Phoenix FM’s JOHN CHUBB reporting from Melbourne Stadium
Chelmsford City suffered their first home defeat of the season in the Vanarama National League South, as they slipped to a 0-1 defeat at the hands of fellow promotion hopefuls Maidenhead United.
Clarets manager Rod Stringer made 2 changes from the side that started the 2-2 draw at Hemel Hempstead Town on Saturday, courtesy of a brilliant injury time equaliser by striker Chris Dickson. Anthony Church – who captained the side – and Liam Enver-Marum came in for Kane Haysman, who dropped to the subs bench, and Shaun Jeffers.
Visitors Maidenhead, in 2nd place at the start of play and managed by former West Ham and England midfielder Alan Devonshire came into this game on the back of a frustrating goalless draw at home to Hampton & Richmond at the weekend. The ex-Braintree boss dropped Sam Barratt and Ryan Peters to the bench from the eleven who started that game, Remy Clerima and James Mulley coming into his side.
Chances were few and far between for either side in what was a scrappy first quarter, with neither side demonstrating much in the way if flowing football. but the game sprang into life after 23 minutes when Maidenhead had the first real chances of the game. The league’s top scorer Dave Tarpey fired in a shot which Clarets right-back Joshua Hill heroically cleared off the line, and when Tarpey had a second effort from the rebound Josh Rees was there to defect the danger.
After that, both sides cancelled each other out for the remainder of what was a largely uneventful first 45 minutes, until just before the stroke of half time when Maidenhead were awarded a penalty for an apparent handball by Hill inside the box. Tarpey stepped up to take the spot kick and made no mistake, firing a thunderbolt of a penalty past Ross Fitzsimons in the Chelmsford goal to put his side 1-0 up at the interval, and score his 33rd league goal of the season in the process.
After the break the first real chance fell to City in the 51st minute, Willmott’s corner resulting in a chance which Liam Enver-Marum narrowly sent over the bar. Chris Dickson had chance on 54 when he connected with Max Porter’s cross, but his header was saved by United keeper Carl Pentney.
The Clarets came agonisingly close to an equaliser in the 59th minute, when Pentney dropped a shot from Dickson and Rees had a shot blocked on the line. Then on the hour they were awarded a free kick on the edge of the area after Willmott was fouled, one of referee Lee Venamore’s less dubious decisions of the match. Willmott fired the kick straight at goal but Harry Pritchard cleared the danger for the visitors. Then on 72 Fitzsimons was alert enough to save a Maidenhead free kick, following a foul on Tarpey. The same player had a chance for Maidenhead on the break in the 76th minute, but his effort was superbly saved by Fitzsimons.
The visitors had another couple of great chances just before the game entered the final 10 minutes, both of which went just wide of the the right hand post. Chelmsford kept trying to break down the visitors’ stubborn defence, but it proved to no avail although late substitute Max Cornhill came agonisingly close to an equaliser a minute from time, almost meeting a cross with his head.
So Maidenhead returned to the top of the league and it was a happy trip back to Berkshire for the small band of visiting supporters. Stringer was left scratching his head at some of the refereeing decisions, but with a lot of positives to take from a performance that – especially in the second half – could easily have resulted in a different outcome.
Chelmsford: Fitzsimons, Hill, Graham, Porter (Cornhill 88), Bush, Spillane, Willmott, Church, Enver-Marum, Dickson, Rees (Buchanan 75).
Maidenhead: Pentney, Clerima, Steer, Parkinson, Massey, Inman, Tarpey (Barratt 78), Comley, Marks, Mulley, Pritchard.
Attendance: 847
Chelmsford manager Rod Stringer, speaking to Phoenix FM just after the final whistle was clearly unhappy with some of the refereeing decisions during the match, describing he penalty as ‘a bit of a harsh decision’ but was pleased with many aspects of his team’s performance, particularly in the second half:
“I thought we worked hard, I thought we battled hard….in the second half I thought we absolutely slaughtered them (Maidenhead) but unfortunately that goal at half time (the penalty) killed us a little bit….I thought a lot of the decisions tonight were strange decisions…..but I’ve got to say to my boys, that’s a moral victory”, said the Clarets boss.
