Alfie Pendlebury levels matters for the Magpies. Photo: Darren Woolley

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Maidenhead United 1, Horsham 1

Maidenhead United managed to end a run of three straight league defeats as they recovered from a shaky start to deservedly draw 1-1 with Horsham at York Road last night.

With manager Ryan Peters making four changes to his starting lineup following Saturday’s 4-0 defeat at promotion hopefuls Ebbsfleet United, the Magpies made a bright start as they looked to register their first league win at home this season.

George Abbott and Joel Odeniran were brought back in central defence with Christian N’Guessan dropping back from midfield to support them. With Jordon Ragguette and Jayden Mitchell-Lawson looking lively on the wings and Alfie Pendlebury and Dan Nkrumah stretching the visitors’ backline, Maidenhead played with a freedom in the first half that’s been sadly lacking in recent weeks.

Pendlebury should really have given the hosts the lead inside two minutes when Josh Coley fed the ball out wide for Mitchell-Lawson to swing in a cross from the right.

The striker moved in to meet the ball but it somehow managed to bounce over him and the chance went begging.

Their failures in both boxes have been highlighted by Peters in recent weeks and another bad error led to Horsham taking the lead against the run of play in the fifth minute. N’Guessan playing out of position under hit his back pass to keeper Jordi Van Stappershoef and Jimmy Wild was able to get to the ball first. As the two of them came together the ball deflected into the path of Reece Meekums who was able to sweep it high into the net with Maidenhead’s keeper out of position.

It was a calamitous goal to give away and given their recent form it might have led to a collective loss of heads.

Instead, Maidenhead continued to play bright enterprising football that had the Horsham players chasing shadows.

Crucially, they got back on terms in the 10th minute when Ragguette whipped in a low cross from the left that Pendlebury controlled with his back to goal. In an instant he swivelled and fired a low shot beyond Howes to bring the Magpies level at 1-1.

Maidenhead continued to cause their visitors problems as the half progressed. Coley swept a shot over from the edge of the box and Mitchell-Lawson came close to getting in behind from another Coley ball, only to see his shot blocked behind.

Ex-Magpie Ryan Bartley, who left the club in the summer, then nearly turned the ball past his own keeper from a Mitchell-Lawson cross. But for all their enterprising attacking play, Maidenhead’s vulnerabilities remained in defence. N’Guessan had to make a crucial interception to prevent Jamie Yila teeing up a teammate for a tap in towards the end of the half.

Horsham stepped up their game considerably after the break, and Maidenhead struggled to play through the lines in the way they were doing in the first half.

Ragguette hammered the ball just over the bar from the edge of the box in the 50th minute but the hosts seemed to tire as the game wore on and Horsham increasingly looked the more likely side to score. Yila and Wild both saw shots on the turn blocked behind for corners - which mounted up for the visitors as the game went on. Their best moment arrived in the 79th minute when Charlie Hester-Cook looked like he’d clipped the ball around Van Stappershoef, but the Dutch stopper managed to get fingertips to the shot and put it behind for a corner.

United offered little in attack but should have done better when they countered with an overload on the hour mark. Nkrumah played the ball to Robinson who overhit his pass back to the striker and the chance went begging. Robinson tested Howes again in the closing minutes with a low shot, but the result was fair on both teams.

After three straight league defeats this was a baby step in the right direction for the Magpies who host seventh placed Dagenham & Redbridge at York Road on Saturday. A first home league win can’t come soon enough for Peters and his side who remain in 18th place, now four points above the drop zone.