Away Day Diary: Tamworth 3-1 Maidenhead United (14/09/24)

This match was on my radar as soon as the fixtures came out, seeing as it would be my first train away day of the season at a relatively easy-to-get-to new ground, with several highly recommended pubs in the town centre on the manageable walk between the station and the football club and vs a newly promoted side that I thought we had a decent chance of beating (bearing in mind their plastic pitch, I was hoping for Dorking-away-last-August vibes) ... and all that before our injury-hit, patched-up team's struggles in the first eight matches meant that it would be a potentially pivotal early season six-pointer (us 20th, them 23rd with a game in hand); as such, I had booked train tickets for me and Macleod (M) in mid-July, opting for a train due to get us in earlier than our usual '11-to-midday' arrival time because it was cheaper (£26 each) ... although that didn't stop Macleod (M) complaining about commenting on the early start in the run-up to Saturday

After putting the world to rights on the walk to the station and on "a pleasantly uneventful" (albeit slightly delayed) train journey via Reading and Birmingham New Street, our pre-match pub crawl went as follows: the Wetherspoons (the Globe Inn wasn't open; fake breakfast photo), the Old Bank House (as recommended by @hopwas2010), and the understandably well-renowned Tamworth Tap (photos with @hopwas2010)

Maidenhead United losing, I can handle (see the Rochdale post for recent evidence), but Maidenhead United losing whilst looking like they couldn't care less is unforgivable and not something I ever thought we'd see from an Alan Devonshire XI (when a limited Tamworth side scored their second goal, our bench – perhaps in solidarity with those on-pitch – barely moved a muscle ... I mean, kick a water bottle over or something!)

We weren't alone in walking out shortly after their embarrassingly easy third and long before TSS' 94th-minute consolation and the final whistle – I genuinely can't remember ever leaving a game so early

Our post-match pub crawl went as follows: the Sheriff of Tamworth (the fella from Thames Valley Police – yes, we have an officer following us about THESE DAYS, which is a complete waste of taxpayer cash – said it's the worst he's seen us play), Sir Robert Peel (someone mentioned, whilst sat in the garden, this was our most embarrassing defeat since losing to Maidenhead Town in 1974, which is hyperbole – we're P2, W2 vs Maidenhead Town – but indicative of how pitiful the performance was), and the King's Ditch (a Derby County fan asked whether Tamworth has a football club – I can only assume that he was, with some degree of success, taking the piss)

Rather like the players on Saturday, I can't be bothered, TBH – it's a struggle for me to muster the effort to write much else ...

The trains were banjaxed at Reading, so heartfelt thanks to Macleod (P) for picking us up

Halifax at York Road next Saturday; "We go again" blah blah blah

(BBC report; match highlights)

"What we have given them [the supporters] is crap" Yep.

"At the moment we are painting over cracks" Papering might work better!

"The least our fans deserve is for us to put in a shift and run around" Yep.

"If we play like this, we're not gonna get any points" Yep. https://t.co/iV3aZv7Q4g

— ɢᴏ ᴍᴀᴅ ᴏʀ sᴛᴏᴘ ᴄᴀʀɪɴɢ (@gomadstopcaring) September 15, 2024

Away Day (sort of) Diary: Rochdale 3-1 Maidenhead United (10/09/24)

Reasonable, do you think, that Maidenhead United has three – count 'em, three – Tuesday night trips to Greater Manchester (plus one to Braintree – 178 miles there and back) this season when other sides in the division have one long-distance midweek away fixture (Wealdstone's furthest, for example, is Tamworth)? Of course not, but the National League gonna National League

Our supporters' coach car, aka the MurdoMobile, picked up TWS, CB, and Chris Rad. from the station at 14:30 and made steady, if at times slow, progress northwards (not helped by heavy rain and traffic on the M5 between Oldbury and West Bromwich); the focus of my attention during much of the journey was the BBC's recent article on match-fixing in the 2013/14 Conference South ("Alexa, play Suspicious Minds")

Conference Premier Forum grandee 'Dave (Barra)' had recommended – on the relevant Match-Fixing thread – rag pudding and chips from the chippy adjacent to the away-end turnstiles, so that's where we headed after arriving more-or-less on schedule and having fortunately found a parking spot opposite the nearby Church of St Clement; once we'd wolfed down our grub ("This'll probably be the highlight of the night"), it was round to the other side of the ground for a pre-match livener in their sizeable bar (one of two), with a £3.40 pint of Manchester Pale Ale serving to highlight Stripes' comparative deficiencies in terms of drink options and prices

Horrific defending had cost us in our last away game at Aldershot, but this was another level as their impressive no. 4 was left unmarked from a corner and then afforded all the time in the world to pick his spot to open the scoring after 18 minutes, then our central defence parted like the Red Sea to allow the prolific Kairo Mitchell clean through on goal ("an insult to Sunday League defenders to describe it as Sunday League defending"; "I watched a video of a match-fixed goal earlier today and that contained better defending"); the Magpies were two-down at the break despite being the better side early on and creating some presentable chances, with Shawn McCoulsky's deflected shot forcing a smart save from their keeper's outstretched leg at 0-0 and a James Golding effort hitting the post moments before the half-time whistle

