Another week of controversy for the 4th team as they fell short of a miraculous comeback against Old Salvos on a day when 2 players were sent off after the final whistle. Saturday began with the 4th team well aware of their precarious position in Intermediate West but by the same note fully conscious of the ability within the team. Unfortunately on Saturday the referee was not going to allow the game to be played and it is now 5 defeats on the bounce in the league.
We thought that last weeks referee was the worst we could have had this season but we could not have been more wrong. The 4s have some problems within the team and we cannot blame all shortcomings on the referee but if we had at least a level of competence we would have 4 points from our last 2 games rather than the 0 we got.
This report will undoubtedly be focused a lot on the referee as he successfully managed to dominate the game and be centre of attention for much of the 90 minutes. It began with a goal after about 10 minutes when their player broke free and lobbed our stand in keeper Eric to make it 1-0. Our defence was adamant that it was offside but the ref can’t always get it right, Joe was booked for querying the ref’s decision. After some sustained pressure by meads for a long period another breakaway saw Old Salvos take a 2-0 lead. This one was not debatable, their striker was about 15 yards offside but the ref could not have had a clue, he was chatting away to a player, George was booked for dissent.
As the decisions continued to dumbfound both teams Meads were clearly dominating the contest with both possession and territory well in their favour, unfortunately the score was 2-0 to Salvos. The last pass was not quite hitting the target and when it did the finish could not be applied. Nonetheless the signs were good despite the score line.
Halftime came and the disgruntled mass trudged off the pitch wondering how we could have such bad luck with referee appointments. We needed to forget about the ref and get on with our own game, but he was not going to let us forget about him…
The 2nd half began slower, both teams not really pressing or getting any chances and the game mostly being played in the centre of the park. 15 or so minutes in and their only legitimate goal was scored; a lofted free kick to the back post was nodded back and duly finished to make it 3-0. Despite there being no feasible way the ref could make a hash of things he managed to do so. After the goal Fran was left lying on the ground holding his head. As we made calls to the ref to see to the injured player he said, “I know he’s fine” despite no consultation with any player in the vicinity and with little care he trudged back to the halfway line, leaving us to see to Fran’s injury.
3-0 down and with little chance of any decisions going our way, we could be forgiven for thinking that was it, lets just get this over and done with. However, we showed some good fight and gave ourselves a glimmer of hope when we got a goal back through Joe’s header from Ash’s corner. There was still plenty of time to play, but that also meant plenty of time for the ref to get involved again; 5 minutes later the most blatant handball on the halfway line was noted (he put his whistle to his mouth) but declined and Salvos broke again to score a 4th and put the game beyond doubt with 15 minutes to play. There was still time for Ash to be put in a headlock after he reacted when cynically chopped down when through on goal, the ref saying ‘you’re off’ only to change his mind and book the Salvos captain.
Meads restored pride with 2 late goals, both from set pieces, through headers from George and Jonathan Sellars on his return from a massive lay off. The game finished 4-3, Jonathan being named MOM for his performance at the back as well as his goal.
There was still time for more ‘ref cam’ when, with the final whistle moments away, George was positive there was a handball on the edge of the box and shouted, although not directly at the ref, ‘that was f****** handball’. Play continued for another minute and the final whistle was blown, at this point the ref decided to call George back and give him a 2nd yellow and the red card that follows. This incensed Joe who duly received his 2nd yellow and then the red.
I am fully supportive of any campaign that calls for respect; there is an alarming rate of drop outs from officiating that can be attributed to players/parents/coaches alike. However, there must be some reciprocation in this, and to be honest, the dissent the referee received on Saturday was brought about fully by his own aloof and heavy handed behaviour towards both sets of players.
From our point of view, the game was a step in the right direction; we played a lot better than previous weeks and showed some great fight at the end of the game. This team is capable of going on a run without losing, now is the time we must do that and pull together and get ourselves out of this run, it will come, there is no doubt in my mind about that.
