Post by Kev Panther on Oct 22, 2013 10:21:36 GMT
REFEREE RUINS NINE MAN SKELMERSDALE’S TROPHY HOPES
BLYTH SPARTANS 6 SKELMERSDALE UNITED 0
By Neil Leatherbarrow
Newcastle based referee Barry Gordon cost Skelmersdale United any chance of a place in the next round of the FA Trophy. A big statement, but a succession of poor decisions by the official sent the Skem supporters who travelled up to Northumberland home with a very nasty taste in their mouths.
Skelmersdale last week picked up the Evo-Stik League Fair Play Award an honour they achieved by a country mile and a string of disciplined performances. Seven days later they had two players sent off in a game that didn’t contain a malicious challenge all afternoon.
In an even first-half of few chances, Skelmersdale had a good grip on the home forwards, while the home defence for the main part had a similar grip on the Skelmersdale forwards, but the centre of attraction was Mr Gordon. A pair of completely unnecessary bookings set the tone of the game and as in the saying “you reap what you sow” resulted in sending’s off for the unlucky Skelmersdale players involved. With one extremely poor decision just before half-time destabilising the whole balance of the game.
Some decent approach play from both teams failed to create a really clear cut chance in the first half-hour, before Skelmersdale defender Rob McIntosh was surprisingly shown a yellow card for a foul on Arran Wearmouth. However, the second yellow card shown to a Skelmersdale player a couple of minutes later was even more surprising, when after a challenge on Wearmouth Matty Hughes was shown a yellow.
The full significance of the second yellow was highlighted five minutes later. Hughes skipped past two home defenders and was in the process doing the same to a third in the penalty area when he was clipped and fell to the ground. All the Skelmersdale supporters at that end of the ground joined the players in a vociferous appeal for a penalty, but instead of pointing to the spot Mr Gordon went into consultation with his assistant, then to the astonishment of all he waved away the penalty and showed a yellow then red card to Hughes.
In his after match comments Skelmersdale manager Tommy Lawson said; “We should have been going into the interval a goal up with eleven men, instead we went in level with ten men and facing a mountain. . . After the match the Blyth players publicly admitted Hughes was fouled.”
Skelmersdale held out until the 59th minute, when Craig Hubbard, blasted the ball home from about four yards out, then two minutes later he fired home from twenty yards before he headed home after a header back across the penalty area to complete a hat-trick.
Tommy Lawson responded by going three at the back and was almost rewarded when home goalkeeper Michal Misiewicz made a terrific save from a Kenny Strickland effort and saved at the feet of Skelmersdale substitute Rio Ahmadi, before the striker beat him with a chip but hit the home crossbar. It was a plucky effort by Skelmersdale.
The weight of numbers eventually got on top and Ashley Davis made it four with a counterattack move.
The frustration finally got to McIntosh and he was dismissed for telling Mr Gordon just what everybody thought about him all afternoon. The last two goals came in the dying moments when the game was already won by Blyth.
Perhaps one incident summed up the performance of the hapless Mr Gordon when midway through the second-half, Skelmersdale captain Tom Hardwick collided with a boundary wall near the home dug-out and was clearly in distress. The home bench rushed to his aid as did Skelmersdale Physio Michelle Scott, but when Tommy Lawson ventured down the line to help his stricken player Mr Gordon was only interested in restarting the game and after lecturing Tommy demanded he go back to the away dug-out, leaving the player prone on the side by the wall.
I am sure Mr Gordon has better days, otherwise he wouldn’t be officiating at the level he is, but he had a nightmare, he gave Skelmersdale one too and in my opinion was undoubtedly responsible for the scoreline.
BLYTH SPARTANS: Misiewicz, Airey, Watson (Parker, 77), Buddle, Purewal © (Kendrick, 75), Mullen, Maguire, Hubbard, Davis, Horner, Wearmouth (Dale, 38) Subs (not used) Hooks, Wade
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: McMahon, Strickland, Holden (Morning, 65), Hardwick ©, McIntosh, Dunn, Hughes, Wylie, Astbury (Ahmadi, 65), Leadbetter (Slater, 77), Holt Subs (not used) Simpson, Paxton
Referee: Barry Gordon (Newcastle)
Attendance: 340
BLYTH SPARTANS 6 SKELMERSDALE UNITED 0
By Neil Leatherbarrow
Newcastle based referee Barry Gordon cost Skelmersdale United any chance of a place in the next round of the FA Trophy. A big statement, but a succession of poor decisions by the official sent the Skem supporters who travelled up to Northumberland home with a very nasty taste in their mouths.
