Brimming with confidence after a much better performance the week before the improving Casuals took on long time foe Rivercity Braves on a damp but warm May afternoon. The Marist side welcomed back Matt Roberts and veteran Mark Dawson while the injured and unwell Geordie Steedman passed a late fitness test.
But immediately the Marist backs were stretched on Braves first attack out wide and Braves dander man Michael Hausman scored from an angle. This is normally a sign for the Casuals to stumble and crumble, but that has changed lately and from there on in the orange side took the initiative. And how.
Attacking largely down the left the triumvirate of Roberts, Steedman and Andy Gilberd started ripping holes in the Braves defence. On the half hour Matt Roberts received a pass beat a defender and scored a beautiful long range curling shot over the Braves keeper. And before the stunned crowd could catch their respective breaths Geordie Steedman was sent clear and deliciously chipped the bewildered Braves goaltender to put the Casuals in front. And they deserved the lead, make no mistake about that.
Braves couldn’t string much together and as the ref blew for half time the Rivercity inquest started.
The second half saw some positional changes and a refreshed Paul Geezer Miller was brought on for an out of position Paul Maguire who was struggling to find his range on the left flank. Ten minutes in the Braves goalie mis kicked a clearance and Miller as cool as a cucumber sandwich volleyed it home from 30 yards. (As the evening went on it became ten yards more on each telling of the story).
At 3-1 the Casual were in complete control. Surely nothing could stop them from pulling off a famous victory against the league leaders. Yet it did.
In a bizarre display of refereeing and with 20 minutes remaining a penalty was given after Cameron Dale won a clean tackle in the penalty area. The player tackled stumbled and was awarded a penalty. A terrible decision and the crowd stood silent in amazement as Neihana Kahl slotted home from the spot.
The Marist heads were dropping and calls to keep it tight worked against them as a defensive line playing the Braves forwards offside was ignored by the referee and Braves ran through to score. The official looked confused before finally blowing for a goal. 3- 3 and it was a crime – a crime against football.
Braves starting knocking on the Casuals back door and the outstanding Buchanan was called on to make some fantastic saves to keep the orange side in the game.
However, the Rivercity side soon made it 4-3 and there was no dispute here as Michael Hausman went around Buchanan to score from acute angle.
Then as a shell-shocked Casuals tried to get back into the game Braves were caught offside again – only for the referee to ignore an obvious infringement and Danny Tiraha almost apologetically tapped in at the far post.
To Casual credit they did not labour the point with the referee who otherwise had done a fair enough job. But three horrendous blunders cost the Casuals. And no one could deny that.
Fans of karma will say the Casuals will get that back in the weeks coming forward but for the lads in orange it was incredibly hard to take on a day when a famous and deserved win was ripped from under their feet like a cut price carpet at an Ali Baba convention.
