AS if the success of their local rivals at the City Ground wasn't hard enough for Dorchester's envious fans to bear, they had to witness their side's worst performance of the season.

The other Magpies from Berkshire, struggling near the foot of the table with only one win from 13, were odds-on to provide Mark Morris's in-form men with their first home league win of the season after an unbeaten four-match run.

And when top scorer Justin Keeler put them ahead from the penalty spot in stoppage time at the end of a scrappy first half they just shaded, the stage seemed set for a second half charge.

But Maidenhead, who were fortunate not to have been reduced to ten men after goalkeeper Scott Tarr brought down Matt Groves for the penalty, found their shooting boots after the break to leave an out-of-sorts Dorchester wondering what had hit them.

Magpies had Craig Bradshaw back in goal after he missed their mid-week match against Lewes through illness and he had a quiet first half with the visitors failing to get a single on target.

At the other end Tarr was a busy man. Keeler and Groves both put early efforts off target before Tarr fisted away Ryan Moss's cross and then made a great catch when Keeler returned the clearance from the opposite flank.

Scott Morgan blasted straight at the keeper when Keeler's 14th minute corner was headed away to the edge of the area and then Tarr came rushing out to save with his knees when Jamie Brown's break through the centre went unchecked by a defence waiting for offside.

But there was no early breakthrough this time for Dorchester and as their passing became sloppy Maidenhead almost got their noses in front.

Stephen Hughes found himself ten yards out with what looked a clear shot at goal until Morgan appeared from nowhere to make a great block. Morgan almost went from hero to villain when he missed a cross from the left in the wind to afford Lee Newman an opening, but he drilled his shot into the side-netting.

The Magpies looked to be over their shaky spell with Groves forcing Tarr to dive quickly to smother his low shot. Then the keeper pushed aside Keeler's rasping drive and Ryan Hill's curling cross was only inches away with Tarr beaten.

A flat Dorchester performance badly needed a lift and it came seconds before the break, courtesy of Maidenhead defender Chris Elsegood.

His attempt to find his keeper with a headed back pass was pounced on by Groves who was then chopped down a yard inside the box by Tarr's feet first tackle as he headed for goal.

Referee Briffitt surprisingly produced only a yellow card for Tarr who had no chance with the spot kick conversion that gave Keeler his ninth goal of the campaign.

With the wind behind them and their man-to-man passing proving totally inept, Dorchester opted for the long ball at the re-start and that brought a first minute chance for Groves.

He got goal-side of Elsegood to collect Bradshaw's big clearance, but could only lob the ball gently into Tarr's arms.

Then the Magpies were rocked by a 55th minute equaliser. Hughes stole half a yard on Alex Browne inside the area and turned to crash a crisp left foot shot into the corner.

Aided by Dorchester's insistence on giving the ball away, Maidenhead were soon looking for another. Newman shot straight at a grateful Bradshaw and Hughes wasted a gilt-edged opportunity when he skied over from Newman's cutback from the right.

But there was no escape on 68 minutes when the visitors broke out of defence, found themselves four against three and worked the ball through for Newman to ram another fierce drive past Bradshaw.

The Magpies' injury woes continued when Morgan, one of their few

to emerge from the game with any

credit, went off after twisting a knee and within minutes Bradshaw was picking the ball out of his net for a third time.

Maidenhead's Brendan Gallen seemed to be fouled as he dribbled in from

the left, but the referee played advan-tage and when the ball found its way

to Newman on the fringe of the

area he conjured another unstop-

pable shot into Bradshaw's top

corner.