Dev, when apologetically chatting to the travelling horde at full-time, commented that he'd given his two centre-halves a thorough dressing down at the interval, but whatever he'd said hadn't worked as after 47 minutes, Mitchell was again running unimpeded onto a through ball – 3-0, and it looked like we would be on the end of proper shellacking; rather frustratingly, those wearing purple shirts then decided to wake up and, with the standout Golding to the fore in midfield and after a fine individual goal from Joseph Ajose (a promising display on his full debut), we created several more decent chances (two cleared off the line, Pettit firing just wide, etc.) ... it's just a shame we gifted them a three-goal head start! *rolls eyes*

At least the 23 away fans could hold their heads up high, making decent noise throughout (loud enough for our reigning [joint] Players' Player of the Year Sam Beckwith to hear tongue-in-cheek jibes and prompting a somewhat thin-skinned response on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter); I like going to Rochdale (the town and the ground), while RAFC might be "as nice a club as you could visit in this league," but I think it's fair to say that their vocal support/ match atmosphere isn't the best

Lighter load in the MurdoMobile on the return journey – TWS and CB went back with Josh D. – as we discussed the other National League scores (D&R's Dion Pereira, eye-catching at York Road last Saturday, grabbing a brace against a former side of his; ANG with another goal for York; etc.), how Nathan Ferguson's Guyana has been getting on during this international window (3-1 home defeat to Suriname; 2-2 draw away to Martinique), and Googling 'jobs for people who don't like people'; we made relatively good time, and after Chris Rad.'s drop-off in Twyford and a quick but cold walk from Macleod (M)'s under a starry sky, I was in the kitchen at 01:40 munching on the last slice of my birthday cake

Even though we lost, someone said we moved up in the league table and out of the relegation zone thanks to results elsewhere; however, two of the sides below us each have a game in hand, and we play at one of those – Tamworth – on Saturday, in a match that already feels pivotal ...

(BBC report; match highlights)

pic.twitter.com/9GpplGDHpC

— ɢᴏ ᴍᴀᴅ ᴏʀ sᴛᴏᴘ ᴄᴀʀɪɴɢ (@gomadstopcaring) September 11, 2024

Away Day (sort of) Diary: Aldershot Town 4-3 Maidenhead United (31/08/24)

A 26% probability of the Magpies following up Bank Holiday Monday's pleasantly surprising and historic win over Barnet with another three points at the Wreck, according to 'National League Data Analyst', which was significantly better than one's chances of being able to access Ticketmaster on Saturday morning; a large part of me wishes that tickets for Oasis' reunion tour had gone on general sale the previous day when I was still in Crete and so could've easily justified to myself not wasting time and bandwidth queuing for a queue

Latterly, Aldershot (A) has meant pre or post-match beers with my old colleague and good mate CJ, who lives close to the ground, but he was away visiting his grandmother this time (or that's what he told me!); so, as I was only just back from an enjoyable 11-night holiday, and Macleod (M) had a ruby wedding anniversary to attend in the evening, I offered to drive us and left the house with Arsenal one up vs Brighton at half-time in the early Premier League kick-off

Declan Rice's absurd second yellow dominated the airwaves, while news  of Southend United's tinpottery made us laugh during the 45-minute journey to Hampshire; I parked close to Redan Road cemetery, which proved convenient as unlike our recent visits it transpired we were to access the ground via the woods and the East Bank entrance – problematic for those Magpies with mobility issues (it would've been nice for them to have been pre-warned, of course, but Aldershot gonna Aldershot)

Early goal for the home side was a sign of things to come – a decent finish from James Henry, but some worryingly passive and disjointed defending from those wearing purple; thankfully, Reece Smith had their right-back on toast (at least in the first half), and a mazy run set up Tristan Abrahams for 1-1

Recent reports on Joshua Johnson have been positive, so it was a big blow when the young midfielder seemingly pulled a hamstring (or thigh muscle) before the break and hobbled off, heavily strapped, to be replaced by Bradley Keetch; our injury list – featuring some predictable names – continues to lengthen, with two four said to need operations so presumably out for some time (in addition to the usual suspects being perpetually "two weeks away")

Shots' defenders carelessly allowed Abrahams to cut onto his left and equalise for a second time, but that was sandwiched by two more soft goals conceded by Alan Devonshire's men, with the first – 2-1 to them, 57 minutes – being the most frustrating and not just because it came with the contest evenly poised: Kevin Lokko – who, it's fair to say, didn't have his best game – losing possession in our half

Hady Ghandour blew Macleod (M) a kiss after being called Gandalf when frivolously appealing for a throw-in or a foul in front of the 107 away fans (on the open terrace rather than in one of the stands, which was a shame), then later scored Aldershot's fourth following more ponderous defending – the second time in as many visits that we've conceded four at the Wreck; ex-Farnborough man Lokko pulled one back (we thought Abrahams had himself a hat-trick, although the centre-half seemingly got a touch to the striker's free kick), but the Magpies never seriously threatened another equaliser (not helped by Aldershot's third, fourth, and fifth substitutions, in the 93rd, 94th, and 95th-minutes, killing any flow)

Our league position (22nd) leaves much to be desired, but it's noticeable that the other three sides in the relegation places have considerably worse goal differences than us (-10, -9, and -9 vs -3); we play all of them – at Tamworth and Boston; vs Ebbsfleet – in September

Time for another loan signing? (We've already used more loan players in six matches than we did during last season.) TBH, Dev – who has now managed an incredible 800 games in sole charge of Maidenhead United – doesn't really have much choice.

(BBC report; match highlights)

I’m 94,354th in the queue to make my joke about the Oasis ticket queue.

— Tom Jamieson (@jamiesont) August 31, 2024