Corby Town 1 Enfield Town 0

[Hawkeye Pierce]

Well it was just another one of those days. The steel-men steal again, as town press up and the defence is trousered.

 

Hall, Campbell, Woodward, Gant, Penn, Stephens, Velandia, Hall, Paul, Hammatt, Ritchie, Allen, Morgan, Negus, Smith, Peat.

 

Gate 335

 

It was a game of two referees too. The first saw Penn brought to the ground with an early back elbow to the face. A taste of what was to come. Bryan Hammatt had a shot to keeper. Town were all over Corby as the steelmens fans drummed the metal wall of the stand in an attempt to get behind their team. Darren Watts in was left in a one on one with Bryan Hammatt and had no choice but to charge out and fist the ball and Bryan Hammatt to prevent him scoring. The keeper was booked but NOT sent off. The subsequent Free kick was headed over. 17 minutes gone and Adam Gant and Russell Penn were mugged by Kevin Byrne who came in from the right and slotted past Chopper 1 – 0. That was so simple – You couldn’t believe the defence had not made more of an effort. Chopper was left with no chance. Up until that point Town were all over Corby and the players’ heads visibly dropped and never recovered from this point forward.

 

Soon after the Ref went down injured with a muscle injury. Match stopped and teams taken off for 25 minutes. Ref from another match joined us and senior lineman took the centre. From here on the decisions start going against town. New ref younger and tended to punish the retaliation rather than seeing the original offence. Moral of the story if you are going to dig back do it blind side not in front of the ref.

Chopper saves town this time. Rudi Hall booked for a foul. Keiron Woodward doesn’t for one that looked worse.

 

Half time felt like full time. Second half Town started positively. Paul Campbell brought down in the box. Nothing given. David Allen on for Adam Gant. Johnny Morgan on for Niall Ritchie. A rocket from Bryan Hammatt from 30 feet out was saved easily. Chopper left in a 1 on 1 situation but saves well. Russell Peen last man and brings his man just outside of the box, straight red. No problem with the decision just the one in the first half should have been treated likewise for consistency sake. Lee Smith on for Steve Velandia. Russell Penn being sent off appeared as a wake-up call for town. Great save from Chopper from a ½ volley. At the other end Trevor Paul had the best chance for town with a shot tucked around the post by the keeper. Town were playing more positively and got a boost from the shot. Johnny Morgan was running at the defence in his usual manner and Danny Marlow shielded the ball and Johnny Morgan shoved him before both players were at fault and Danny made a meal of it to get Johnny Morgan a straight red.

[lovely stuff]

How frustrating was that game today?Corby are a typical hoof and chase team that you get at this level.No skill, no flair,just organisation and effort.If we can't beat teams that play the game like Corby or Potters bar,we will stuggle to make the play-offs ,let alone the top two.

 

Town could not be faulted for workrate,but the organisation ,decisiveness and belief just wern't there,and havn't been since the Harlow game.

 

The officialing standards today were farsical in the extreme.No senior game of football should ever be handled by officials that are so obviously out of their depth as those on display today.

 

The first hint of trouble came after 15 munites when Hammett was put clean through with a high ball over the top.The keeper came charging out of his goal to try to intercept the ball.Hammett got to the ball first with his head,and was comprehensively and deliberatly cleaned-out by the keeper.The ref awarded a yellow card and a free kick.

 

The game was then delayed for 25 minutes because the ref injured himself,and we had to wait for a park game outside the gound to finish,so we could use their ref as linesman (How mickey mouse is that?).So now we had, not only two inexperienced local linesman,but a inexperienced local ref as well.

 

It turned 'keystone cops' after that,with the ref making some highly dubious decisions,such as allowing two-footed tackles from behind to go unpunished.He also booked three Enfield Town players for complaining about it.He then sent Penn off for fouling the last man,even though the ref (who had been linesman in the first half) had seen the Corby keeper only booked for an identical foul in the first half.

 

Even though Town were impotent in front of goal in the second half,we should have had two stonewall penalties.One where Campbell was pushed flying as he went on a run into the box,and another where a corby player handled the ball.

