Champions Hayes & Yeading United came up unusually short at the SKYex on Easter Monday after a 1-1 draw with Hanwell Town saw Paul Hughes' side drop points at home for only the second time this season n their final home game of the campaign.
With the championship trophy to be presented at the end of the game, the match itself almost took second place and in all honesty it was not the spectacle that we hav seen throughout the season but c'est la vie.
On a warm sunny day, the visitors had the first half chance 12 minutes in when a quick throw-in was flicked on to Gareth Chendlik, his driven effort being well defended courtesy of a Mitchal Gough block.
Five minutes later a neat United move saw Lee Barney collect the ball and set it back to Elliot Benyon who in turn fed Toby Little in the box, his right foot curler being pushed away by Magpies stopper Aaron Bufton with the visitors defence finishing the clearance.
Bufton was again tested by United just before the half hour mark as Ed Asafu-Adjaye found Barney on the right, his hanging cross to the far post was headed goalwards by Benyon only for Bufton to push the ball around the post.
The deadlock was broken on 37 minutes, Scott Bridges played a left sided corner to the near post where Gough darted in front of his marker to glance home his first goal for United as the ball flew beyond Bufton's reach into the Magpies net.
On the stroke of half time United's Jack Smith needed to be sharp as Magpies skipper Olly Duffy fired in a free-kick from 25 yards, United's number one push g the effort away to safety and the half closed out with United a goal ahead.
The half-time interval saw the first of two championship awards as United's Middlesex under 15 league champions were paraded through the balcony to collect their trophy and medals, congratulations to all of the players and coaches involved.
The second half was again slow to get going with the first noteworthy opening bringing an equaliser for the visitors. The Magpies were awarded another free-kick just beyond 20 yards out, this time Olly Duffy made no mistake as he fired the ball past the wall and beyond Smith's fingertips into the United net.
Twenty minutes from time the visitors again required Bufton to keep them level as substitute Joe Wilson collected a Benyon pass and slid Barney through on goal, the Magpies stopper coming out quickly to block the shot around the post.
Minutes later United again went close to retaking the lead. Gough sprayed a perfect pass out to Little on the left, the supporters' Player of the Year cutting inside before firing pad Bufton only for the ball to crash back off the crossbar before being cleared of a corner. Little's kick was met by Asafu-Adjaye, his header was cleared off the line as far as Kunle Otudeko who fired the ball back toward the goal with Barney almost managing to flick the ball home as it drifted wide of the target.
The final five minutes saw a couple more fruitless efforts from United. Substitutes Josh Chamberlain and George Bennett combined well on the left but Benyon's far post header was too high and then in the last minute a neat ball over the defence from Wilson fell nicely to Bennett who having controlled the ball fired over with just Bufton to beat.
The game closed out without further incident, points shared, and the party could really begin as the Bostik League's Chairman and Secretary, Nick Robinson and Kellie Discipline proceeded to hand out champions medals and the Bostik South Central Trophy on the SKYex balcony to the United players and management.
Report by Kevin Watts.
Photos by Montimagemedia ©.
United Man of the Match: Mitchal Gough.
Print the Teamsheet: Here.
©
