Maidenhead United Women battle back for remarkable win over Torquay United

Remarkably, Maidenhead United Women's came from behind yet again on Sunday afternoon at Torquay United to break their own club record FA Women’s National League points tally and ensure their status at Tier 4 of the women’s football pyramid with three games still to play.

Sunday’s match at Coach Road was the ninth time this season that the Magpies have come back from a losing position to obtain a positive result this season. As well as doing so four times in three separate cup competitions this season, United have taken a remarkable 11 of their 24 league points from losing positions.

Manager Ed Jackson-Norris admitted that his side had to dig deep on this visit to Devon and for much of the first half the relegation-threatened Gulls were in the ascendancy. Maidenhead knew from the reverse fixture – when Nat Cowell’s goal in injury time rescued a point – how hard Torquay would fight and the indeed Jackson-Norris made reference to this in his pre-match team talk. The visitors did however take the lead when Izzy Stockton’s teasing cross was turned into her own net by Rachel Heron.

The Gulls were level just after the half hour mark and the fact that the normally reliable Megan Halfacree made the error which led to Kate McKane slotting home a loose ball in the area rather summed up much of the afternoon from a Maidenhead perspective. There was little that the visitors could however at the end of the half as Anthea Kaptein let fly from fully twenty-five yards to give Torquay a deserved lead.

Maidenhead grew into the game as the second half wore on and the match became pretty much one-way traffic towards the Torquay goal the more the game wore on. Substitute Macey-Nikiah Walters was very unfortunate when her angled cross-shot bounced off the top of the cross-bar and the pressure told inside the final five minutes with two quick-fire goals. Firstly substitute Jade Hockey scored her second of the season, a free-kick from range which struck the underside of the bar and Gulls ‘keeper Emma Ayers on its way into the net. Within a minute Maidenhead had all three points in their grasp when Simone O’Brien fed impressive full-back Trinity Esprit to score via the inside of the far post.

Maidenhead dealt comfortably with a lengthy period of injury time to record their third away league victory of an increasingly fruitful season. The Magpies now travel to high-flying Moneyfields on Sunday 7th April, a match which will kick off at 2pm at Chichester City FC. Meanwhile the Development team – fresh from a 5-1 success against AFC Sudbury – will face London Seaward in a 2pm kick off at Cox Green Leisure Centre.