 

The Ref lost the game to such an extent,that in the last ten minutes,that players were diving and fiegning injury ,elbowing, putting in knee high tackes (mainly from Corby).Various confontations were occurring and skuffles happening all over pitch.It was basically out of control,and came to a head when Woodward was cut in half by a knee high tackle near the Corby bench.After treatment, woodward placed the ball for the free kick ,and some of Corby's management walked on the pitch and intefered with play by kicking the ball away.This cause a clash of the benches.The ref did nothing about it.The officialing was not acceptable for senior football,in fact you'd be hard pressed to see such chaos over the park on a sunday morning.

 

Morgan was sent off near the end,when a Corby played went nose to nose with him,and jonny pushed him in the face.

 

I would like to know the ruling of whether we had to accept a replacement linesman,or whether both teams had to agree on it,because the fella who turned up from the park looked like he had never run a line before in his life,he was using his hands to signal to the ref instead of his flag.He didn't seem the most neutral of offficals either. Shaking the hands of the Corby players as he entered the pitch and he was recieving plenty of support from the home crowd in the main stand.

[Hawkeye Pierce]

The replacement Linesman was clearly known by the home fans and players but if he had not run the line then the match would have been abandoned.

[Ned Flanders]

Quote:

Softie said:
Johnny Morgan was running at the defence in his usual manner and Danny Marlow shielded the ball and Johnny Morgan shoved him before both players were at fault and Danny made a meal of it to get Johnny Morgan a straight red.

Morgan got frustrated, took a swing and landed one on him - he had to go. Trouble was that the bout of fisti which followed caused the match to get ugly.

I don't think Town played all that well, you could count the scoring attempts on one hand. Trevor Paul was guilty of an appalling miss near the end - the Corby fans I spoke to afterwards thought he should have scored.

[Southport - TOWNER]

Quote:

Softie said:
The replacement Linesman was clearly known by the home fans and players but if he had not run the line then the match would have been abandoned.

I thought panto season had finished.....


the officals were so poor after the ref had to be replaced the match should be replayed

<img src="/forum/images/graemlins/affig.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/affig.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/affig.gif" alt="" />

[Steph]

I didn't think the officials were that bad. Penn had to go for the foul that he committed and John Morgan head butted the number 11. He may have missed but the intention was obvious and he had to go.

 

I thought the replacement lino did all right however Town were not very good. Corby were direct and Town weren't - simple as that.

 

Chopper had a reasonable game.

[lovely stuff]

Behave Steph. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

How can you say that a ref who let elbows and two footed tackles go unpunished,let three tackles from behind go unpunished,totally lost contol of the game,allows a teams bench to enter the field of play etc...etc..etc. WASN'T THAT BAD?<img src="/forum/images/graemlins/shrug.gif" alt="" />

 

What did you think of the two penalty shouts in the second half? What did you think of Hammett being taken down in the first half half.

 

I challenge any other Town supporter to agree with Steph,and say the ref in the second half wasn't that bad.

 

PS... It is possible for the ref to be awful,and for us to play awful.The two are not mutually exclusive.Sometimes both happen.

[OldTowner]

Steph....................Are you sure ?

How the hell can you say that the officials were okay ?

Town had players booked for questionong a decision when Corby had players not booked after tackles from behind etc !

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but Jim should have taken the team off once the Red got injured. We were "stiched up" after that by the local lads in black. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/boxing.gif" alt="" />

[Anfield Towner]

We didn't play well yesterday and the players too often reacted to events in an unprofessional, if understandable in some cases, manner. I thought we were still the better team though and the result was a travesty - it was clearly the 9 men of Town that were pressing at the end while Corby held on (quite literally!).

 

From my view (and I don't think any of us had a great one with that running track round the pitch) I think Softie was about right that Russell and Johnny both could have expected to walk, though not in the context of what else went on in that game. If the referee punished other incidents in the same way the match would have been abandoned through lack of player numbers and we could have all started our long journey a lot earlier.....

