Pics: Denise Fowles
DEAN INMAN reckons Maidenhead United have what it takes to shock everyone and win a National League South already packed full of surprises – especially if they can continue to rely on goals from the Tarpedo!
Striker Dave Tarpey scored his 12th of the season already as the Magpies beat Eastbourne Borough 2-1 on Tuesday night.
His August avalanche means he is very much living up to his nickname – the club's explosive warhead is a weapon of mass destruction so far this term.
Boss Alan Devonshire has gone about his business quietly and they weren't among those predicted to be battling it out for the title.
It's been a first month of surprises in the division, promoted Hampton & Richmond Borough and Poole Town plus St Albans City and Chelmsford – almost relegated last season – held the top five places heading into the weekend.
Maidenhead are top and Inman says there's an energy running through the camp following their blistering start.
“The first month of the season on paper looked really tough,” the defender said. “It was a really difficult start. The likes of Gosport, Chelmsford City, Truro, Whitehawk and Poole were all expected to be up there challenging.
“We knew if we made a decent start then we could be in and around where we need to be. So far we've come through it with flying colours and there's no more that you can ask than to win well and play like we have been in the first month.
“August has been fantastic but as everyone knows it's about performing when the pitches aren't as good as this and when the weather takes a turn.
“But we're absolutely flying at the moment and defensively we look very solid which gives us a great foundation to build from.
“There's no reason why we can't win the league. It's not always a case of the clubs with the biggest budgets who go up, we've seen that before so we've just got to keep working hard and if we do we've got every chance as we're a together squad full of talented players.”
Confidence
Every promotion winner has a goal getter, and if the first month of the season is anything to go by then Tarpey could fire the team up singlehandedly.
Carrying on at this rate isn't possible, it goes without saying, but Inman believes they have one of the best strikers in the Non-League game on their side.
“Tarps is incredible – his goalscoring record this season tell you all you need to know,” added the centre-back. “If he carries on at this rate he'll have 70 or 80 goals come the end!
“He knows where the net is and any side that wants to achieve something needs a player who can get a goal from nothing and take the pressure off – having someone who can quickly turn one point into three is a massive plus.
“He's one of the best strikers in the league and in my opinion one of the best in Non-League. Speaking as a defender, we're lucky to have him on our side!
“We always know we can score. We scored 14 goals in the first seven games which shows we're doing something right at both ends because we've only let in two goals.”
West Ham legend Devonshire is rarely a man to show much emotion and he is sure to continue to play down the team's chances. But on the year of his 60th birthday, he is desperate to add another promotion to his CV.
“The manager is over the moon with how we've been playing,” Inman added. “He keeps drilling it into us to take one game at a time as you would expect but there's a lot of confidence there at the moment – but we're not getting ahead of ourselves. Dev won't ever allow that to creep in.”
