BOSS Tom Killick admitted his Poole Town players had been “a little bit naive” after Dolphins suffered a last-gasp defeat at Maidenhead in the FA Trophy.

The Southern Premier leaders had led the first-round tie through Jack Maloney’s first-half effort but Devante McKain levelled after the break and Dave Tarpey smashed home the winner two minutes from time.

Conference South Maidenhead, who included former Premier League striker DJ Campbell in their starting line-up, avoided a replay at Tatnam and snatched £5,000 in prize money.

Killick praised his team for their efforts at York Road but acknowledged that a more cautious approach may have resulted in a different outcome.

He told the Daily Echo: “For the most part, I felt that we controlled the game and were the better side, so when you lose in those circumstances, it is particularly galling.

“Perhaps we were guilty of being a little bit naive in the latter stages at 1-0 up and even at 1-1. We should have been a little bit more mindful of securing the result we had rather than looking to push on.

“We had been very positive right from the start and had caused them a lot of problems in terms of our attacking play, so when you are in that mindset and the opposition looks vulnerable, it’s quite difficult to rein it in.

“But possibly that’s what we should have done. We should perhaps have been a bit more aware of keeping a better defensive shape.

“That was something to think about for the future but in terms of the performance it was really good quality.

“I was proud of the players because they had gone away to a Conference South side and anyone that watched the game would have said we were the better team.”

Maidenhead fashioned the clearest chance of the opening 40 minutes when Ryan Upward broke through one-on-one and fired straight at Nick Hutchings.

But moments before the break, Magpies defenders Mark Nisbet and Leon Soloman failed to clear and Maloney toe-poked under keeper Will Britt.

Dolphins came within a whisker of doubling their lead after the restart but Luke Roberts struck the post and Marvin Brooks drilled the rebound against the bar.

Michael Walker, making his 50th appearance for Poole, had a header cleared off the line before McKain leathered into the roof of the net at the other end.

And the home side got their winner when former QPR and Blackpool frontman Campbell found Tarpey and his vicious drive beat Hutchings at the near post.

Dolphins: Hutchings, Tallack, Martin, Walker, Whisken, Pettefer, Maloney, Devlin (Jermyn, 83), Roberts, Brooks, Gilkes (Munday, 69). Unused subs: Gillespie, Davis, Manley (g/k).