Hayes & Yeading finally got to play a home league for the first time in almost two months and despite everyone’s best efforts not a goal was to be found as United and Sholing fought out a goalless draw. With the SKYex pitch looking immaculate as always, Manager Mark Molesley made three enforced changes to his starting line-up from our last League game some three weeks earlier. In came Jerry Wilshire, Amos Nasha and Luke Gambin for Charlie Stallard who has returned to Watford, the suspended Sanmi Odelusi and injured Steve Ngunga. Also returning to the bench from injury was striker Norman Wabo. The visitors started well and in just the fourth minute a shot from Jake Hesketh was deflected into the path of Keane Anderson who shot low from just inside the box with Jacob Adams gratefully grabbing the ball at the second attempt. Just a few minutes later a first opening for United saw Ronan Silva collect the ball on the edge of the Sholing area, his chipped shot going inches wide of the upright. On 20 minutes a low drilled shot from Dan Mason was well held at his near post by Adams and seven minutes later a Luke Gambin cross from the right was deflected upwards but still found the head of Jerry Wiltshire whose effort was just too high to trouble Ryan Gosney in The Boatmen’s goal. A minute later United should really have been behind. Hesketh played the ball over the United defence from the middle of the park, Boatmen skipper Byron Mason controlled the pass superbly and as Adams came to meet him he knocked the ball to his right presenting Charlie Davis with virtually an open goal but he blazed over from just inside the box. As the half moved on chances came and went at each end, Michael Fernandes fired a 20 yard free-kick past the wall but straight into Gosney’s arms while at the other end Mathias Tepe got his head to a left wing cross but his effort was straight into Adams’ arms. The biggest moment of controversy came in stoppage time, Omar Rowe danced his way through a couple of challenges before the ball ran loose to Silva, he moved dumped his marker on the deck before moving past him only for the defender to deliberately trip him however the seemingly well placed referee waved play on when all around thought it was a stonewall penalty. The half closed out without further incident with the non-award of a spot kick being the main talking point of the half-time cuppa all around the Stadium. The opening minutes of the second half again saw both sides’ go close to breaking the deadlock, within second of the restart Cole Brown raced away on the right side, his low driven centre flying across the six yard box without a touch and soon after the visitors tried their luck from the edge of the box but the effort was just wide of the target. United then started to dominate the ball. Fernandes had a shot blocked to Ayo Faniyan, the United striker seeing his follow-up charged down and cleared and just a minute later the same two combined with Faniyan laying the ball off nicely to Rowe but his drive from the left corner of the box was just over the Sholing goal. Just before the hour mark Fernandes raced forwards straight through the middle but his shot from the edge of the box was blocked wide by a tracking defender and on 65 minutes Amos Nasha picked up the ball midway into the Sholing half and slid past an initial tackle before shooting from the edge of the box, Gosney got behind his effort but spilled the ball however he was sharp enough to pounce on it as Silva arrived. Within a minute Gosney was again required, this time he pushed a Gambin effort around the post and in the 72nd minute a rare sortie forwards from the Boatmen saw an excellent cross-field pass pick out substitute Jake Cope unmarked inside the United box to the left, his low shot across goal going wide without troubling Adams in the United goal. The 78th minute saw Gosney keep his side level with a fine save. Roger James set the ball nicely to Brown on the right, his centre was met by the on-coming Silva but his powerful header was acrobatically tipped over by Gosney. As we neared the 90 minute mark Cope saw an 20 yard effort deflect wide for a corner and then in the sixth and final minute of added time a Norman Wabo shot on the turn was blocked away but only as far as Silva who tried his luck from outside 20 yards but the ball flew inches wide and the day closed out with no goals and the points being shared.
Report by Kevin Watts. United Man of the Match: Marvel Ekpiteta Print the Teamsheet: Here.