Just about summed up my thoughts.ZeeZee wrote:A game ruined by the Ref, the penalty/sending off is very debatable but he also allowed Belpers use of the arms and constant fouls to go largely unpunished until late on, had the Ref stamped on it and been consistant from the start, the outcome could have been very different.
Very proud of the team for the way they stuck at it and battled, typified by Ben who once again gave 110% and never stopped running or gave up on even the slightest chance of getting the ball.
Pleased that the supporters stayed and gave the team the reception they deserved, its good to have an atmosphere building around the Grove again, we probably need to create earlier in the game though!
The penalty and subsequent sending off altered the game, but I am a philosophical chap and have to believe that he gave it as he saw it, however wrong that was.
But what I can't forgive was his performance from then on !! Belper exploited their 'industrial' tactics to the full, in the growing belief that this clown would allow cynical stopping fouls with gay abandon.
What makes his performance even more abjectly unacceptable was that 5 minutes from the end it was as if a light had switched on in his head and he thought 'hang on a minute, I'd better do something about these cloggers' He then flourished yellow cards, but of course this was too little too late.
The team proved that even with 10 men, if there had been a proper referee instead of this hapless fool then I believe we could have run out comfortable winners in this crucial match.
I just hope the team know that we all thought it was a highly commendable performance in the face of stacked odds.
