Maidenhead earn 'A Little Respect' in away defeat to league leaders Jersey

Maidenhead in action recently against Camberley. Photo credit: Paul Morgan

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‘A Little Respect by Erasure’ boomed out of the Maidenhead RFC changing room after the side’s 60-12 defeat to league leaders Jersey on Saturday - the team many people are tipping to run away with the Regional 1 South Central Division title.

That song, which was bellowed out by the players inside the dressing room and the sponsors and supporters who helped pay for the club’s trip to the Channel Island, is usually reserved for victories, however, on this occasion, it demonstrated that even a heavy defeat ‘can’t tame the warrior within - as head coach David Mobbs-Smith posted when he uploaded the video to social media.

Reflecting on that moment this week, he said it showed the players and their supporters felt the team had performed well at Jersey.

“We went in the changing room afterwards with the guys who’d sponsored our trip over there, our breakfast and our team hotel, they paid for it all,” said the head coach.

“They came into the changing room and even though we’d just walked off after a defeat, the whole group sang our victory song – the song we sing when we win games.

“So, I think we came off that pitch, knowing we’d given everything we could with the squad we had, and players felt they had performed well.

“The score didn’t show the performance, but the performance was solid.”

You can’t win on the scoreboard every time you don a jersey but defeat @JerseyRedsRugby can’t tame the warrior within @maidsrfc Always good times when you play with your mates @WillGreenwood pic.twitter.com/iYBEucHeN2

— David Mobbs-Smith (@Mobbsy11) October 11, 2025

Maids certainly gave Jersey a bloody nose before their more experienced hosts regrouped and ran away with the match in the second half. The visitors ran in the first try of the match inside the opening five minutes, sending ‘a ripple of panic’ around the stands. Maidenhead had beaten Jersey in their league match at Braywick Park last season and there was a sense that maybe an upset could be in the offing again.

Unfortunately, this Maids team - heavily depleted by injuries - couldn’t sustain the pressure they exerted in the first half to make it 17-12 at one stage and they fell away to a heavy defeat.

“When we scored first, it sent a ripple through their crowd. They probably thought ‘oh my god, here we go again’,” said Mobbs-Smith. “We scored a great try in the corner. We hung in there after that in the first half. They were dominant and had a very strong side out and when we scored to make it 17-12, it looked like we might give them a decent match. But we just couldn’t live with them through the whole game. They just managed to get on top. It became easier for them, but the lads never gave up and if we’d got another try or two it wouldn’t have been an unfair result.

“On paper and with the calibre of players they have, they’re the best team in the league by miles, not even by a little bit. If they bring out all of them on the day, they are a very strong side in our league.

“Quite a number of those chaps were full-time professionals, not just National League players who have dropped down. And for an extended period of their careers, most of them are highly experienced. They’re now effectively retired and living in Jersey, but they still play rugby. The calibre of the player is exceptional.”

He added: “They’re fitter, stronger, better organised. In a football context, it’s like when Maidenhead played in the National League and somebody has been relegated to their level for whatever reason.

“But standing there on the pitch are three players who played in the Premier League, and they did that for years. It’s like someone standing there who’s played five years for Arsenal. Jersey are the rugby equivalent.

“And the remainder of them all played in the Championship for Coventry or Sheffield United or whoever it might be. These guys played in their first team regularly, week after week.

“We have beaten them at home, but when you go away there it’s very tough. They have more players available because it’s at home. They’re playing in front of a big crowd. They have more than double what we have. It’s a big occasion for whoever turns up and it’s the best facilities on our circuit. You feel you’re playing in a special place.”

The final score didn’t truly reflect Maids’ encouraging performance, and Mobbs-Smith believes they should take heart from that as they look ahead to Saturday’s home game with Wimbledon at Braywick Park.

Maidenhead will be hoping to register their second win of the campaign against a Wimbledon side who’ve been surprisingly out of form so far this season. The two teams sit 10th and 11th in the table and Wimbledon are yet to earn a victory, despite picking up several bonus points. Mobbs-Smith will be hoping they don’t break that duck at Braywick Park.