Basingstoke Town 1 : Maidenhead United 3
Town boss Frank Gray will be hoping that the new year will bring better cheer than the end of 2011 after seeing his side crash to Maidenhead United at the Camrose.
The Dragons have won just two of their last 14 meetings with the Magpies, but a more worrying statistic for Gray is that his side have won just one of their last six league matches, at Eastbourne on November 19.
The home side were not helped on New Year’s Eve by having got back into the contest, only to shoot themselves in the foot with two late defensive errors. The hosts started without Sam-Yorke and Adam Mekki and top scorer Shaun McAuley, and injured captain Ashley Bayes.
Both sides had early half chances, with Tim Sills chesting the ball down to Jidi Ogonbote, who in turn laid the ball off for Bradley Bubb, who almost capitalised on indecision in the visiting defence. But keeper Billy Lumley fractionally beat Bubb to the ball to clear.
The hosts, looking to stamp their authority on the game, saw Bubb and Matt Warner combine well down the left and after a poor cross managed to recycle possession, with the ball falling to Stuart Lake in a good area, but he was unable to get away one of his trademark firecrackers and a poor connection saw a rather tame effort. An open first half saw the half chances continue and the visitors thought they had taken the lead from a corner, but the referee blew for an infringement and the goal wiped out.
A frenetic five minutes saw Ogunbote put Sills through against the visiting keeper. But Lumley was alert and saved with his legs in the one-on-one. At the other end, Sills turned from villain to hero as he cleared off the line following Morris losing the ball under pressure and Maidenhead firing the ball towards the vacant net.
Another chance fell for the home side as David Pratt followed up another effort from Sills and the keeper made a fine block, but the Dragons were made to pay for their wastefulness as, at the other end, Reece Tison-Liscaris was allowed too much space as he cut inside Rice and fired home from the edge of the box past Morris into the net.
Town had a chance to square things up before the break when Bubb beat his man and played the ball in to Pratt in the box, but the striker did not look up and fired wide.
Six minutes into the second half, Town were level. Warner found Pratt, who fed the ball to Bubb, who had stolen a half yard from his marker and fired a low powerful shot through a crowd of players which Lumley could only help into his own net. Maidenhead responded and Richard Paquette showed his presence and Morris made a good save from the striker’s shot.
With 20 minutes left, Ogunbote fired over from a Pratt flick-on and shortly after the striker ran well and cut inside, but with Stuart Lake and Sills in the box shot at the keeper from an almost impossible angle. With 12 minutes left, Nathan Smart replaced the injured Wes Daly and almost immediately had a chance to put his side in the lead, firing just wide.
Paquette put the Magpies in front with seven minutes remaining. MacDonald, who had not put a foot wrong, failed to clear the ball and Paquette reacted, and, with his effort possibly going wide, the ball deflected off a hapless Jay Gasson into the net.
Where Town had been wasteful, Paquette was clinical and he completed a miserable afternoon for the home side showing his strength to hold off Gasson and firing his low shot home to secure seven points in the last three games for a resurgent Maidenhead United.
