Tarpey hat-trick as Maidenhead United beat Basingstoke in Halloween thriller

Maidenhead United 4, Basingstoke Town 3

Maidenhead United chalked up their fourth straight league win after a 4-3 thriller against Basingstoke Town at York Road.

Dave Tarpey was the Magpies’ match winner, hitting a Halloween hat-trick in a contest that featured its fair share of gruesome defending from both teams.

Tarpey struck his first in the 23^rd minute, slotting home from Harry Pritchard’s deflected shot minutes after Shaun McAuley had given Basingstoke a deserved 17^th minute lead when he fired through a crowded penalty area following goalkeeper Carl Pentney’s weak punch.

Magpies skipper Alan Massey thumped the home side in front in the 36^th minute from Tarpey’s free-kick and Pritchard went close to a third when his lunging dive just failed to touch home Tarpey's low cross five minutes before the break.

But Louie Soares made United’s captain Massey pay for giving up possession when he fired into the bottom corner to finish off a flowing Town move in the 45^th minute.

The Magpies started the second half well with Jake Reid's shot deflected behind for a corner and they soon restored their advantage when Tarpey dropped his shoulder to beat his man and picked out the bottom left-hand corner in the 57^th minute.

The hosts could have wrapped things up when Pritchard lashed just wide in the 60^th minute and saw another effort on the spin blocked out for another corner, but Basingstoke always looked dangerous on the break and their captain David Ray was given the freedom of the Magpies' penalty area to head home unmarked from Soares’ 76^th minute corner.

Pentney denied substitute Liam Enver-Marum with his legs two minutes later but Tarpey scored a goal worthy of winning any game when he flicked home Pritchard’s wonderful cross with seven minutes to play.

Tom Bird's last minute free-kick caused a moment of panic in the Maidenhead defence but Pentney pounced on the ball and the home side saw out four minutes of additional time without too many problems.

The result, Maidenhead's fourth league win in a row, sees the side remain fifth in the National League South, level on points with fourth-placed Whitehawk.

Attendance: 456

Maidenhead United: Pentney, Peters, Steer, Upward, Massey (c), Inman, Tarpey (Mulley 86), Forbes, Reid (Nisbet 90), Wright (Barratt 72), Pritchard. Substitutes not used: Huggins, Jenkinson.