Hayes & Yeading’s trip to Marlow on Tuesday evening saw Paul Hughes’ side fall to a 3-1 defeat with United unable to deal effectively with the hosts pace down the flanks as former United man Allen Bossman netted a brace of excellent strikes.

From the off United were under pressure from the home side with Jack Smith holding an early effort from another former United man, Isaac Osei-Tutu before the United stopper did superbly well to keep out a Kelvin Bossman header in just the seventh minute despite howls from the home side that the ball had crossed the line.

With United struggling to find any penetration at the other end, it was Jack Smith versus Marlow at times, the stopper holding an effort from Charlie Samuel before going full stretch to push away one handed a Chris Ovenden drive from the edge of the box after good approach work from Osei-Tutu on the left.

Just after the half hour mark though he was finally beaten as Junaid Bell made inroads down the left, the United defence failed to fully clear his centre and Allen Bossman gave Smith no chance by volleying into the top corner from just inside the box.

Two minutes later United’s best opening appeared as a free-kick from halfway was pumped into the Marlow box, the home defence partially cleared but only as far as Ismael Ehui who saw his shot held by former United under-18 stopper Simon Grant who was well out of his goal having come for the original free-kick.

As the half closed out Jack Smith was again called into action to keep the deficit at one, this time tipping a Samuel drive around the post.

United made a surprise change at the break as the impressive Mergim Qarri was replaced by new arrival Rohdell Gordon in the midfield however the change did not change the balance of play as the home side took just five minutes to double their advantage.

Once again the protagonist was Allen Bossman, the midfielder being allowed too much time on the ball 20 yards out and he rifled home a low drive into the bottom corner giving Smith no chance.

Smith denied Samuel again minutes later but with United still giving little trouble to Grant in the home goal, it was indeed Marlow who struck again ten minutes from time when Samuel finally beat Smith, with the aid of a massive deflection off a United defender that sent the stopper the wrong way totally.

The final five minutes finally saw chances fall to United, all three falling to substitute David Pitt. The first was created by the impressive Omar Daidouh who broke up the right and fed Pitt only for the striker to send the ball into the night sky, something he repeated a few minutes later when a pass to Daidouh to his right may have been the better option.

Pitt did however prove that he has a finish in him during stoppage time as he was sent away to the right of the box and fired across Grant into the far corner to give United a consolation goal against a very good looking Marlow side.

Report by Kevin Watts.

Photos by Ray Peploe.

United Man of the Match: Jack Smith.