OLD Windsor maintained their perfect winning start to the new season in the East Berkshire Football League Premier Division after a 3-2 victory against Singh Sabha on Saturday.

The match was a repeat of the Maidenhead Norfolkian Senior Cup final from the last campaign and it started at a breakneck pace with Windsor debutant Luke Hayes winning a penalty after a fine weaving run inside the first two minutes.

Lewis Hewitt stepped up to take the resulting spot-kick but unfortunately his effort clipped the top of the crossbar.

The home team were on top and broke the deadlock when a driven corner from Brad Birchmore was scrambled in by Nick Loates midway through the first half.

Old Windsor doubled their advantage five minutes into the second half as, again, a driven corner from Birchmore was flicked in by Loates. It was a backheeled finish of quality.

The two-goal lead did not last long however as Singh Sabha went down the other end and Hassan Mahmood slipped the ball past keeper Danny Clements to halve the deficit.

The strike led to a tense final 30 minutes and Sabha levelled the scores with a fine lob over Clements, who was looking to close the angle, from Munraj Sidhu in the 87th minute.

That was not the end of the excitement as Hewitt crossed and the ball hit the arm of a defender above his head, with the match referee pointing to the spot. Man-of-the-match Birchmore stepped up to coolly convert the spot-kick and secure the three points with two minutes still to play.

Old Windsor manager Russell Taylor was pleased with the result and felt that it was a great team performance with everyone working hard. The younger members of the squad made a particularly pleasing impact, trying to play good football on a difficult pitch.

The win means Windsor stand in second position in the Premier Division table and behind leaders FC Beaconsfield on goal difference only.

Old Windsor begin the defence of the Maidenhead Norfolkian Cup with a first round tie at home to Langley Development this Saturday (2pm).

  • Maidenhead Nomads are still looking for a first win in Division One of the Thames Valley Sunday League this season after a depleted team succumbed 3-0 at home against new-boys Shire United.