UniBond League Division One South
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Tuesday, 6th November 2007, 7.45pm
Bitter End to Goole Game
Rovers could have taken an early lead in what turned out to be a controversial evening as they saw their unbeaten league record disappear at the Moat Ground.
David Blenkinsopp picked up on a slight slip from a defender after a low cross from Chris Sleath found it's way into the box.
Blenkinsopp controlled the ball but the striker was too close to Goole keeper Craig Parry and his shot hit his legs.
On 15 minutes Goole carved out their first chance when Duncan Bray made a fine run down the left only to see his shot blocked by Jamie Hood. The ball was only half cleared and went back to Bray who then fired a shot across the face of the goal but no team mate was on hand to take advantage.
Minutes later Rovers had another chance to take the lead when Carl Slater picked out Stefan Marshall with a superb through ball. Marshall, seeing the keeper off his line, hit a long-range shot that Parry did extremely well to get a fingertip to and send the ball over the bar.
It was Rovers' keeper David Clarke who was next in action when he acrobatically turned James O'Neil's low shot round the post.
Clarke equalled his save on 34 minutes this time pushing Karl Rose's shot away for a corner.
The referee caused a controversial moment on 56 minutes when he deemed that Hood had used his elbow against Liam Chapman. The linesman who was in a far better position to see what had been happening in the Goole area as a free kick was taken didn't indicate that he'd seen anything.
However, Mr Newbold reacted to the protests of the Goole players and showed Hood a straight red card much to the disgust of players and supporters alike.
Goole took the lead in yet more controversial circumstances. Awarded a corner from the left Danny Buttle swung the ball into the area where it was cleared back to the player who was standing in a clear offside position as he moved in from the corner.
Both the referee and linesman ignored the appeal and Buttle was allowed to cross into the box where substitute Dean Sidebottom headed home.
Sidebottom should have doubled the score when in an identical piece of action this time planted his header over the bar.
Blenkinsopp could have levelled on 72 minutes but an outstanding last-ditch tackle from Chapman denied the front man as he was about to blast the ball past Parry.
Rovers substitute Dan Douglas then rescued his side hooking clear Sidebottom's header off the line.
Things took a nasty turn when the Goole keeper, who had been subject to banter behind his goal, reacted and appeared to throw the ball at one of the supporters. His team mates need to restrain Parry as it looked as if he was going to take things further.
The referee and stewards calmed things down but amazingly Parry was shown only a yellow card when a red card was surely warranted.
Rovers almost grabbed a fully deserved equaliser with just a couple of minutes remaining when substitute Tony Hemmings flicked on Shaun Ridgway's free kick but Parry did well to tip the ball over.
One final moment of controversy occurred in time added on. A massive scramble in the Goole box ended with a clear handball from one of the visitors that was either not seen or ignored by the official.
Manager's View
"It was an eventful night. Unfortunately it ended in disappointment for us after an evening that started with so much promise.
"I genuinely thought that some of the football we played in that first spell, twenty, twenty five minutes was some of the best we'd played all season. Fantastic passing, movement and we had a couple of good chances.
"Blenko (David Blenkinsopp) as early as the fourth or fifth minute you'd put your mortgage on him putting that one away. The keeper has made himself big, stood up and managed to divert it away.
"Disappointing that we lost the game one-nil. Obviously the turning point was Jamie's (Hood) sending off - I'll deal with that. I'll speak to him about that, he's let his team-mates down tonight but we'll close ranks around him. He'll learn from that. It was disappointing because he's been magnificent this season.
"The referee's deemed he's seen something - Jamie's raised his hand in the box to their stand-in captain and the referee's deemed that it was intent so he sent him off and that as put us on the back foot.
"I can't fault the effort of the ten players left on the pitch or the substitutes when they came on. What we lacked in quality, which was disappointing when we had the ball in some good situations, we certainly had in heart and endeavour. Right until the death we thought something might drop for us. We had one cleared off the line, another tipped over and our guys are adamant that there was a hand ball in there on the line near the end.
"It's Goole's night tonight and they've grafted for their three points and they will certainly know that they've not come here and had the points handed to them on a plate.
"It had the makings of getting a little bit ugly to be honest and that not the sort of game it was. Both sides tried to get the ball down and play. They've got a direct approach but once they have the ball they do like to like to go and play a bit of football.
"I felt the referee lost it for both sides to be honest. I was very disappointed with his performance and that's not sour grapes because we've lost. A number of the Goole guys were in agreement during the game that the referee caused the situations. There were lots of things going on in the first half, tackles flying in, arms high, elbows and hands in faces.
"Their No11 was offside when the ball was struck. The linesman flinched to put his flag up but he didn't the No11 has run on to it to pick his own header up becomes interfering and he hasn't given it.
"Sometimes you get them and sometimes you don't. This time we didn't but I'm hopeful that over the course of the season these things balance themselves out.
"I thought we were worth a point tonight even with the ten men. Had we kept eleven men on the pitch I thought we had enough quality in the side to snatch it but it wasn't to be. It was a disappointing way for the unbeaten home record to go but we will close ranks, train on Thursday and bounce back on Saturday - that's the plan.
"To be fair I didn't see the incident with their keeper. That's not me avoiding the situation - sitting on the fence. The linesman's view of it was there was a bit of antagonising from our supporters and a bit back from the keeper.
"I don't like to see these sorts of things in any form of football. It would have been harsh to send their keeper off in that situation because he just gave as much as he got I suppose. Emotions run high with the supporters getting behind us and it's part of the game in non-league football to give goalkeepers a bit of banter and I'm sure their keeper has had plenty of that over the years but on this occasion it just turned a little bit sour to be honest.
"It was nothing more than a yellow card in my opinion but I'm only going on hearsay as apparently he shoved the ball towards our supporters faces. It was probably six of one and half a dozen of the other.
"Let's get back to the game because that's the important thing it's been a battle and we've lost out on this occasion.
"We've shown two sides of the game tonight. First half we played some good football and I've said some of the best football in patches we've played this season.
"Second half we've shown our battling qualities. We've got to come out and show both on Saturday and hopefully keep eleven men on the pitch!"
