Points shared at Vauxhall Road as Maidenhead and Hemel cancel each other out

Josh Umerah was foiled by the Hemel defence. Photo: Darren Woolley/MUFC

--

Hemel Hempstead Town 0, Maidenhead United 0

Maidenhead United managed to stretch their unbeaten run in the league to five matches, but they were forced to settle for a share of the spoils with hosts Hemel Hempstead Town this afternoon.

After four successive league victories, two of them under interim management duo Ryan Peters and Aaron O’Brien, the Magpies were hoping to lift themselves above Hemel and into the National League South play-off places with a victory.

However, those hopes were knocked back by their dogged hosts, who managed to match their visitors for the most part and finished the stronger of the two teams. They stay two points above Maidenhead in seventh after this goalless draw.

The saying goes in football that ‘if you can’t win, don’t lose’, and Maidenhead will be satisfied to have done that against tough opponents in a competitive clash. It also means they’re unbeaten in five league matches heading into their intriguing home clash with neighbours Slough Town on Boxing Day.

United had their opportunities once again, but then so did Hemel, however, neither team was clinical enough to take them and a point felt about right for both promotion chasers.

Jordi Van Stappershoef parried away an early attempt from Kyran Wiltshire before the Magpies bared their teeth with a volley that flashed wide from Matt Robinson in the sixth minute.

Momentum continued to swing, with Van Stappershoef making a big save from Samuel Adenola, the Dutch stopper just getting his fingertips to the strike to tip over in the seventh minute.

Josh Umerah bulleted home a header in last weekend’s 3-1 away win at Hampton & Richmond Borough, and he went close again in the 14th minute when he nodded wide from Josh Popoola’s left-wing cross. The chances continued to come Maidenhead’s way with Liam Dulson flashing another attempt over midway through the half.

The opportunities dried up for both teams in the run up to half-time, with Dulson just failing to scramble the ball home in the 40th minute before Popoola flashed another shot just wide in the 44th minute.

Both teams came out for the second half feeling the three points were within their grasp, but neither were clinical enough to take their chances. Popoola came close just before the hour mark, checking back after running onto Jordon Ragguette’s ball into him, but a Hemel defender managed to get across and block his goal bound effort.

The shots continued to ping in from United, with Raguette seeing another decent attempt blocked after good work from substitute Jayden Mitchell-Lawson. But the Magpies ran out of steam as an attacking force after that and Hemel came on strong in the final 25 minutes.

Darion Dowrich swept a shot over the bar in the 74th minute and Hemel then had the ball in the net in the 80th minute, only for the assistant’s flag to deny them the opener.

The visitors also needed a heroic late challenge from Manny Onariase to block what looked a certain goal for the home side in the 92nd minute.

So, the spoils were shared and deservedly so. The result keeps the Magpies eighth in the table, two points behind Hemel in seventh, however, both sides closed the gap on Horsham in sixth and Torquay in fifth who both suffered defeats.