FOLLOWING THE SALTMEN

Droitwich Spa 1 – 3 Stonehouse Town

Initial thoughts….

As the great George Harrison once wrote:

All things must pass 
None of life’s strings can last 
So I must be on my way 
And face another day

Now the darkness only stays at night time
In the morning it will fade away 
Daylight is good 
At arriving at the right time 
But it’s not always going 
To be this grey

If you are going to lose your unbeaten league record then you might as well do it in style. If you can’t do it in style you always lose 1-3 at home to a mid table side. Add a side order of the league leading scorer’s sending off and there you go.

Yes, there were some horrific officiating mistakes but we really shouldn’t be surprised. Had it not been for the fact that today’s referee had already sent a Spa player off earlier in the season then I would have questioned whether this was the first time he had encountered football. His abject inability to apply the laws governing obstruction risked plunging the game into farce. But no, that honour must go to the assistant referee who flagged Alex Dugmore offside, near the end of the first half. The Spa striker clearly ran from a position 2 or 3 yards onside, overtaking at least one of the Magpies centre backs while the ball was in flight. The decision was nothing less than horrific and I hope it keeps him awake at nights.

I try to avoid being overly critical of match officials in writing. It’s a difficult job without some gobshite supporters getting on your back. But enough is enough! You could throw a brick from a bus window and hit someone with a better understanding of the offside and obstruction laws than this hapless pair.

For the sake of completeness, the assistant at the clubhouse end seemed to have a solid game.

Notwithstanding the above, congratulations should be offered to Stonehouse. They did not win due to bad officiating but because they were the better side and were well worth their 3-1 win. They were well organised, brave when they had to be and streetwise [see also Shithousery] whenever they could.

Conversely, Spa were lackluster from the off. They were unusually sloppy with countless passes going astray. They allowed the Magpies to dominate the midfield and were unable to pick up the loose ball anywhere near as often as their opponents. Spa were quiet too. The marshalling nouse of Jay Staunton was missed. His constant vocal game management was notable by its absence.

Perhaps an element of complacency had seeped into the home changing room. Given the fabulous run of results so far this season, it would have been understandable. If so, hopefully this first league defeat will reignite the fire which was patently lacking this afternoon. Let’s hope so, as the Saltmen face a run of tough looking fixtures over coming weeks with away fixtures at Abbey Hulton in the third round of the FA Vase followed by a league game Worcestershire derby at title challengers, Redditch Borough.

Finally, and in no way is this a case of sour grapes, I must point out that the Kit Police have been notified of Mr Pedrick’s attire in the Stonehouse goal. Like most people blessed with the gift of sight, I had hoped we had seen the last of the monstrously garish 1990s style (?) goalkeepers’ kits. Sadly, I must report that some still remain in use. While Sea Foam Green and pastel purple may look great on 1950s Cadillacs or vintage Fender guitars, for the sake of public decency this technicolour yawn of a combination must never again be seen on a football shirt.

Keep the Faith and we start again in Staffordshire next Saturday.

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

#UTS