Maidenhead United march on after Vine and Stewart open accounts

Photo credit: MUFC

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AFC Aldermaston 0, Maidenhead United 3

Quave Vine and Noah Stewart registered their first goals as the Magpies advanced to the third round of the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup with a 3-0 win over AFC Aldermaston at the Mettal Stadium on Wednesday.

United rang the changes for this cup clash against a team several levels beneath them in the Wessex Football League and though they initially had some difficulty breaking down their hosts, they found a way through those defences in the second half.

United have had a relatively light schedule of late, but manager Alan Devonshire still made 11 changes to his line up from the Magpies’ 1-0 win over Worthing just under two weeks ago.

Asher Yearwood returned to the starting line-up following injury while there were also starts for Owen Cochrane, Miles Welch-Hayes, Kai Yearn, Sam Barratt - who captained the side - Callum Harriott and Noah Stewart, who’ve all featured for the Magpies in the league this season. There was also a start for MUFC academy player Harry Pashley who had a big hand in the opening goal.

United couldn’t break the deadlock in the first half, however, their fortunes changed after the interval when Vine was brought on for Harriott and made his presence felt.

He found the net just before the hour mark, forcing the ball home from close range after latching onto Pashley’s cross.

The visitors then stretched their lead three minutes later when another cross from the left was flicked past his marker cleverly by Stewart who tapped home to score his first goal for the club.

The win was sealed in the 90th minute when Barratt’s ball in was smashed home on the volley by Vine for his second of the night.

United will visit Winslow United in the next round of the competition as they look to advance to the latter stages of the county cup for the first time in several seasons. They last won it back in 2017, defeating Hungerford Town 1-0 at Arbour Park just weeks before making their bow as a National League side.

Further details about the Winslow fixture will be shared in due course.

The Magpies are back in league action this Saturday when they host Eastbourne Borough at York Road.

United are looking to extend their winning run in the league to seven matches, while Tonbridge Angels are also set to visit York Road on Tuesday evening (October 21 7.45pm).