From the archives: Magpies claim first win over age old rivals Marlow in 21 years

The Magpies derby cup clash with the Blues of Marlow fell foul of the weather this week, disappointing both sets of supporters who look forward to a fixture which has been played sparingly in recent years, writes Neil Maskell.

27 years ago today (January 13) the two sides met for league points at York Road for the first time since the end of World War II.

The Blues had been relegated from the Isthmian Premier League the previous season and stood fourth in the First Division whilst the Magpies were precariously sat second from bottom – albeit with games in hand – and had won just once at home in the league all season. A further worrying omen was that the reverse fixture in August had seen Marlow run out 3-0 winners at Oak Tree Road thanks to two goals from Matthew McDonnell and one from Kenny Clarke.

In front of the biggest crowd of the season so far – 285 spectators – but without former Marlow men Tim Cook and Tony Dell, John Watt’s Magpies unsurprisingly fell behind when former Chelsea and Oxford United man Peter Rhoades-Brown showed all his EFL First Division experience by keeping his cool to score from the penalty spot after only twelve minutes.

Within three minutes though United were level when Paul McKinnon headed home Mark Harrison’s free-kick. And the game was turned on its head midway through the half when Garry Attrell set up Andy Smith to run through and score. The home supporters who created a “loud, boisterous atmosphere” were in dreamland before the break when Paul Dadson scored a third and the same player completed an emphatic victory late on, reacting after McKinnon’s effort had been cleared off the line. Rampant Maidenhead therefore had their first victory against their age-old local rivals in 21 years.