With a late comeback draw and a win from the previous two games things looked to be turning for United however a somewhat abject display at the SKYex against Beaconsfield Town saw Ritchie Hanlon’s side beaten 3-1 by the well organised visitors.
The gaffer made a single enforced change to the side that had beaten Harrow in midweek with the injured Connor Stevens being replaced by Jerry Wiltshire at the heart of the United defence. Things started well for the home side with early dominance culminating in a United lead. In the tenth minute Jack Williams played the ball down the left line to Michael Fernandes, he advanced before playing Norman Wabo through on goal, the striker being denied a third in three games as Town ‘keeper Matt Rowley blocked his effort wide of the goal. Three minutes later United were ahead. Cole Brown collected the ball in the defensive right-back area of the pitch, he moved forwards and found Wabo who slid a perfect return pass into Brown’s stride and the United man fired a first time shot across Rowley into the far corner from the edge of the box. With United dominating to this point the lead was fully deserved however the home side seemed to drift out of the game for large patches thereafter and before the half hour mark the scores were level. Asher Yearwood had sliced a good chance well wide on 25 minutes but just two minutes later a corner was swung into the United six yard box from the right side, the usually safe hands of Jacob Adams failed on this occasion as the United stopper dropped the cross onto Yearwood and the ball rolled into the net although the Beaconsfield man I’m sure knew little about it. Ten minutes later Amos Nasha chipped a smart ball forwards to Wabo, he advanced into the box and turned his marker Jacques Kpohomouh inside out to make room for a shot that sadly was straight at the ‘keeper and Rowley saved comfortably. United were undone in first half additional time and once again from a corner, this time from the left side with Rams skipper Luke Neville rising highest to head home unmarked in front of goal. The visitors were out of the blocks quickest after the break too and with less than sixty seconds of the second half played they went close to a third when former United man Josh Payne latched on to a weak clearance but his drive from 20 yards went just the wrong side of the post for his liking. Minutes later a chance for United saw Johnny Allotey break on the left side before playing the ball inside to Ronan Silva but his effort from just outside the box was easily dealt with by Rowley in the visitors’ goal. With United now creating very little it was the visitors who looked most likely to find another goal. Sam Granville collected the ball on the right side and fed it inside to James Dobson who could only find the side netting and a few minutes later an fierce angled drive from Jacob Gardiner-Smith was superbly blocked by a sliding Jerry Wiltshire with the follow-up effort again being blocked by the United defence with the shot on seemingly it’s way to the United net. We entered the final ten minutes and not for the first time this season Adams was penalised for picking up a back pass. The resultant free-kick 8 yards from goal was rolled back to Dobson who almost hit the scaffolding on the adjacent building site with his effort. A final opening for United to pull level came in the 85th minute as Paul Field broke down the right wing and centred the ball to substitute Jamie Hanlon on the edge of the box, his rising shot clearing the goal by almost as much as Dobson’s at the other end. The final nail in United's coffin came in stoppage time as a neat move on the right resulted in the ball being pulled back to Yearwood who took a touch onto his left foot and fired low into the corner of Adams’ net to secure a maximum point haul for the visitors.
Report by Kevin Watts. Photos by Anthony Mills. Print the Teamsheet: Here.