Professional display beats Marine tactics
IF there’s anyone from Crosby, the home of Marine FC, who gets to read this column then I’d love to sit down with them and discuss what ‘football’ is, because on Saturday we witnessed the beautiful game being replaced by aggression and a level of gamesmanship that we’ve not seen at EP for as long as I can remember.
But then what would you expect from a team managed by Sean Hessey?
A man made a mark on the professional game with his teeth marks on Liam Dickinson’s shoulder.
The game had plenty of incident and controversy which started as early as the opening minutes. Marine, according to the men in black, ‘won’ a penalty.
To say it was dubious is an understatement Gary Stopforth looked to have played the ball before their number 7 took the first dive of the afternoon.
We weren’t at our best, that was obvious and the only real moment of quality from the boys in blue came in stoppage time when Danny Lloyd played the most delicate of crosses onto the head of Big K who nodded home with aplomb.
It was just a pity we all thought the half was up and allowed the Mariners to end the half in front.
The time wasting started to get out of hand immediately after the break, the fouls, so bad in the first half were verging on assault, Danny, John Marsden and Lewis Montrose seemed to be signalled out for special treatment and it looked for a long time like the referee was quite prepared to let everything go unpunished, eventually even he’d had enough.
The yellows started and I think they ended with 7 and of course a straight red.
How anyone can plead innocence after a two-footed challenge is beyond me but then I remembered Sean Hessey and how he played and things fell into place!
I’d like to think it was our professionalism or fitness levels rather than the fact they were down to 10 men that we got back into the game because we piled on the pressure, pressure that they couldn’t cope with, as first a foul on the edge of the box and then a foul inside it gifted Danny two great chances to save the game, chances that he duly took and sent the faithful home relieved and smiling.
£5,000 in the bank and no Tuesday night trip to Liverpool, I’m not sure what I’m more pleased about.