Here goes, just to satisfy Buzz so that he can truly claim that he received reports from all playing Carshalton sides!

This game could have been the context for a highly embarrassing episode for the Carshalton FC Chairman. Thanks to the experience (i.e. they are old…and teach kids…) of Derek Cadman and Jim Finn and their ability to conduct diplomatic negotiations with the referee, a potential first ever booking for any Veterans player (yes, it was me…) was avoided. John Shaw was not sure whether the ref knew what sort of game he was refereeing and I think John has a point!

The background to all this is my total and acknowledged inability to accept utter and blatant injustices to my team caused by clearly wrong refereeing decisions. Which I then, in the most polite and diplomatic terms, must convey to said referee. This, he did not appreciate and got his book out, asked for the offender’s name which was duly given, upon which, given the foreign sounding garbling that came his way, the referee hesitated long enough for Del and Jim to intervene.

Oh yes, the game. Well yes, we gave the ball away far too easily in the first half and Maori scored a bit of a soft goal to go 1-0 up. We were then absolutely robbed of a stonewall penalty when Pete Culham was upended in the Maori box, followed shortly after by a blatant offside which was ignored by the ref to put Maori 2-0 up and effectively put the game out of reach. We did create some chances though and the report writer should have scored from a rebound of Pete Culham’s effort but blasted inches over. Maori then scored two further well worked goals, it has to be said.

We played much better the second half and created good chances (a header by Sam and a breakaway effort by Chris spring to mind). Our just reward only came towards the end of the game when Gavin Dykes planted a peach of a corner on the Dutchman’s head which even he (despite having his eyes closed) couldn’t miss. It was the least we deserved for a good second half performance where everyone kept putting the effort in despite us being 4-0 down at halftime.

 Tony van Emst