FC Halifax Town defeated Maidenhead 2-1 at home to earn all three points thanks to a goal from Aaron Cosgrave in the 98th minute.
Adan George’s opening Shayman goal was negated by former FC Halifax Town player Tobi Sho-Silva, and the game is won by substitute Cosgrave’s late goal.
The Shayman entered the midweek match fresh off their first 2024 victory, a 3-1 triumph over Dorking Wanderers on the road three days earlier. After reaching that goal, the team focused on winning at home for the first time since losing to Wealdstone in November.
Prior to the match, Alan Devonshire’s team was five points behind Town. The previous weekend, they lost 1-0 to Boreham Wood due to a penalty kick by Erico Souza. The Magpies’ performance of late has been a mixed bag; in their previous six games, they had won two, drawn two, and lost two.
In the fifth minute, Tylor Golden made a brilliant start to the match by cutting in onto his left foot from right-back and curling a shot that narrowly missed Craig Ross’s net.
After that, Adan George launched his Town career by giving the home team a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute. George scored his first goal for the team when Jack Evans drove into midfield and played a pass through the legs of a Maidenhead defender, finishing in the bottom corner.
After his first goal, George had another attempt on goal. He broke quickly from a United free-kick, side-stepping his opponent before Ross saved his shot. Before joining the Shayman, the centre forward scored three goals in seven games for Rushall Olympic F.C. in the Vanarama National League North. He was signed in January.
Shortly after the half, Town nearly doubled their lead when Golden and Thompson-Sommers both attempted shots from inside the box. Because neither player was able to get a good look at the ball, Maidenhead was able to get men back and impede the attempts.
Halfway through the game, goalie Sam Johnson was tested for the first time. Remy Clerima, the centre back for Maidenhead, came charging forward from deep, flicked the ball over Evans, and slid it towards goal.
In the 59th minute, Chris Millington made his first alteration of the game, substituting Jack Hunter for Luke Summerfield. Not long after, he made his second substitution, switching midfielder Jack Jenkins for defender Adam Senior.
When Bradley Keetch was replaced by Devonshire with 67 minutes remaining, Kane Ferdinand—the lone goal scorer in the rematch at York Road—was brought on. A minute later, Shawn Mccoulsky, a former Halifax player, replaced Sam Barrett. For their last substitution, Maidenhead were forced to substitute Alan Massey for an injured Zico Asare.
Then, in the 78th minute, Tobi Sho-Silva, a former Town striker, gave Maidenhead United an equaliser. After a corner for United, Sam Beckwith whipped in an inswinging ball that Senior just missed, allowing Sho-Silva to slide in and tie the score at one.
In an effort to win the game, Millington made the final substitution of the game, substituting striker Aaron Cosgrave for Oluwabori in the 83rd minute.
Due to a few injuries in Maidenhead, the assistant called for an extra seven minutes, which allowed Thompson-Sommers to play a one-two with Hunter and force Ross into an incredible save low to his left.
When super-sub Cosgrave scored a dramatic 2-1 victory in the 98th minute from yards out, the game appeared to be over and well into injury time. Town played a floating free-kick into the box, which Senior nodded down to George, who pulled it back to Cosgrave, whose finish thrilled the Shay crowd.
After a triumphant trip to Surrey this past weekend, the Shayman saw the game through to the end and celebrated their first home win of the year. At the Shay Stadium on Saturday, Milly’s team will take on Woking FC, who are currently ranked twenty-first.
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