Another miserable night at the Theatre of Wet Dreams. It was awful, and yet another where I took my hat off to those playing, because it was freezing, windy and pissing with rain. Guisley play in the division above and are doing quite well, currently third, and early doors they played to their league position. We had Clarkey back in goal, because our other keepers were either injured or not allowed out of their lunatic asylum to come and play in the piss poor conditions. I felt for Clarkey, a good keeper and excellent shot stopper, his downfall was the fact that he would stand 25-30 yards off his line and get lobbed on a regular basis – this peed everyone off (and probably Clarkey in fairness) and the management “let him go.” Without boring the pants off everyone, like I was, we went two down – which against a team thirty positions above us was always going to be a tall order to overcome. But the lads battled back, and made a great fist of it to pull one back, Tick being as commited as ever, but alas as the ball hits the back of the net – the doom and gloom really fell on us.
1) Ash Dexter is poleaxed in the scramble to get the goal and has to be stretchered off
2) His replacement, Liam Berry, lasts all of 90 seconds before elbowing their number 3 and getting a straight red, their number 3 cannot continue with what looks a fractured or broken jaw
3) 2 minutes after Liam goes, the ref is summoned over by the lino on the dugout side who tells the ref “the Brid manager is calling you a cheat for sending off their player” – Ash Berry (Liams dad) remonstrates with the official and is also sent off (not before having to be pulled off – ooeerr – by the other guys in the dugout). Turns out, that everyone on that side of the pitch, didn’t see Liam use his elbow.
4) Guisley score two more against a valiant and resolute Town to seal victory
5) For most of the second half, I was sat near the home directors box with PaulNFFC and Turnstile man, having a joke and a laugh listening to the latest mobile ringtones – everything kicks off (points 1-4 above) so i decide to wander back round to the clubhouse the long way round during the dieing embers of the game. 2 of our fans tell me, that the lino who had summoned the ref over had said to one of them “F***ing shut up you c**t” when questioned about the decision to grass our manager up – questioned or hurled abuse at, i dont know. if that was the case, then that is deplorable, I know the officials get a fair bit of stick from that side of the ground (all 30 of em, average age 68), but they have to be professional enough to take it, but the club officials have a duty to “police the fans” over there and be in a position to suppress it before it gets too out of hand.
6) The most heinous crime that can ever be committed at a match took place tonight (yes something worst than those that I have bought pints for in the past and NEVER had one, or even an offer of one in return). Someone from the crowd “assaulted” one of the officials, they had thrown a stone or piece of tarmac at said lino (points 3 & 5) and it hit him. Now I don’t know if it hurt him (not the point) but it was mentioned in the refs report and the club are in line for a massive fine and bollocking – they know the culprit, and the culprit was seen by many of the bus shelter crew committing this heinous crime, why anyone didn’t go over and sort the twat out (or report him “i was too scared, i don’t want to get involved sir….”) i’ll never know.
Anyway the chairman and officials have to sort that one out on several levels.
Shit night of football really, shit conditions with a happy ending. They say sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, but it does feel good to be sarcastic on a regular basis.
