After a promising first half performance, Magpies Under 12 'B' eventually slipped to a 4-1 defeat at home to California Cosmos on Saturday. As was the case against Dynamos in the previous League match, Magpies matched their high flying opponents in most areas of the game, but yet again failed to make the most of several good goalscoring opportunities, and were punished by the Cosmos' clinical finishing. In an evenly contested first half, Oliver Murphy twice came close to giving Magpies the lead, before Jag Shergill was denied by a fine save by the California 'Keeper. The Maidenhead boys fell behind to a long range strike two minutes before the break, but with Beni Grossman driving the team forward from midfield they continued to press for a goal in the early stages of the second half. However, the Magpies' efforts to equalise always left them susceptible to California's swift and incisive counter attacks, and the visitors duly scored twice in quick succession midway through the second half to put the result beyond doubt. Beni Grossman's pass then set up Jag Shergill who applied a neat finish to give Magpies a deserved consolation, but it was too little too late and California added a fourth goal in the closing stages to wrap up their victory.