A sloppy opening seven minutes cost Hayes & Yeading dearly as Ashford Town found the net twice, a deficit from which United never fully recovered which meant Paul Hughes’ side failed to gain on the three sides above them who ironically also all lost leaving the chasing pack to gain ground.

United made two changes with new ‘keeper Zaki Oualah replacing soon to depart loanee Danny Boness between the sticks while Spyros Mentis returned in the middle of the park in place of the injured Ola Olajubu.

As commented on in the opening paragraph, the visitors hit United hard early on, the first coming after just ninety seconds as Mitchal Gough fired a free-kick into the United box from halfway, Jack Beadle touched the ball past Oualah only for Tom Smith to hack it off the line, the ball falling to Tommy Brunton who played it back into the United box where James Cottee fired a left foot volley just inside the post beyond Oualah’s fingers.

Five minutes later, the visitors lead doubled. Gough this time arriving to get his head to a corner kick, Oualah did well to push the effort out one handed and as the ball was kicked away off the line it struck the boot of Romario Jonas a foot from goal and rebounded into the net.

Before creating an opening for themselves, the home side could have been three adrift as Beadle turned Priestly Farquharson on the edge of the box and got away a shot that went inches wide of the far post with Oualah beaten.

The next thirty minutes of the half saw United very much on the front foot. Laste Dombaxe chipped the ball into the Ashford box, Manny Duku collecting just as ‘keeper Tyler Tobin arrived to block at his feet, both players ended in a heap with the ball running loose to a defender who tidied up without cause for concern near his own goal line.

Minutes later United got themselves back in the hunt. Toby Little curled in a free-kick to the far post, Duncan Culley rose highest to head the ball back across goal to Duku who poked the ball past both Tobin and a defender on the line with it rolling just inside the far post.

Close shaves followed soon after as Culley latched onto an Adam Cash centre that a defender had totally missed, his volley going agonisingly wide from 18 yards and then Scott Donnelly was only an inch or two too high with a free-kick from 20 yards.

The visitors did have a chance of a third around the half hour mark with a rare sortie forwards, Farquharson fired an attempted clearance straight up in the air, Cottee collected and drove the ball across Oualah’s dive but thankfully for United it went wide of the far post.

Minutes later United were somehow kept at bay by the visitors as two good chances came and went. Culley fed Duku from the left side, United’s top scorer turning his marker and forcing a save from Tobin who touched his shot wide. The resultant corner was met by an unmarked Culley who beat Tobin with his header only for a well-placed defender to head the ball of the line.

Another double chance of an equaliser came in the 36th minute as Tom Smith got his head to a Donnelly free-kick, Tobin pushed the ball back to Smith who despite being on his backside poked the ball towards goal only for it to strike the outside of the Ashford post and go wide.

A minute from the break United should have been level, Cash sent the ball towards Duku on the right of the box, he collected after his marker slipped over and chipped the ball to the far post where Little arrived only to head wide of the target with the post closing in on his vision.

United were struck a major blow as the half reached its additional minute with the hard working Culley being forced to leave the field with an injury, his replacement being Ismael Ehui.

The first chance after the re-start again fell to the visitors as their own substitute Scott Weight played the ball to Beadle, the striker under pressure from Keano Robinson pulled his shot wide of the near post.

Play quickly switched to the other end however and Little crossed the ball to Donnelly, again a defender slipped and the United playmaker shot on the turn, just fractionally missing the target from 20 yards.

Five minutes later another good chance fell the way of the visitors as a big punt upfield saw Beadle away on goal, his hurried shot was miss hit and went comfortably straight at Oualah, opposition stopper Tyler Tobin was needed again minutes later as Ehui’s neat flick found Duku but his effort was well held by the Ashford custodian.

The final twenty minutes saw fewer openings being created as United tried to push on and the visitors did all they could to slow the game down. Oualah saved from Beadle again after he had been set up by Brunton and then at the other end a Donnelly corner fell nicely to Ehui who saw his goalbound effort well blocked by a perfect interception from Tom Howard ten yards from goal.

The final two chances, one apiece, saw two directly hit free-kick’s go close. For the visitors, a twenty yard effort by Gough beat Oualah only to go over off the top of the United crossbar while at the other end a 25 yard Little effort beat the wall Tobin fumbled the ball at his post but managed to grab the ball at the second attempt as substitute Kaan Fehmi quickly closed in.

The visitors rode out the final ten minutes without incident in front of their goal to claim a “double” over United who must now re-charge and go again Saturday with a visit to leaders AFC Rushden & Diamonds.

Report by Kevin Watts.

Photos by Ray Peploe.

United Man of the Match: Scott Donnelly.

Print the Teamsheet: Here.