Marlow exit FA Trophy and lose striker Tarpey to injury

Rhys Harper. Photo credit: Steven Galvin. https://stevengalvin.photography/

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Marlow 0, Biggleswade Town 1

There's not a great deal to be positive about if you're a Marlow fan right now.

On Saturday, the team was beaten for the ninth time this season in all competitions, losing narrowly at home to Biggleswade Town in the third qualifying round of the FA Trophy.

Prior to the match, midfielder Ben Mulley announced he was leaving Oak Tree Road, while the Blues also lost Dave Tarpey to what looks like being a long-term knee injury during the game.

To add to the general feeling of misery, Kai Hamilton-Olise, another of the players who helped Marlow to promotion via the play-offs last season, said he was leaving the club, adding that it was the 'hardest decision' he's had to make in football.

Where this leaves Marlow is anyone's guess, but manager Mark Bartley is fighting to keep the season afloat with the squad he has at his disposal, and he'll be hoping Stefan Brown's return from injury can ignite the side's attacking play.

 Despite all this Marlow played well on Saturday, and the only 'blemish' of the first half was the goal they conceded on the stroke of half-time.

 Ofori swept home the only goal of the tie just seconds before the break after Marlow failed to properly clear their lines from a free kick.

But this performance was much more like it from the Blues as they kept their step three level opponents penned in for much of the second half. 

 The home side struck the crossbar in the early stages of the second half and had numerous other chances blocked by their resolute visitors.

“I thought we were alright today,” Bartley told Marlow club media at the end, “We conceded from a free kick that I don’t think was a free kick and then we didn’t defend the second and the third ball well enough. But that was the only blemish of the first half because I thought we played ok.

“Second half was all us. They were camped in, and they had something to hold onto, but we’ve gone after that. I thought we were really good at getting in towards the final third, and sometimes our quality just let us down a little bit. But we’ve hit the crossbar and had several shots blocked. It’s probably the most positive performance we’ve had so far this season in terms of our output. And we know we can get better.

“We’re disappointed to go out of the Trophy, but I thought today we were okay. I didn’t have too much to say to them in there (the changing room) other than ‘if you continue with that level of performance, we’ll be ok this season’. We were better.”

Goals have been difficult for the Blues to come by this season. They've managed just eight in their league matches so far and they'll now have to do without Tarpey for a significant spell it seems.

He's set to have a scan to determine the severity of the injury, but Bartley admitted after Saturday's 1-0 defeat, it didn't look too hopeful for the former Maidenhead United striker - who's had some rough luck with knee injuries in recent years.

We think the kneecap dislocated so he’s got to go and get it scanned,” added Bartley.  “It’s a huge blow for us because if you look at how many goals, he’s scored last year with Dawid. Dawid is obviously gone and now it looks like we’ll lose Tarpey from that front end.

“It’s big shoes to fill but hopefully Stefan (Brown) is close to a return. That was definitely a sour moment for us, and it will be a big blow for us while he’s out. We’ll have to see what the scan says.”

The Blues will now look to pick up their form in the league - where they've picked up just two points from their nine matches so far. They sit bottom of the table, but they do have time to revive their ailing season.

 On Saturday they host Dorchester Town at Oak Tree Road and Bartley has told the players that if they continue to give him performances like they put in on Saturday, they'll haul themselves clear of the relegation zone.