SATURDAY 5 JANUARY 2008

Blue Square South

After the euphoria of the near perfect display on New Year’s Day against Weston, County fans hoped for more of the same against Hayes & Yeading United.  The merged west London neighbours travelled to Wales for the first time on the back of successive 4-1 defeats, so they must have feared the worst.

Team selection was a formality for Peter Beadle who named an unchanged squad, but his opposite number Garry Haylock had a dilemma with first and second choice keepers Delroy Preddie and Kevin Davies ruled unfit.  However, as both had made errors in the heavy defeats of the last seven days, he may not have been too concerned at being forced to give Adam Thomson his debut.  The youngster did not let him down!

County did not record the success that should have proved little more than a formality and for that they will blame a combination of reckless finishing, misfortune and a bizarre refereeing decision.  This website has frequently praised referees when they have performed well regardless of the outcome of matches, but serious concern must be recorded about the overall standard of officiating.  On Tuesday, Tim Lawrence’s performance was full of idiosyncrasies, but such was the overwhelming difference between the sides on the day that he became almost irrelevant.   

Referee Will Bull made himself the most talked about participant on display in this game when ruling out what should surely have been an injury time winner for Julian Alsop, but his performance all afternoon was so seriously deficient that it is to be hoped that he was given plenty to ponder from the assessor’s observations.  The posturing Bull, who had missed clear fouls by County’s Craig Hughes and Lee Fowler early on, wasted a minute of first half time lecturing Jason Bowen after failing to give a free-kick when the winger was taken out by a dangerous lunge (see the website picture if you doubt this judgement).  He then ended the first half without even playing the full 45 minutes!

County just about shaded the opening period though Steve Perkins missed when well placed for Hayes early on while a Staforde Palmer overhead kick flashed past the post with Glyn Thompson stranded.  Lee Jarman then headed over when he should have found the net while Craig Hughes fired over the bar for County, before Richard Evans and Charlie Griffin both forced saves from a confident looking Thomson.  Fowler and Nathan Davies were booked and neither could have complained, while Bowen was not getting the protection his talents were due from the officials.

If County had been too elaborate on a heavy pitch before the break, there was little wrong with their approach play in the second half when they created a series of inviting chances.  The effort of Griffin and Hughes could not be faulted though both missed a couple of good opportunities that they would have scored on another day to put County into a commanding lead.  Just when the crowd was anticipating the arrival of the heavy artillery in the form of huge strikers Jermaine Clarke and Julian Alsop, the visitors stunned them into silence with a breakaway goal in the 59th minute.

Midfield player James Mulley and striker Staforde Palmer had impressed with their neatness and skill and they combined to good effect with PALMER delighting the half dozen strong visiting contingent in the stand by hitting a low shot beyond Thompson.  Clarke replaced Hughes six minutes later and immediately posed a fresh set of problems for the Hayes rearguard.

The impressive Ian Hillier had a header blocked on the line and the follow up from Richard Evans was deflected wide before Thomson made a good save to deny Clarke.  Alsop was introduced in place of Griffin, who was perhaps a surprise withdrawal by Beads because County were so much on top that he must have been tempted to go 4-3-3 with Griffin to pick up the pieces from the big men.   However the goal which looked inevitable came in the 79th minute when CLARKE headed home a Hillier cross after yet another Bowen corner.  It is the third time he has come off the bench to score a vital goal and he certainly has a talent which will be doubtless be nurtured by a manager who knows a thing or two about forward play himself.

Alsop then picked up a yellow card which could not be disputed while Hayes substitute Josh Scott missed a good chance to seal what would have been an outrageous victory in the 88th minute.  In the third minute of injury time the stadium erupted when Alsop climbed unaided to power home a header from a Bowen free-kick only for Bull to whistle for a foul after the ball entered the net.  As the referee had missed several offences by both sides throughout it was hard to credit that only his eyes saw a reason to disallow the goal. 

There was certainly no foul by Alsop and if Bull’s attention was elsewhere, whatever he did spot was peripheral to the main action.  Regular scrutiny of the country’s top officials from the television cameras highlight the problems faced in attracting referees of the necessary quality, so it is perhaps inevitable that those of us who watch teams lower down the scale have to come to terms with lower standard officials.  What is of most concern though is how one person who has no accountability can have such an effect upon an afternoon’s entertainment for a thousand people.  Jarman was booked for leading the protests while in one last forward thrust Alsop was denied by a goal line clearance from Peter Collins.

Man of the Match: County: Ian Hillier (as dependable as ever).

                                 Hayes & Y: James Mulley (a very promising midfield display).

Special mention:  The Hayes ‘Half a Dozen’ fans for excellent vocal support.

© Colin Jeremiah