Last Saturday saw our Under 23s go head-to-head with Maidenhead Town down at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre, the former home of the England National Team.

Sheldon Baptiste made seven changes to his side, which saw both new and old faces join the lineup in hopes of grasping our first three points of the campaign. Omar Carrington, Will Longmatey, Andrew Tafeni and goalkeeper John O’Sullivan all kept their places in the starting XI, whilst three new additions were welcomed into the team for the very first time.

Jamaal Whight took the captain’s armband for this clash, and got us underway on the road whilst wearing our yellow away kit. 

The opening five minutes saw both teams try to settle into the game. Maidenhead’s number 7, Mitchell Burley, opened the scoring for the hosts with a strike from just outside the eighteen-yard-box. 

Play resumes after a short break following a collision between the hosts’ keeper and another player. City’s attempts for an equaliser unfortunately all fell short. A curling effort from Charlie Gmiterek was easily claimed in the eighth minute by Maidenhead’s keeper Dominic Wall.

Town doubled their lead in the 17th minute following a shot from Joe Park, who bagged his first of the afternoon.

A shot on the counter narrowly misses for Reiss Baker and Gmiterek, as they team up to get the ball in the box and on target. Maidenhead’s number 20 and number 7 join forces and reach the goal, but miss a final touch on the inside of the six yard box.

City’s next move saw an attack begin, and the ball was sent to Andrew Tafeni, who attempted to switch the ball to the right, but Maidenhead stole possession and headed upfield. O’Sullivan runs out to claim outside the box.

Defender Matthew Williamson passed a long ball to Baker in the box, but he unfortunately ran offside. A direct shot from fullback Mickael Vaisset flashed across goal moments later, and it remained goalless for City.

In the final minutes of the first half, Maidenhead added another to their tally, following a City mishap, which was capitalised on by the hosts’ Jack Beech. Two in two minutes saw the scoreline hit 4-0 as Maidenhead’s number 4, Cameron Netherwood-Meek, put the ball in the back of the net. In the dying minutes, a late touch from a City defender knocked it in once again, making it 5-0 at the break.

Half Time: Maidenhead Town 5-0 City U23s

The hosts got the game restarted, and City began with a high press, resulting in debutant Roy-Jones Mbou setting up a shot for Tafeni. The ball went just wide, crashing into the outer side netting.

A triple sub soon followed for City, and attackers Baker and Carrington, alongside midfielder Gmiterek all exited the field of play. Mael Le Paih returned to the team and joined the fray alongside Dee Mabaye and Jahson Downes, who made their debut appearances.

Two minutes later, Joe Park claimed his brace, and made it 6-0 to the hosts.

A City corner five minutes later sees Maidenhead’s goalkeeper Wall go to ground to claim an inswinging shot from Allen. A second set of substitutions for Baptiste’s side saw him swap Allen and Williamson with Rjunior Palmer and Daniel Nderitu.

The ball finally reaches the back of the net for our young team, in the 66th minute thanks to a shot on the rebound by Nderitu, off the back of a saved free kick. However, he was deemed to be in an offside position in the buildup, leaving City without the consolation they had been fighting for.

Despite the scoreline however, City played a stronger second half. Wall runs out of goal to defend, giving Nderitu a chance to shoot. He passes towards Mbou and Downes, but the ball rolls short and reaches the feet of the keeper.

Our number 7, Mbou, took another chance and aimed from distance, but Wall calmly clutched it. A throw-in from outside the final third reached Mabaye, but the attempt couldn’t be easily finished, and got knocked away.

O’Sullivan took a risk and ran out of goal to defend, but Maidenhead crossed it in the final stage of attack. The hosts took a shot, but it drifted past the post.

Our final attempt of the game fell to Mbou, who chased upfield, but the shot rolled short. A scramble in the last minutes of the match saw a lack of chances taken from both sides, and the whistle blew shortly after to call time.

Full Time: Maidenhead Town 6-0 City U23s

A demanding day at the office for our Under 23s, but there’s always next week to make a comeback.

We return to the Atrium on the 21st September to face Newbury.