This was a game which we should have won, but could have lost, but was a draw. And it was a draw thanks to a "Rob Styles" level of incompetance by the referee and the linesman.
We dominated the first half and should have been more than 1 - 0, at least Anthony Elding finally got back on the score sheet. But the real difference between the first and second half was the fact that Dicko (Liam Dickinson) didn't come out for the second half. He got crocked good and proper in the first 20 minutes and never really recovered. Even whilst injured (wrist) he, as one of the three strikers, was causing no end of trouble.
So second half, him off, and a more traditional shape saw us under more pressure. But we were coping and then the !)"!£ ref got involved. He gave a free kick (yes it was, so no problem there) but... (big but) he then made a right fist of the taking process and the ball ended up in the back of the net and is was 1 - 1. Granted my understanding of the finer points of the rules is a touch lacking but: it was a free kick, I think the ref said "wait until I blow my whistle" (may be he didn't) but they just took the free kick (into the box) just before he blew; he wasn't facing the kick, so didn't see that they'd taken it *before* he'd blown his whistle. But he did blow his whistle whislt the ball was now in play. So we stopped and they scored and the ref said "cool, that's good enough for me" and it was one all?!?!!
Now either (a) they took the free kick too early, because it was before he blew his whistle, so it should go back and be taken it again or (b) they were allowed to take it when they wanted but play should stop when the ref blew his whistle (during the now open play) and resume with, I don't know, a drop ball or something after the ref worked out he'd got it wrong. But surely not (c) hey let's just allow the goal because I am clueless with what's going on... no that's not right. And you could argue that he (the ref) didn't see the kick being taken before he blew (if that was the real problem) in which case - what's the linesman doing? Do none of them know the rules?
So we was robbed, and Jim Gannon got dismissed from the dug-out whilst explaining to the ref that he'd screwed up. Now I know a couple of years back we had a goal disallowed by the forth official for some "incident" that neither the ref nor linesman saw, so I know they can do this type of thing. But today... bloomin' useless.
Still it got the crowd all singing in unison!
