Thame 1-1 Slough

[Dominic]

Slough-Dom,Spencer,Daly,A Browne,R Browne,Winston,Williams,Metts,Gilkes,Hodge,Boot

 

Subs-Pamer,Rocastle(both late coz there car broke down),Bubb,Blake,Briach

 

Once again a goalkeeping error costs us the match,yes it was a flukey shot from the tall fella but Dom should have really had it covered,to his credit he did pull of a couple of wonderful saves. We scord with about 7 mins to go when A Thame player cleared a Gilkes strike with is hand.Boot calmly tucked the penalty away.The ref was terrible and so was the pitch,lucky not to loose when Thame hit the cross-bar(how did they miss??!!)Spencer was sent off after a scuffle with a Thame player who was also sent off. It retrospect i suppose it was a fair result.But once again other results go our way(a bit)

 

Hemel 1-3 Hornchurch

Barton 1-0 Harlow

Arlesey 0-1 Uxbridge

Oxford 0-3 Waldstone

Marlow 1-0 Northwood

[michaelSTFC]

I can't help but feel we threw away this match. It was rather a disappointing performance after going 0v1 down. We seemed to stand off them and allowed them to play. They weren't particularly good and yet our laid back approach lets teams cut through us. Thought Spencer had his worse game by far today. OK, he was played out of position, but he disappeared for 85mins until he got sent off. He should have been subbed for Palmer long before that. Once again, Sammy wasted as a right winger. I know Browne might be hindered by selection, but Byron Bubb has looked great whenever hes come on recently. Even tho Hodges had another good game, as soon as Sammy moved inside again, we started to look dangerous.

 

As I said, I think we threw it away. We have done this all season long: dominate, not take our chances, go behind to a freak goal and then end the match chasing the game.

 

I hate to say it, but I think that today was an indicator for the rest of the season. It was a big pressure match and we couldn't finish them off. With Hornchurch winning, it puts a heap of pressure on us now to go and win at Aveley and Harlow in the next week. On today's performance, I can't see us doing it.

 

I hope to be proved wrong!

 

COME ON YOU REBELS!

[Roy]

I know the pitch was bumpy, but why didn't we at least try to play it on the ground as the long-ball game wasn't working.

Thought Dom played well apart from the goal.

Four strikers on the pitch, and still we couldn't score from open play.

I thought that the ball had crossed the line before the defender knocked it out. Still I suppose we got a goal anyway.

Why are the referees we get so poor?

[Guest]

Referee missed a blatant handball in the first half, much clearer than the one eventually given. How he can get away with not sending off the player is beyond me, That is one of the most non-changeable rules in the game; handball on the line straight red card. Thought Metcalfe was superb yesterday, right back to the form that he was showing at the start of the season. Didn't personally think Spencer was that poor, Browne on the other side was much worse, but then we're used to that now aren't we?

[Ian]

I missed what happened with their goal - I just looked up and the ball went in! What happened?

[michaelSTFC]

Their 14foot tall striker chested the ball down from what looked like 25-30yards out and volleyed a shot which bounced before Zepherin and managed to zip under his diving body. Unbelievable.

[Paul Stephens]

Was talking to adrian blake during the penalty incident. He was close to the corner flag warming up when it happened and is adamant that the ball was well over the line from the shot, striking the defender in the goal area, not one of the two on the line. The linesman bottled it from that pont of view, but al least he gave the penalty when the ref (who was much closer and had a much better view) didnt. In fact I cant see how the lino could give a handball decision at all from where he was standing.

 

The ref was totally ot of order not to send their player off under the rules. Sometimes its an instinctive reaction to handle, but when its on the goal line its deliberately preventing a goal which can only carry one penalty (well two actually ) It has to be deliberate or its not a penalty.

 

Mind you I was very impressed with the other lino, who gave their striker offside when in great position, after he received the ball from a back header by Daly.