Home supporters have been saying for some time that they have a good set of players to follow but that they lack an on-field general. They seem to have found the right man in Ryan Maxwell, whose combative spirit on his home debut spread to his team mates who, after the initial sparring, held the initiative through most of the match.
Sparring is an appropriate word as Maxwell has boxing connections outside football and the sight of him limbering up during stoppages in play like a boxer waiting for the bell seemed to confirm his desire for action. He played a captain's role in organising his men and set an example in his dedication to their cause, an example that earned him a yellow card in the second half.
So, after a slow start to the season, Kem Kemal seems to have found the missing piece in his team and created a good blend of youth and experience. If he can keep them all fit and happy they should continue to rise up the table. The defence looked solid and rarely troubled as it achieved a second clean sheet of the season whilst Ware's attacking flair seemed to have found a cutting edge.
Rod Young, no sooner reported in the programme as having departed to Havant & Waterlooville, was back with his skills tormenting the opposing full backs and was on the score sheet just before half time when his goal-bound shot took a deflection off a defender to beat Paul McCarthy in the visitors' goal.
It was some reward for a forward line that had been denied by some good saves from the keeper and last ditch tackles from his defenders.
Uxbridge tried to up the tempo in the second half and came looking for an early goal to unsettle the home team but that wasn't going to happen with Ware in this mood. Instead it was Khale Dacosta's well judged shot from distance that caught McCarthy off his line to double the Blues' advantage after 56 minutes.
Ware might have improved on that but McCarthy was wise to Young's attempt at his near post and grateful to the assistant referee for his close offside call on Keiran Bishop's shot into the net after good work by Paul Cooper.
The visitors' Mark Dennison saw red near the end and though they still searched for a goal Kemal felt confident enough to bring on two more substitutes during the final ten minutes having already introduced Finbarr Robins for his first appearance this season.
Ware:Jack Smith, Paul Cooper, Murat Karagul, Ryan Maxwell (James Manlove 90mins), Ben Crilley, Jack Fowler, Khale Dacosta, Liam Griffin (Finbarr Robins 63mins), Kieran Bishop, Rod Young, Josh Oyibo (Mickey Clark 85mins). Unused sub Kevin Kuhn.
# | Team | Pl | Pts |
9. | Beaconsfield SYCOB | 42 | 67 |
10. | Godalming Town | 42 | 67 |
11. | Ware | 42 | 63 |
12. | Potters Bar Town | 42 | 58 |
13. | Petersfield Town | 42 | 55 |
14. | Bedford Town | 42 | 49 |
15. | Uxbridge | 42 | 48 |