Maidenhead United 4-4 Kingstonian
COMEBACK KINGS

There was no grassy knoll, no Lee Harvey Oswald and no dead president but every K's fan will know where they were on Tuesday October 22 2002. It started out as an ordinary rainy night in Berkshire but nothing turned out to be what it seemed. Hallucinogenic drugs spiked into the pre-match tea I very much doubt, remember this was Maidenhead not Haight Ashbury. Instead of a football match 286 of us and a dog just tripped on a 90 minute journey into the darker recesses of the mind, a shorter journey for some I admit. Lt will stay in the memory far longer than 1966, a keeper who slapped a ball against his own bar, two goals from the Magpies winger that were stunning and not just one fightback from the K's but two. Hopefully a latterday Berkshire Zappruder will have filmed the game.

Much of it made no sense at all, K's were on top for the first half, but the Magpies stole two goals, and Mark Jones had to kick a corner of the line to keep the K's in it. As the Pink Floyd kicked in, Maidenhead went 3 up at the beginning of the second half and that looked like the K's unbeaten record, the mystical 13th game, was destined for the dustbin of history. But never say die K's immediately grabbed a goal and then another to raise hopes. But these seemed dashed when the lads fell agonisingly behind again to another wonder goal from winger Morley. 4-2 down the K's then scored twice in two minutes to set up a gut wrenching final 10 minutes with two tired and nervous sides unsure whether to defend for a point or go for broke. With our heads between our legs and close to nervous exhaustion we just wanted the warm embrace of our mothers, grown men were seen to cry. I could see colourful exploding spherical images, patterns appeared that I had last seen on my paisley pyjamas. I could see my footprints in the terraces, I felt a strong urge to hug all the beautiful K's supporters, by god it must have been hallucinogenic drugs. Some say it was the Bovril, but weren't we near the Horlicks factory?

The game started in a normal fashion, then of course it would and K's had the best of the early exchanges. Striker Tim Sills blasted over from 20 yards on 4 minutes and then Magpies keeper Trevor Roffey did well to hold a curling Phil Wingfield corner. A James Pinnock cross from the right skidded off the head of Tim Sills for Wingfield to nod over. But on 11 minutes the Magpies scored with their first attack of the game, ANDY MORLEY picked up a loose ball some 25 yards out and let loose a screamer that gave a full stretch Lance Key no chance. Eight minutes later new boy Graeme Tomlinson set up Wingfield out on the left and he curled in a high drive that was just over. A minute later the busy Roffey smothered at the feet of Craig Lewington. On 23 minutes Dave Clarke's rising drive was acrobatically tipped over by Roffey. From the Pinnock corner Sean Thurgood unluckily lashed the ball just over the bar. But it was the Magpies who doubled their lead and it was another superb goal. PAUL KELLY forced his way into the K's box, shook off the attentions of Clarke, and drilled the ball low past Key. Maidenhead had a good spell and Jones blocked a header on the line on 38 minutes allowing a grateful Key to smother. With a minute of the half remaining a Mark Nicholls free-kick fell to striker Laurence Yaku who drove the ball past Key but the wrong side of the post. Then a Wingfield corner from the left fell to Tomlinson on the far post, but his overhead kick struck the side netting.

Four minutes into the second half K's looked jittery deep in their own box, Julian Sills went to clear but the ball struck LAURENCE YAKU, who did well to control and coolly slot the ball home from close range. The K's responded in the best possible fashion, a minute later, a high Max Hustwick cross saw TIM SILLS rise in front of Roffey to elegantly head home. K's tails were up, a Pinnock cross from the right found an unmarked Wingfield on the edge of the home box, but his low drive was wide of Roffey. On the hour a Pinnock corner saw skipper Julian Sills header unluckily strike the woodwork. On 64 minutes K's edged their way back into the game when a Pinnock free-kick from out the right was met with a determined bullet header from PHIL WINGFIELD that gave Roffey no chance.

K's manager Steve Sedgley made a double substitution as the K's went all out, but suddenly it all turned sour. On 72 minutes a lovely run by Yaku down the right saw him shake off Thurgood and find Nicholls on the edge of the box, his perfect first time flick curled into the path of ANDY MORLEY who drove the ball into the roof of the net for his second of the night. It was a second major blow for the K's but again they came straight back at the Magpies. On 78 minutes a high cross from MARK JONES out on the left disorientated Roffey who could only step back and slap the ball against his bar, the ball came down and struck a defender for a comical own goal. A minute later K's drew level for the first time when Lewington did well to hold the ball up on the edge of the home box. He set up sub NJ LAMPTON who drilled the ball low a diving Roffey on his line. It could have gone either way in the final minutes, Chris Elsegood's rising drive saw Key do well to tip over and then Lampton took off on a long run but his eventual drive struck the side netting. An away point for the K's? It was never in doubt.