Pic: Marc Keinch
DAVE TARPEY admits he can’t get the penultimate game of the season or the fixture list out of his head as the Maidenhead machine targets 45 goals as well as the title.
The Magpies walked off the pitch last Tuesday night with a knowing grin after their 6-1 thrashing of Oxford City – surely cannoning a warning to National League South title rivals Ebbsfleet United.
But Shots were fired right back at them from Stonebridge Road as the scores were read out from elsewhere as the Fleet’s 8-0 whitewash of Bishop’s Stortford was discovered.
No luck from elsewhere, but the title is still in Maidenhead’s hands as three points separate them going into the weekend.
A juicy subplot to this exhilarating tale is of course the fact that the top two play each other at York Road on Saturday April 22.
Tarpey, the highest ever goalscorer in the division, added two more last Tuesday to take his tally to 39.
Challenge
“It was a bit strange walking in having won 6-1, but losing three on our goal difference!” said the former Hampton and Farnborough striker.
“It’s really exciting. We knew deep down they would beat Stortford, but after scoring six ourselves we maybe didn’t expect them to score eight!
“It is one game at a time as everyone says at this stage of the season but yes, that game against them is in our thoughts. It’s difficult for it not to be really and I think it could well come down to what happens when they visit us. It could be that big.
“Our fixtures after this weekend are actually quite similar in terms of what’s expected from them, but all we can do is keep winning. It’s great to be a part of.”
He’s been asked it a hundred times since breaking the National League South goalscoring record a fortnight ago, but Tarpey forgives the predictable line of questioning.
“That’s what everyone wants to know!” he smiled. “I would love to score 45 now. I’m looking at our fixture list and thinking it might just be possible, but every game at this level presents a different challenge. If I get between 40 and 45 I’ll be happy for sure, but I’m in a good frame of mind and every time I get the ball I feel really confident.”
The crowd have helped his best season ever, he says. “We had over 1,000 here on Tuesday night and for a club getting a few hundred a year back, that’s not bad going.
“They get right behind us and everyone is really together. It’s great to see.”
