CONCORD Rangers 2-2 Maidenhead United

From the Aspect Arena

Conference South

 

CONCORD Rangers scored a last minute equaliser to take a share of the points against Maidenhead United – with substitute Tony Stokes the hero.

Stokes lobbed the away goalkeeper to send Beachboys’ fans into raptures, only 60 seconds the visitors had taken the lead through a substitute of their own – Dave Tarpey.

Lewis Taaffe had given the hosts the lead but he was later dismissed, leaving substitute Danny Green to equalise. The Magpies had Reece Tison-Lascaris sent off after he pushed Danny Glozier to the floor.

Then Tarpey and Stokes had their say.

Maidenhead started the better of the two sides, making the early running and penning the Beachboys back inside their own half – only a last-ditch block from Jack Lampe denying Adrian Clifton.

But with 15 minutes on the clock Concord did take the lead. A ball from the right released Gary Ogilvie and, as the Maidenhead defenders screamed for offside, he crossed for the onrushing Lewis Taaffe to tap home from close range.

And that changed the momentum of the half, Danny Cowley’s men looking the sharper, Ogilvie denied by a smart save from Elvis Putnins.

Concord were pressuring every ball, with Putnins given no time at all by Taaffe and Steve Cawley, with the Magpies best chance of the half coming when Devante McKain headed wide under pressure from a corner.

But then came a significant moment. In jumping for a header, Taaffe’s arm caught away skipper Mark Nesbit in the face, and the striker was given a straight red card, only moments before the half-time whistle.

Into the second half and Maidenhead pushed forward with the man advantage. Stand-in captain Fry blocking superbly well on the line after Reece Tison-Lascaris’s shot had beaten Lennox.

However, despite the pressure it was Concord who came close when Cawley struck a freekick narrowly over from 20 yards after great work from the marauding James White.

ut with 20 minutes left on the clock Maidenhead drew level in fortuitous circumstances. Matt Fry failed to control the ball in his box leaving substitute Dave Tarpey to smash against the post and, as the ball rebounded to him, into the net.

The 11-men had the wind in their sails but that was taken away when Tison-Lascaris was dismissed after a coming together with Danny Glozier.

But it seemed the game was lost when Tarpey was on hand to tap home after Aaron Lennox flapped at a cross.

But with seconds to go Stokes sent a superb lob over Putnins to see the points shared.

Joe Gardner had a chance to snatch it late on but the game ended 2-2.

Concord Rangers: Lennox, Walker, Lampe, Fry, Glozier, Woodyard (Gardner), White, Ogilvie (King), Collins, Cawley, Taaffe Maidenhead United: Putnins, Behzadi (Green), Soloman, Nicholls, Nesbit, Downer, Azeez (Tarpey), Clifton (Erskine), McKain, Huthcinson, Tison-Lascaris

 

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