Maidenhead United 1 Hampton & Richmond Borough 2

Hampton & Richmond Borough manager Alan Devonshire made a successful first return to his old stomping ground, Maidenhead United, when the Beavers notched their eighth away league win with a 2-1 victory at York Road.

Devonshire left Maidenhead at the end of the 2002-03 season and this was the first occasion that he had had the opportunity to bring a team back to York Road.

Just to add to the afternoon, there was a Hampton connection in the other technical area, Magpies Manager Johnson Hippolyte, remembered for a spell with Hampton in the late 90s.

Maidenhead United appear to have a complex about playing at home and have even gone so far as to hire a coach to take them to home games via a 30-minute ride around the Berkshire countryside.

Maidenhead looked uncertain and nervy in the first period but came back into the game strongly in the second half.

Hampton, meanwhile had already won seven times on their travels.

The first half definitely belonged to the Beavers and they were well worth their half-time lead.

In the ninth minute Lawrence Yaku was played in and Maidenhead's keeper Louis Wells made the save.

Wells was called into action again when in the 15th minute Francis Quarm unleashed a fierce drive from 25 yards, Wells leaping high to his left to divert the ball away for a corner.

Maidenhead's Manny Williams tried a blast at the far post but the shot was always off target.

Minutes later Alan Inns broke up an attack featuring Jack Bradshaw and Wes Daly.

In the 24th minute, Elliott Godfrey shot from outside the penalty area, Wells spilled the ball in front of him but there were no red shirts close enough to take advantage.

Godfrey gave Hampton the lead when he finished off a four-man move with a low drive, four Maidenhead defenders left lying on the floor.

Godfrey went close again after taking one touch his volley was saved by Wells.

Following a long throw by Dean Wells, the ball was crossed in, and Ian Hodges got in among the defenders and headed the ball into the net to put Hampton 2-0 up.

Ryan Lake then protected the lead when he headed a cross away from under the crossbar.

If Quarm's effort had gone in the game would have been done and dusted as a contest.

If the first half was all Hampton then the second half belonged to the home side.

Hampton stuttered through the second half and at times struggled to find a man in a red shirt.

The home side made a double substitution 10 minutes into the second half and it seemed to liven them up.

Maidenhead attacked nonstop but could only find a way through once.

In the 66th minute, Williams pulled a goal back, when he scrambled the ball in from close range following a corner.

As in the fixture at Hampton earlier in the season, Maidenhead's accuracy in front of goal let them down.

Hampton just had enough in the tank to keep the Magpies at bay and held on for a 2-1 win, ugly possibly, but their eighth on their travels.

Hampton: Matt Lovett; Ryan Lake, Barrie Matthews, Orlando Jeffrey, Francis Quarm, Dean Wells, Alan Inns, Elliott Godfrey (Stuart Lake, 71), Ian Hodges, Lawrence Yaku (Shaun McAuley, 87), Kelvin McIntosh. Subs not used: Marcello Fernandes, Craig Tanner, Elliott Frost.The Beavers have added a couple of young players to their squad, Craig Tanner, 22, from Sutton United and Nicky Irvine, also 22.

Tanner spent a couple of years at Sutton United, while international clearance is awaited for Irvine, who hails from Northern Ireland.