from Kwakyes free header from a cross by Mark Graham in stoppage time to prevent an even greater embarrassment for the home side. |
