Ashby-Hammond hails Magpies' resilience and communication after clean sheet against Wealdstone

Photo by Darren Woolley

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Magpies keeper Taye Ashby Hammond pulled off some splendid saves to preserve the side’s clean sheet in Saturday’s dominant 4-0 win over Wealdstone, but also hailed the resilience and communication shown by the side.

United raced out of the traps scoring four times inside the opening hour to wrap up the points and leave Dean Brennan’s Stones side shellshocked.

However, they eased off the accelerator in the final half-hour and had to rely on some fine saves from their goalkeeper to register a much-needed clean sheet. Ashby-Hammond saved well from Jerome Okimo and Danny Green in those final minutes in particular.

“I had to make a few saves but that can happen when you go four goals up,” said Ashby-Hammond.

“The team relaxed slightly but that’s what I’m there for at the end of the day, to make as many saves as I can.

“I think the defence was very good today. It took us a little while to get going but the communication and interaction between centre-backs and fullbacks was excellent.

“I think we were also very compact and dealt well with all the through balls that were thrown at us.

“I think from a back four perspective we were very good, and up front, to score four goals, that speaks for itself really.”

Ashby-Hammond was very much in the running to be named Maidenhead’s man-of-the-match, but in his view it should have gone to one of their lively forwards, who all found the net, while Ryan Upward put in his best display for the Magpies in some time.

“(Josh) Coley, Danilo (Orsi-Dadomo), and (Nathan Blissett) Bliss all did very well and their work ethic was unbelievable,” he added.

“They were getting up, down, and around the pitch the whole game. I think you could give man-of-the-match to any of those three.”