In glorious April sunshine The Lambs made their way to York Road for the first time, as Alan Devonshire's lowly Vanarama National League side looked to get points to help their fight against relegation while Andy Peaks’ Lambs went in search of another positive result to extend their nine game unbeaten run (eight in the league).

Peaks made two changes to the side that beat Eastleigh, with Ronan Maher starting his last game before returning to Walsall, and Ben Milnes came in for George Morrison who had returned to Fleetwood Town.

Tamworth, in red shirts and gold shorts, kicked off the game, with the home side attacking the Canal Street end in the first half.
An early Tonks throw from the left was cleared, and this spurred The Stripes into action with Smith forcing a corner on the left after breaking into the box. Kiernan received the ball past the far post and his cross was put behind for another, which Ferguson took but it was cleared by Cockerill-Molett.
The defender was forced to head it behind on 8 from Clerima’s long throw and Singh punched it away before the whistle blew for a foul against the keeper.
McClousky tried a snapped shot from 20 yards on 11 but completely missed his strike , and Keirnan was inches away from a far post head on 13 off the left wing cross of Smith.
Petit’s foul on Maher on 14 allowed Milnes to send the ball into the box from the halfway line but when it came back out to Tonks his shot on the volley cleared the painted terrace stand behind Howes’ goal.
Smith then got the better of Crompton to drive a low cross into the six yard box on 17 and Kiernan somehow put his close range finish over the bar.
The Magpies took the lead on 23 though when Smith and Keirnan combined down the right to put the ball into the box and McCoulsky met it unmarked and sweetly at the near post to turn it past Singh (1-0, 23 mins)
Another good run down the left by Smith forced a corner with his low ball towards the near post on 26 and although the flagkick came to nothing, the home side’s build up caused the Tamworth defence to ask questions of themselves once again.
Tonks was given the long throw option on 28 and from the left by the corner his missile was flicked on but also out for a goalkick as the unsegregated travelling faithful made themselves heard behind the goal.
The midfielder tried a similar approach from the other side on 32 but Howes collected it at height, and when Milnes was bundled over by Petit on 37 it set up a freekick 35 yards from goal for the captain to try his luck and his curling effort struck the top of the bar via the keeper’s fingertips, but no corner was given.
With the ball ricocheting off boots and no real clear play patterns emerging from either side, when Maher was tripped in the middle on 43 Milnes was able to make headway down the left but he was prevented from crossing and Maidenhead regained possession purely due to player numbers in front of the midfielder.
Crompton’s cross was blocked on the right for a Tonks throw on 44 which Digie, in the six yard box, met with his head, but he glanced it wide of the far post.
One minutes added time was shown at the end of the half and Digie was booked for a shoulder barge on Smith on the home left wing in the final action of the first 45.

HT: 1-0

As the Grand National got underway The Mapgies restarted proceedings, and an early foul on McCoulsky in the left channel gave Ferguson the deadball but his curling freekick was taken by Singh.
Digie had to get to a right wing cross first before McCouskly could get his head to it, and Ferguson screwed his shot from the left well wide.
The home side celebrated a second goal on 52, when Digie was beaten to the ball, over the halfway line and into the left channel, by McClousky and he played a low diagonal ball into the area from the left, which Keirnan got the faintest of touches to take it past Singh to nestle inside the far post. (2-0, 52 mins)
A strong run by Milnes and pass to Crompton forced a corner on the right on 56, and the deadball was met by Creaney but his header flashed out past the near post with the striker left holding his head in his hands.
A short Tonks throw to Milnes on the right on 58 saw his cross fall onto Creaney’s head once again, but this time he struck the bar and Howes punched the dropping ball clear.
Cockerill-Mollett span on the loose ball to fire a half volley on target on 61, which Howes wasn’t too troubled by, and Peaks made a double change as Curley and Waldron came on.
Another Tonks throw caused problems, but Curley’s low strike through the crowd was easy for Howes.
Creaney and Kiernan were booked for a tussle on the halfway line on 70, and there were two further changes, as Maher and McGlinchey made way.
Smith blazed a shot over Singh’s goal from distance and struck the roofs of the houses behind the goal, and from the ensuing play Milnes was booked as The Lambs were awarded a freekick but his deadball went into the keepers hands and there was a prolonged stoppage while Howes received treatment for cramp.
From Enoru’s persistence Tonks launched a throw in and when Cockerill-Mollett took the ball past Pettit he was tripped in the box so Milnes stepped up for the penalty and planted it under the dive of Howes into the bottom left corner (2-1, 77 mins)
The home side responded from the kick off, with Latty-Fairweather working the ball into the box on the left and out to Clerima unmarked on the right, only to realise he had left his shooting boots in the changing room, rifling a powerful shot well wide of the mark.
On 82, Tonks sent a throw from the left corner in, and received it back but The Lambs were being made to work hard to forge any sort of opening and when Williams forced a corner on the left on 84 Milnes deadball was headed strongly away by Johnson.
Another Tonks throw from the right on 88 was headed back across the box by a Maidenhead defender but no one could capitalise on it, and when no one could dig the ball out off the edge of the Lambs box on 90, Johnson pounced to go through with just Singh to beat which he duly did with a powerful low strike (3-1. 90 mins)
Seven minutes added time was shown by the fourth official, as The Lambs went on the attack from the restart, but Creaney was denied a far post header off Hollis’ cross from the right of the box.
Singh had to concentrate to make two stops in quick succession on 94, with Johnson following up the loose ball as the keeper kicked away his goalbound effort.
Creaney found Howes in the way of his on target header from Tonks’ searching ball into the area on 95 and Williams forced a left sided corner on 97 which Milnes saw headed away in the final act to end The Lambs run.

Maidenhead United
Howes, De Havilland, Latty-Fairweather, Ferguson (Johnson 64), McClousky (Sho-Silva 90+1), Ferdinand, Pettit, Smith (Welch-Hayes 90+3), Clerima, Kiernan (Barratt 84), Onariase
Subs: Cochrane, Abrahams, Massey
YC: Kiernan 70
RC: (none)

Tamworth:
Singh, Crompton (Curley 61), Digie, Hollis, Cockerill-Mollett, Milnes, Tonks, Sundire (Waldron 61), Maher (Enoru 70), Creaney, McGlinchey (Williams 70)
Subs: Fairlamb, Raikhy, Ponticelli
YC: Digie 45, Creaney 70, Milnes 72
RC: (none)

Referee: Mr. Richie Watkins
Assistants: Mr. Sean Rothwell, Mr. David Pilling
4th Official: Mr. Richard Carter

Attendance: 1034 (not segregated)