 

I know we often criticise the officials but LS was right when he said that the standard of officials yesterday was unacceptable at this level. Their first duty is the protection of players on the field of play and that certainly didn't happen, with even the home bench becoming involved. How many of you had a wry smile on the way home when you heard Arsene Wenger complain about Everton's over physical approach? You ain't seen nothing, Arsene! As for the linesman who was brought in, the bloke didn't know one end of a lino's flag from the other - we probably felt when he first arrived that he was doing us a favour but, in truth, he'd have been doing us a bigger favour if he hadn't turned up in the first place. I guess we could sense it was one of those days that was going that way - some were heard to say that the match should just be abandoned after 20 mins or so, even though we'd just travelled for 2 hours to get there. Can't say I've had that feeling before!

 

Time for Jim to pick the boys up for the next game - we're gonna get games like this from time to time and it's how we react, players and fans alike, both on the day and in the months afterwards, on which we'll be judged.

[Steph]

I didn't say the officials were good but they were not as bad as many on here are saying.

 

To suggest, as you do, that John Morgan didn't deserve a red card is a nonsense. JM went to head butt the other player and, probably, connected. This was after the ball was out of play and both players off the pitch. If the situation had been reversed I would expect the Town player to make the most of it. Of course JM was going to get a red. The town players totally lost their discipline after which is more serious.

 

The goalie maybe should have got sent off in the first half after all the ref did blow a foul but he didn't and neither did Peat last week for a similar situation. These things happen.

 

But to suggest, as you do, that because the goalie got away with his professional foul in the first half under a different ref that Penn should not have got sent off because it was inconsistent is a non-sequiter.

 

The lino that came on as a substitute appeared to be more in control than the ref and he certainly did not let anything go. Just because he was known to the Corby side did not appear to affect the decisions he made.

 

I felt that the Paul Campbell push in the penalty area should have been given but it wasn't so carry on the ref is not going to change his mind. I was unsure about the handball in the penalty area but was convinced about the one earlier in the game near the Corby bench where the original referee appeared to develop myopia. I felt that the second ref was far better than the first and it was probably the first ref's blindness that led to the problems later.

 

Rudi Hall's booking - by the first ref - what was that all about?

 

I also think that the ref should report the home bench for the interference with play - twice. In the first half they would not let a town player take a throw without winding him up. Those dug outs are on wheels so why are they so close to the pitch and why is the away dug out not the same distance from the half way line as the home dug out. The FA made the town move theirs.

 

I still feel that if the Town had done their job as well as the officials done theirs we would have won. We cannot blame poor displays or results on the officials especially this particular game.

[OldTowner]

Quote:

Anfield Towner said:
We didn't play well yesterday and the players too often reacted to events in an unprofessional, if understandable in some cases, manner. I thought we were still the better team though and the result was a travesty - it was clearly the 9 men of Town that were pressing at the end while Corby held on (quite literally!).

From my view (and I don't think any of us had a great one with that running track round the pitch) I think Softie was about right that Russell and Johnny both could have expected to walk, though not in the context of what else went on in that game. If the referee punished other incidents in the same way the match would have been abandoned through lack of player numbers and we could have all started our long journey a lot earlier.....

I know we often criticise the officials but LS was right when he said that the standard of officials yesterday was unacceptable at this level. Their first duty is the protection of players on the field of play and that certainly didn't happen, with even the home bench becoming involved. How many of you had a wry smile on the way home when you heard Arsene Wenger complain about Everton's over physical approach? You ain't seen nothing, Arsene! As for the linesman who was brought in, the bloke didn't know one end of a lino's flag from the other - we probably felt when he first arrived that he was doing us a favour but, in truth, he'd have been doing us a bigger favour if he hadn't turned up in the first place. I guess we could sense it was one of those days that was going that way - some were heard to say that the match should just be abandoned after 20 mins or so, even though we'd just travelled for 2 hours to get there. Can't say I've had that feeling before!

Time for Jim to pick the boys up for the next game - we're gonna get games like this from time to time and it's how we react, players and fans alike, both on the day and in the months afterwards, on which we'll be judged.

Anfield Towner - Very well put. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/boxing.gif" alt="" />

[lovely stuff]

Steph.who said that Jonny didn't derseve to walk??I havn't seen anyone say that.AT suggested that others should have walked AS WELL as Jonny.

 

 

The ref in the second half certainly didin't let anything go <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

 

Are you sure you were watching the same game,Steph? He let tackles from behind go,especially two vicious ones on Hammett and Paul.He let Corby's bench come onto the field of play during a game to intimidate one of our players and kick the ball away.He let potentially career ending tackles go unpunished.He let two very good penalty claims GO. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

[OldTowner]

Steph, I can only assume that you got lost in Corby and went to Corby Rugby Club by mistake.

