Bidding to prolong their unbeaten start to life under David Noble, Wealdstone welcome Maidenhead United to the Freebets.co.uk Stadium for a National League showdown on Tuesday.
Both sides played out 1-1 draws in their most recent affairs, as the hosts shared the spoils with Barnet while Alan Devonshire's squad took a point home from York City.
Match preview
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Since signing on the dotted line of a two-and-a-half-year contract with Wealdstone, former St Albans City manager Noble and his assistant Neil Banfield - one of Arsene Wenger's right-hand men at Arsenal - have collected a respectable five points from three National League affairs thus far.
After Noble's reign began with a 2-0 home beating of Halifax Town, Wealdstone ended the month of January with an engrossing 3-3 draw against Aldershot Town before playing out a much more low-key stalemate with Barnet, although it took a last-gasp injury-time intervention to extend their solid sequence.
Callum Stead propelled Barnet into the ascendancy with just 13 minutes played, but after Wealdstone goalkeeper Marcus Dewhurst denied Harry Pritchard from 12 yards, Noble's men made one final foray into the hosts' half and levelled in the ninth minute of stoppage time through Corie Andrews.
Bedlam reigned supreme in the away end come the close of play on Saturday, and Andrews's heroics leaves the Stones smack-bang in the middle of the National League rankings in 12th place, although they have played at least one fewer game than every other team in the division.
While Wealdstone almost left Barnet's turf with their tails tucked between their legs, goals have come easily for the Royals on home turf, where they have netted at least twice in each of their last six National League contests and are unbeaten in 11 since falling short against Dagenham & Redbridge in October.
Noble may still be learning his trade in the Wealdstone hotseat, but his long-serving Maidenhead counterpart Alan Devonshire has seen it all in the visitors' dugout, but his side's inconsistent streak continued when they were welcomed to York City territory over the weekend.
It was a tale of two first-half goals at the York Community Stadium, as Ashley Nathaniel-George sent Maidenhead ahead with 16 minutes on the clock, only for Will Davies to come up with a quick response for Neal Ardley's team.
Scrapping for points at the wrong end of the National League table, the Magpies occupy 16th place with just a four-point gap separating them from Kidderminster Harriers in 21st spot, although they would usurp Wealdstone in the rankings should they come up trumps on Tuesday.
After failing to score a single goal in four matches from December 23 to January 23, Maidenhead have polished their shooting boots to net three times in their last two National League contests and are unbeaten in five non-league fixtures on the road, drawing three of them.
However, it was the Wealdstone faithful who were in high spirits on Boxing Day, when their side overcame Maidenhead 2-0 at York Road to make it five games unbeaten against the Magpies, whose last success in this fixture was an emphatic 6-0 obliteration in April 2021.
Team News
There were two players in the Wealdstone naughty corner for the derby with Barnet, as midfielder Aaron Henry and defender Mason Barrett both missed out through suspension, having been sent off in the six-goal thriller with Aldershot.
Charlton Athletic loanee Henry - who was ejected for two bookable offences - is now eligible to feature again, but Barrett, who was dismissed not long after coming off the bench in that stalemate, must serve the second of a four-game ban.
However, Wealdstone's rearguard ranks have been strengthened by the arrival of Queens Park Rangers loanee Deon Woodman, and the draw with Barnet saw Tanzania's Tarryn Allarakhia appear for the first time since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations.
As for Maidenhead, no disciplinary concerns have arisen for Devonshire ahead of the midweek encounter, but 31-year-old midfielder Kane Ferdinand was withdrawn in first-half stoppage time against York City for unexplained reasons.
Should the former Republic of Ireland youth international miss out here, Charlee Adams - who replaced him on Saturday - will be a like-for-like replacement in the middle, but the visitors should otherwise see no need to fix what is not broken.
Wealdstone possible starting lineup:
Dewhurst; Seaman, Cook, Barker, Mundle-Smith; Bowen, Henry; Obiero, Andrews, Mason; Adarkwa
Maidenhead United possible starting lineup:
Ross; Asare, De Havilland, Lokko, Beckwith; Pettit; Smith, Barratt, Adams, Nathaniel-George; Sho-Silva
We say: Wealdstone 2-1 Maidenhead United
Maidenhead are slowly rebuilding their confidence in the final third, but the new manager bounce is yet to wear off for Wealdstone, who have been ruthless at home throughout the winter period.
The Stones have also had the Magpies' number over the past couple of years since losing both 2020-21 fixtures by an aggregate score of 10-0, and we expect Noble's men to harness their prolific exploits in front of their own fans to prolong their purple patch.
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Ben Knapton