Skelmersdale last week picked up the Evo-Stik League Fair Play Award an honour they achieved by a country mile and a string of disciplined performances. Seven days later they had two players sent off in a game that didn’t contain a malicious challenge all afternoon.
In an even first-half of few chances, Skelmersdale had a good grip on the home forwards, while the home defence for the main part had a similar grip on the Skelmersdale forwards, but the centre of attraction was Mr Gordon. A pair of completely unnecessary bookings set the tone of the game and as in the saying “you reap what you sow” resulted in sending’s off for the unlucky Skelmersdale players involved. With one extremely poor decision just before half-time destabilising the whole balance of the game.
Some decent approach play from both teams failed to create a really clear cut chance in the first half-hour, before Skelmersdale defender Rob McIntosh was surprisingly shown a yellow card for a foul on Arran Wearmouth. However, the second yellow card shown to a Skelmersdale player a couple of minutes later was even more surprising, when after a challenge on Wearmouth Matty Hughes was shown a yellow.
The full significance of the second yellow was highlighted five minutes later. Hughes skipped past two home defenders and was in the process doing the same to a third in the penalty area when he was clipped and fell to the ground. All the Skelmersdale supporters at that end of the ground joined the players in a vociferous appeal for a penalty, but instead of pointing to the spot Mr Gordon went into consultation with his assistant, then to the astonishment of all he waved away the penalty and showed a yellow then red card to Hughes.
In his after match comments Skelmersdale manager Tommy Lawson said; “We should have been going into the interval a goal up with eleven men, instead we went in level with ten men and facing a mountain. . . After the match the Blyth players publicly admitted Hughes was fouled.”
Skelmersdale held out until the 59th minute, when Craig Hubbard, blasted the ball home from about four yards out, then two minutes later he fired home from twenty yards before he headed home after a header back across the penalty area to complete a hat-trick.
Tommy Lawson responded by going three at the back and was almost rewarded when home goalkeeper Michal Misiewicz made a terrific save from a Kenny Strickland effort and saved at the feet of Skelmersdale substitute Rio Ahmadi, before the striker beat him with a chip but hit the home crossbar. It was a plucky effort by Skelmersdale.
The weight of numbers eventually got on top and Ashley Davis made it four with a counterattack move.
The frustration finally got to McIntosh and he was dismissed for telling Mr Gordon just what everybody thought about him all afternoon. The last two goals came in the dying moments when the game was already won by Blyth.
Perhaps one incident summed up the performance of the hapless Mr Gordon when midway through the second-half, Skelmersdale captain Tom Hardwick collided with a boundary wall near the home dug-out and was clearly in distress. The home bench rushed to his aid as did Skelmersdale Physio Michelle Scott, but when Tommy Lawson ventured down the line to help his stricken player Mr Gordon was only interested in restarting the game and after lecturing Tommy demanded he go back to the away dug-out, leaving the player prone on the side by the wall.
I am sure Mr Gordon has better days, otherwise he wouldn’t be officiating at the level he is, but he had a nightmare, he gave Skelmersdale one too and in my opinion was undoubtedly responsible for the scoreline.
BLYTH SPARTANS: Misiewicz, Airey, Watson (Parker, 77), Buddle, Purewal © (Kendrick, 75), Mullen, Maguire, Hubbard, Davis, Horner, Wearmouth (Dale, 38) Subs (not used) Hooks, Wade
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: McMahon, Strickland, Holden (Morning, 65), Hardwick ©, McIntosh, Dunn, Hughes, Wylie, Astbury (Ahmadi, 65), Leadbetter (Slater, 77), Holt Subs (not used) Simpson, Paxton
Referee: Barry Gordon (Newcastle)
Attendance: 340
