Maidenhead United dismantle Yeovil Town to claim crucial three points

Sam Barratt scores Maidenhead’s opener. Photo: Darren Woolley.

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Maidenhead United 2, Yeovil Town 0

Maidenhead United produced arguably the performance of their season so far as they dismantled a deflated looking Yeovil Town at York Road on Tuesday night to further boost their survival hopes.

United have been playing well of late, having picked up useful points on the road at York City and Bromley but that momentum was checked by an FA Trophy defeat on penalties to FC Halifax Town and Saturday's 1-0 loss at promotion chasers Eastleigh.

Alan Devonshire needed a response from his players and that's exactly what he got as the Magpies dominated this clash from first whistle to last.

The defence was imperious as they kept another clean sheet in what assistant boss Ryan Peters described afterwards as a 'typical Alan Devonshire performance'. They took the lead towards the end of the first half from Sam Barratt's close-range finish from Charlee Adams' magnificent corner, and Reece Smith put the seal on a special night when he volleyed home brilliantly after a barnstorming run down the left from full-back Idris Odutayo. The hosts should really have won the clash more comfortably, with good chances coming and going at the end of both halves, but this was a more than satisfying win and one which should give the players plenty of confidence heading into the business end of the season.

Sammy ️ fired us into the lead just before the break finding the net from Adams' set-piece pic.twitter.com/8viTSiP845

— Maidenhead United (@MUFCYorkRoad) February 22, 2023

United took a stranglehold on Tuesday's clash from the very first minutes and might well have had a penalty in the early skirmishes as Emile Acquah appeared to be brought down as he attempted to fire the Magpies in front. The referee waved away the hosts' appeals, but it was all Maidenhead in the opening 10 minutes as Adams and Ashley Nathaniel-George threatened to open up the visitors with dangerous balls into the box. One of them fell to captain Alan Massey in the 10th minute but he hooked his shot wide on the volley. Acquah was again denied by a fabulous sliding tackle in the 30th minute, having been played in by the increasingly influential Barratt. Barratt also saw a fierce free-kick headed off the line by a Yeovil defender before Alexis Andre Jr shovelled Jordan Young's low free-kick around the post in the 39th minute.

The breakthrough the hosts craved arrived in the 40th minute and Adams was the architect, firing in a wonderful curling corner that Barratt deflected in off his hip. The Magpies gave the visitors both barrels in the closing minutes of the half, with Barratt and Smith both going close to doubling the advantage, but the Glovers were just about still standing as they trudged off at half-time.

Yeovil created a couple of half chances after the interval, with Lawson D'ath dragging a shot wide in the 47th minute and Will De Havilland diving in to prevent Worthington from scoring the equaliser. But United dominated thereafter. Nathaniel-George skipped around keeper Grant Smith in the 50th minute but his cross-cum-shot failed to pick out Acquah in the middle.

The points were all but cemented in the 65th minute thanks to Smith's sublime volley. The midfielder, who had another excellent game for the Magpies, chested the ball down before volleying past his namesake Smith, after Odutayo's lung-bursting run down the left-wing . Odutayo's forward forays for the Magpies became a feature as the hosts began to dominate. Kane Ferdinand had a great chance to make it 3-0, but his close-range effort was palmed over by Smith, while only a finger-tip save from the Yeovil keeper prevented Barratt adding to his tally from a 30-yard free-kick that looked destined for the top corner.

Adams saw a low shot pushed wide in the 82nd minute after he waltzed through the visitors' defence while substitute Shawn McCoulsky countered brilliantly in the closing stages but opted to shoot rather than pick out a better placed teammate in the middle.

The result lifts them above Oldham Athletic to 16th, however, they remain four points above the bottom four after Gateshead also picked up a win on Tuesday evening.

Their FA Trophy exit at the hands of Halifax on penalties just a few weeks ago should also be all the motivation they need ahead of Saturday's league clash between the two sides at The Shay. Halifax sit just a point and a place above the Magpies in the table.

“I’m buzzing!”

Goalscorer, Sam Barratt, expresses his delight after tonight’s victory over Yeovil Town. pic.twitter.com/TAO29Jocv6

— Maidenhead United (@MUFCYorkRoad) February 21, 2023