Sloppy Magpies Concede seven
Maidenhead United FC: United bow out of the FA Cup at the first
FC Halifax Town 7, Maidenhead United 4 Maidenhead United's wait to reach the second round of the FA Cup goes on after they lost a bonkers first round cup tie 7-4 at FC Halifax Town this afternoon (Saturday).
Not since 1886 - the same year Karl Benz applied for a patent to build the first motor car - have the Magpies progressed to the second round of the country's most famous cup competition.
And, although it would be difficult to argue they didn't go for it against the Shaymen, they were far too open defensively to give themselves a chance of making the next round.
Halifax scored four goals in the first half and three in the second to deservedly go through, although Maidenhead kept pace with them initially, scoring three goals of their own in the first half.
Manager Alan Devonshire made several changes for the trip north, bringing James
Holden back in for Rhys Lovett, while
Manny Parry, Charlie Adam and Emile Acquah also came back into the starting lineup from the side's defeat at Eastleigh last weekend.
Seven goals were scored in a topsy-turvy first period and it was the hosts who led after only 10 minutes, Tyrell Warren heading home his first for the Shaymen from a corner.
Josh Kelly, who'd found the net in his previous two league starts against Woking and Wrexham, tapped home Maidenhead's equaliser four minutes later after Sam Barratt's shot had been palmed out.
But parity was maintained for only a couple of minutes before Matt Warburton fired a low shot beyond Holden to make it 21.
So far, so frantic, and it got more exciting as the half wore on. Emile Acquah netted a rare goal in black and white this season to
make it 2-2 after 21 minutes.
Four goals inside the first quarter of the game and there would be seven more to come. Unfortunately for Devonshire's men, five of them went to the hosts.
Kian Spence cracked in another low shot from distance to make it 3-2 after 37minutes and Billy Waters took advantage of more lax Maidenhead defending to slot past Holden to make it 4-2 a few minutes before the interval.
There was still time for Maidenhead to give themselves a cup lifeline when Acquah found the net on the stroke of half-time and both sides went off for a well-deserved breather with Halifax leading 4-3.
If supporters expected the second half to be cagier, they were sadly, or gladly - depending on their team allegiance - mistaken.
Andre Burley, signed on loan from Wycombe in mid-week came on at the break for Adams and was immediately cautioned, and Maidenhead's challenge then began to evaporate.
Jordan Slew was in the right place at the right time to convert a cut back in the 55th minute and Waters grabbed his second of the game just before the hour mark after latching onto a perfect ball into the box from Warburton.
Kelly grabbed another back for the Magpies a minute later, but another comeback failed to materialise, and Elliot Newby finished off Maidenhead - and the game's scoring - when he slotted home his side's seventh in the 72nd minute.
Green had a shot from distance that Holden tipped around the post in the 81st minute and it felt like the first attempt from either side that didn't hit the back of the net.
For a while Maidenhead played their part in an entertaining cup tie but in truth, they were far too naive defensively to stand any hope of making cup history this afternoon.