FOLLOWING THE SALTMEN

A case of Mistaken Identity

Separated at birth?

It’s easy to see how a referee could mistake the two players shown above. Both have two arms, two legs and a head. We shouldn’t be surprised that referees have trouble distinguishing between two entirely different people. What we need is some sort of system to help differentiate one from another.

Now I’m not a systems expert so bear with me but could we have something on a player’s shirt to help? Perhaps each player could wear a different letter of the alphabet on their shirt. Alternatively, we could go for numbers, with each player wearing a number from 1 to 11. I know it’s quite a complex idea but after around 100 years there should no longer be any way a competent official could mistake even the two most similar looking individuals. I might make this suggestion to the FA.

Instead of leaving Kingys discussing another good result for the Saltmen, the majority of conversations I overheard (eavesdropped – Ed) were about the referee. As alluded to above, today’s whistler made one of the most egregious errors I have seen in nearly 50 years watching football. Within moments of booking Matt Jackson for kicking the ball away from a restart, he proceeded to send the same player off for a repeat of the same infringement, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the second offence was committed by a different player altogether. Unable to countenance the possibility he may have made an error, the man in the muddle dispatched Spa skipper Jamie Sauntson, to ten minutes in the Sin Bin-presumably for having the temerity to argue his teammate’s cause.

These shenanigans occurred towards the end of a slightly disappointing first half. One of the few highlights of the half was the goal that ultimately proved to be the difference between the two sides. Perry Moss picked the ball up 25 yards from goal, dropped his shoulder, skipped past a couple of Clanfield defenders before firing the ball into the goal leaving the Clanfield keeper with no chance. Prior to the goal, the Spa side seemed rather lethargic. The first 20 minutes saw Clanfield controlling possession but fail to take advantage.

The second half saw Spa dig deep to protect their narrow advantage. Clanfield are a very well organised team and it is easy to see why they have conceded only 6 league goals. Both sides worked hard but the defences stayed on top.

I would say that Clanfield is the best team Spa has faced so far this season. The return fixture will no doubt be a tricky one. However, Spa remain undefeated and five points clear at the top of the division. I think we’d have accepted that before the kick off.

Cheers

Steve