Devonshire delighted by Maidenhead United's reaction to Gateshead FC defeat

Maidenhead United picked up an important point at Boreham Wood on Tuesday night, but it was the reaction of his players to their heavy defeat at Gateshead that pleased manager Alan Devonshire most.

The Magpies boss wanted to see a response from his side after their 7-1 defeat at the International Stadium, and he wasn’t left disappointed. 

Moses Emmanuel equalised in the 29th minute to cancel out Morgan Ferrier’s early strike, and the Magpies had chances to snatch the points in the second half, but Devonshire was more than happy with his side’s performance.

“It was an important result,” he said.

“We needed a reaction, and I was a little bit worried after what happened at the weekend.

“We then went down after three or four minutes, but the players showed great character. I was very, very pleased, but it’s the reaction that’s the most important thing. We took a point and maybe could have had three.”

Devonshire said that Saturday’s second half capitulation at Gateshead FC merely illustrates what a tough league Maidenhead are in, and he said that if the players ‘aren’t on it’, they’ll quickly get found out.

“The National League is a hard league,” he said. “Who’d have thought that Aldershot would get beat 7-1 on the same day. It’s a hard league and if you’re off, like we were, you’ll get smashed. You can get away with two or three players being off it, but not eight or nine. That’s what happened on Saturday, but hopefully we’ve learned our lesson.

“I spoke to all the boys individually on Sunday, like I do every week, but I didn’t have to say very much to them last night (ahead of the Boreham game). The result could even have been better, but you take a point against a side that will finish in the play-offs.”