Maidenhead United flashback: Highlights as terrific Tarpey nets twice and the Magpies fly to historic first National League win

If Maidenhead United had made an uncertain start to life in the National League, this was the day when all those fears and apprehensions over whether they deserved to be there were expelled.

The Magpies hadn’t exactly hit the ground running. A late goal salvaged a creditable draw from their opening match at Maidstone United, while United’s defence had been bullied in a bruising defeat to Wrexham just a few days later.

Lessons would have to be learned and learned fast if they were to pick up the points needed to stay in the division.

Some would have been fearful their winless run would continue when Hartlepool United came to town for an early kick off in front of the BT Sport cameras. Pools had been demoted from League 2 the previous season and were seen as one of the league’s big guns.

But, on this occasion, those guns were silenced and it was Maidenhead who fired a warning shot to the rest of the league – they weren’t here just to make up the numbers.

It was the old one / two of Dave Tarpey and Sean Marks who combined for United’s first, the latter flicking the ball on for the former to slide home his second goal of the season. Normal service had clearly been resumed.

Then, in the second half, Tarpey scored a thumping second, rattling the ball into the roof of the net after intercepting a misplaced pass across the back four. It was a rights of passage moment. A goal which said ‘Maidenhead United are a National League side and we’re here to stay’.

Pools netted a late consolation from the penalty spot, but it was more than they deserved.

United would move on from this victory, growing in confidence with every scalp they took. But this win - a historic first in the National League - was incredibly important in the context of their season.

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Maidenhead Utd 2, Hartlepool Utd 1

TWO instinctive finishes from Maidenhead United’s poacher in chief, Dave Tarpey, were enough to wrap up the points against an insipid Hartlepool United on Saturday.

Tarpey, who netted a phenomenal 46 goals in last season’s title winning side, slotted home left-footed from Sean Marks’ flick to put the Magpies on their way to victory in the first half and anticipated a loose pass from Louis Laing to hammer the hosts into a 2-0 advantage just before the hour mark.

Belatedly Hartlepool threatened in the final minutes, and Padraig Amond netted from the spot to give them a lifeline in the final minutes, but the Magpies were simply too good for Pools and deservedly picked up an historic first win in the National League.

Spurred on by the match being screened live on BT Sport – as well as their ill-deserved 2-1 defeat to Wrexham on Tuesday night – the Magpies chased and harried their north-east opponents into submission.

Harry Pritchard nodded an early opportunity over the bar from a Tarpey corner and Ryan Upward came close to turning home another cross from the Magpies’ forward in the 10th minute.

Hartlepool were almost non-existent as an attacking threat and goalkeeper Carl Pentney enjoyed one of his quieter afternoons in the Magpies’ net. Jake Cassidy threatened for the visitors sporadically, and might have done better early in the second half when he scooped a shot wide.

But by that stage the visitors were already trailing to Tarpey’s composed 40th minute finish, and their afternoon got a lot worse when Tarpey read Laing’s intentions and rifled a shot past Scott Loach to make it 2-0.

An equally well-struck volley almost brought Tarpey a third goal in the 72nd minute, but Loach pulled off a smart save, while the introduction of Nicky Deverdics and Devante Rodney finally saw Hartlepool build a head of steam in the final stages.

With five minutes to play they netted from the spot through Amond, after Comley’s lunging challenge on Deverdics was punished. But the Magpies held on for a famous win.

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Maidenhead United: Pentney, Clerima, Odametey, Massey ©, Tarpey, Comley, Marks (Clifton 69), Pritchard (Mulley 74), Upward (Inman 89), Kilman, Goodman. Subs not used: Hyde, Barratt.

Hartlepool United: Loach, Magnay ©, Adams, Donnelly (Rodney 67), Harrison, Laing, Newton, Hawkins (Woods 45), Donaldson (Deverdics 67), Cassidy, Amond. Subs not used: Munns, Featherstone.

Attendance: 1,491