You could not have been at the same football match that I was attending !! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/boxing.gif" alt="" />

[Steph]

LS I may have written the sentence clumsily but I was referring to the substitute lino, who was flagging for many infringements that he saw which the two former regular linos and previous ref were letting go.

 

I have already agreed about the Paul Cambell push but was uncertain about the handball. The ref cannot blow for things he did not see.,

 

"Morgan was sent off near the end,when a Corby played went nose to nose with him,and jonny pushed him in the face." Your post LS

 

"Johnny Morgan was running at the defence in his usual manner and Danny Marlow shielded the ball and Johnny Morgan shoved him before both players were at fault and Danny made a meal of it to get Johnny Morgan a straight red." Softie's post

 

 

Morgan head butted the number 11.

[lovely stuff]

I was some distance from the incident that resulted in Morgan being sent off.I thought i was a push to the face.You were nearer and say it was a headbutt.Whatever,i DID NOT say that Morgan did not deserve to be sent off for the clash.

 

Regarding Softie's comments about the incident.Both players WERE at fault and Marlow DID make a meal of it,but Morgan did derseve to go,if he made contact.

[Robson]

Quote:

lovely stuff said:
but Morgan did derseve to go, if he made contact.

It makes no difference if he made contact or not. He made an attempt to headbutt an opposition player.

According to FA Laws, it is an automatic sending off offence to strike, or attempt to strike another person.

Simple.

[andyetfc]

Guys.

 

A few of us were in the stand when the ball was put through to the player who was eventually brought down by Russell. The guy was offside when the ball was played and the lino was too far behind play to notice it from where he was.

 

Morgan deserved to go. Remember he did something similar at Uxbridge earlier in the season!

 

Indiscipline went a long way to costing us the game, even though some of the players were provoked and many decisions didn't go our way.

 

As far as I am concerned, we did not adapt to the conditions as well as Corby and paid the price. The pitch was not good enough for our style of play and the officiating was not as good as we had hoped. However, it was the same for both teams and Corby made best use of the local knowledge.

[Keep the £]

Quote:

Steph said:
Rudi Hall's booking - by the first ref - what was that all about?

Just goes to show you must be watching a different game, Rudi was booked by the second ref. It was pretty much the first thing he did.

How you can say the officials were ok I don't know. All four were truly awful. The original ref was poor and should have sent their 'keeper off as he was clearly the last man, the replacement ref was clearly out of his depth with no control whatsoever and should never be put in charge of another game of football. The park linesman was clearly using his five minutes (well 67 to be precise) of fame to the maximum. He couldn't wait to get involved when in reality he should have been instructed to signal for off-sides and throw-ins only. Only the 'qualified' official should signal free-kicks in this situation (this is the directive when people volunteer to run the line in park football). I also noticed the park linesman wave to the crowd when he first entered the field of play...this is clearly unacceptable. As for the other linesman, he did absolutely nothing yet, being the other qualified official, he should have been assisting the inexperienced ref. It was the worst set of officials I have ever seen. Bring back Downey (ok, maybe not!).

However, the above does not detract from Town's poor performance. We look vulnerable when teams are on the counter-attack (which is often due to our dominance of most games), and our front line needs changing as we are too lightweight and don't appear to have a natural goalscorer in the team. Why Smithy isn't given a decent run up-front i don't know. I think a Smith and Ritchie partnership is a combination worth trying.

[andyetfc]

What did not help was when one of Corby players went to speak to the ball boys near the main stand. After that, it took an eternity for the balls to get back to the players when the ball had gone out for a throw in.

 

I am not making excuses, just making an observation.

[lovely stuff]

Quote:

The pitch was not good enough for our style of play and the officiating was not as good as we had hoped. However, it was the same for both teams and Corby made best use of the local knowledge.

 

Andy.I hope you are implying that the 'conditions' were the same for both teams,because the officialing was definately not the same for both teams.Also, when you say corby made better use of 'local knowledge',it that a sly way of saying Corby made better use of the local officials. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> I bet they did.