AFC Fylde 1 Maidenhead United 4: Match report and reaction

The striker netted all four United goals, including two penalties, as Fylde were forced to play three-quarters of the game a man light following Josh Langley’s dismissal.

Lewis Montrose gave the Coasters hope om the stroke of half-time after Tarpey’s penalties, but the National South record goalscorer went on to add a fine individual strike and a stunning set-piece to claim the points.

Fresh from a thrilling 3-3 draw with Ebbsfleet, manager Dave Challinor named an unchanged starting 11 for the third match running.

The Coasters had a glorious early chance when Jack Muldoon’s teasing ball into the box was dummied by Danny Rowe and swept narrowly wide by Sam Finley.

Finley’s mistake then gifted a chance for Tarpey to go one-on-one with Rhys Taylor but the keeper made a crucial block.

Andy Bond fired warning shot at the other end but it was comfortable for Carl Pentney in the Magpies goal.

The match exploded to life in the 21st minute when Langley was second to Tarpey in a foot race and hauled down his man in the area, leaving the referee with no option but to point to the spot.

Langley was shown the red card while down receiving treatment and Tarpey dispatched the spot-kick into the bottom right corner.

Tarpey had the taste and Taylor palmed away his shot before referee Paul Marsden pointed to the spot for the second time on 37 minutes.

Coasters centre-half Jordan Tunnicliffe was adjudged to have handled on the line following a goalmouth scramble and Tarpey doubled the lead with an emphatic finish down the middle.

As the half entered five minutes of added time, the Coasters pulled one back out of the blue when Montrose poked homeHenry Jones’ inviting ball to the far post.

Challinor made a double switch at the break, with Josh Ezewele and Simon Grand replacing Rowe and Henry Jones, and the hosts almost equalised when Jonny Smith drove against the post, Zaine Francis-Angol’s follow-up effort came back off the bar and Finley nodded the rebound home from a yard only to be ruled offside.

Jake Hyde smashed a shot against the bar from six yards for the visitors and Hardy hit the post at the other end before man of the match Tarpey wrapped the points up on 78 minute curling a sublime free-kick into the top corner.

The woodwork was struck one more time as Francis-Angol looked set to score a consolation goal when picked out by Muldoon.

But as his header came back off the far post you just knew it wasn’t Fylde’s day.

Manager Dave Challinor wasn’t too despondent over last night’s heavy home defeat but felt his side should have taken advantage when on top.

The Fylde boss said: “I wasn’t disappointed with the performance as a whole particularly. We started brightly and perhaps we started to take it easy because we were on top.

“Ultimately it’s about putting the ball in the back of the net and we couldn’t do that.

“A bad decision is then made at the other end of the pitch and we end up with 10 men for most of the game. We then hit the self-destruct button a few minutes later and concede another penalty and to go two behind, which gives us a mountain to climb.”

Even so, the Coasters boss didn’t give up hope and added: “We got a goal back at a good time and we thought if we could stop them scoring again we would have a real chance of getting something.

“We had five really good chances that didn’t go in and at the other end we didn’t keep them out.

“Sam’s disallowed goal shortly after the break was a pivotal moment because we went from being potentially level to 3-1 down in a matter of minutes. It just didn’t seem to go our way.”

The Coasters’ search for a first win of the season continues at home to unbeaten Dagenham and Redbridge on Saturday.

AFC Fylde: Taylor, Bond, Langley, Tunnicliffe, Francis-Angol, Montrose, Finley (Hardy 63), Jones (Ezewele 46), Muldoon, Smith, Rowe (Grand 46); Not used: Lynch, Blinkhorn.

Maidenhead: Pentney, Clerima, Odometey, Massey, Tarpey (Marks 78), Comley, Hyde, Pritchard (Barratt 81), Upward (Mulley 83), Kilman, Goodman; Not used: Inman, Clifton.

Ref: Paul Marsden

Att: 1,657