Devonshire believes two-week break blunted the Magpies' momentum

Alan Devonshire doesn’t think the Magpies recent extended break in the league helped their cause in this week’s matches at home to Eastbourne Borough and Tonbridge Angels.

The hosts headed into this week’s fixtures having not kicked a ball competitively for two weeks, and they’d played only two games in a month while rivals were in regular league and FA Cup action.

United were looking to build on their recent run of six straight victories in the National League South, but they lacked their usual sharpness in both home games, but especially in Saturday’s disappointing 1-0 home defeat to Eastbourne.

Despite lacking their usual craft and guile in attack, the Magpies were still just about the better team in a game of very few chances, but they fell behind just after the hour mark when the visitors scored from their first corner of the game, Freddie Carter profiting from a mistake from goalkeeper Jordi Van Stappershoef to fire home from close range.

The Magpies then huffed and puffed to get themselves back on level terms but didn’t have enough about them to break down their visitors as they lost for the first time in the league since trailing to current league leaders Weston Super Mare back on August 23.

The Magpies were much improved in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Tonbridge Angels at York Road. Devonshire felt they should have taken more of their first half chances and had the game wrapped up before Nazir Bakrin’s header just after the hour mark cancelled out Josh Popoola’s thumping opener late in the first half.

Aside from a five-minute spell after Tonbridge levelled the game, Maidenhead were the better team and with sharper, more clinical finishing, would have taken another three points.

“Being broken up and having not played for two weeks, that didn’t help,” said Devonshire. “When you’re winning you just want to keep playing.

“I don’t think it’s helped us. Our first game on Saturday, should have been a 0-0 draw. We made a mistake for their goal. Again, we had enough chances to wrap the game up on Tuesday.

“It’s not what we wanted but we’ve just got to roll our sleeves up and get on with it.

“The games are really tight most of them, if you don’t score early. I was more disappointed on Tuesday because we had enough chances to wrap the game up in the first half. It’s going to be an up and down season; I think it’s going to be like that at times.”

Despite not claiming the points he felt the side deserved this week, Devonshire isn’t daunted by the task that’s in front of him. He’s hopeful the Magpies can go on a long unbeaten run in the league to stay close to the division’s front runners but also knows it’s going to be difficult to maintain that level of consistency over the course of a season.

There will be ups and downs as he says, and he’s reminded supporters that it took him his squad two seasons (since he took over) to get out of the division last time, when they were promoted as champions back in 2017.

“The teams that went down last year, they’re all finding it difficult,” he said. “Ebbsfleet, Dagenham & Redbridge and us, and we’re above the other two now. Hopefully, that continues.

It doesn’t matter what league you’re in, it’s tough. It took us two years to get out of it last time.

“We had a 10-minute spell where we were taken aback by it all and apart from that we dominated the game.

“We managed to get balls into the box, but we just couldn’t finish those chances. We hit the bar and the post a couple of times when we could have done better.

“But listen, we’re still in and around it and we’ve got some big games coming up.”

This week’s results leave the Magpies in sixth, seven points behind leaders Weston Super Mare, ahead of Saturday’s trip to Farnborough in 22nd place. United then go to Dorkin Wanderers on Tuesday, October 28.

He added: “Yeah, we take the next game. It’s not going to be won over the first 11 games of the season it’s going to be won over 46. That’s where we’re at. We’ve still got a lot of games to play.

“I won’t really know until tonight (Thursday). A few of our centre backs have knocks. We’ll look at it on Saturday, and I will make some changes anyway because we’ve got the Saturday and Tuesday matches. A few of them can’t play in both games.”