‘He has won today and we all go home feeling sick’
Slough Town FC: Rebels player manager Davies accuses Romans boss of ‘cheating his way’ out of the game
At half-time on Saturday, Slough Town looked to be cruising to one of their best results of the season, the Rebels leading play-off rivals Bath City 4-0 and looking rampant in their pursuit of victory and a 19th game unbeaten at Arbour Park.
That didn't materialise, and not because the Romans made an incredible comeback - although they were making a very good stab of doing just that. But because a fan behind the goal the Rebels were attacking in the second half fell ill and needed medical treatment. The game was initially halted, with the players remaining on the field, before being suspended by the referee with the players returning to their changing rooms.
When the fan was taken away to receive further treatment inside the main stadium, it seemed likely the players would return to the field to resume the final 20 minutes of the game, with the Rebels leading 4-2.
However, an announcement over Tannoy informed the 1,400 fans inside Arbour Park that the game had been abandoned due to the medical incident. With the unwell fan seemingly recovering well, Slough manager Scott Davies and his players were keen to play the match to its conclusion, however, Bath City's manager Jerry Gill felt his players had spent too long off the field getting cold and there would be 'welfare' issues in asking them to return to the field. He feared they might run the risk of injury with some of his players nursing recent hamstring problems.
“Yeah, first and foremost, the most important thing is that the fan is ok,” said Davies. “He's sat in the physio room and is talking and has been on the phone to his wife. I've just been told he's a diabetic, so I've been told he's fallen ill, momentarily.
“We left the pitch, out of respect more than anything. After that, the next thing we're told is that the game has been abandoned. Jerry Gill, their manager, has said that for the welfare of his players, stopping the game and starting the game would be no good for his players who have hamstring injuries. That's the truth, let me tell you that, I'm not lying.
“It's an utter disgrace because I think he's cheated his way out of the game. He'll watch this, of course he will, but there's a way to call a game off. If someone has had a heart attack and is unconscious in the ground, I'll be the first to walk off the pitch. I've got a good heart on me, but when someone is up and about and is communicating, that's the most important part. When that is the case, the game should restart. But, when you get given an opportunity at 4-2 down, it should have been eight-nil. They're thinking 'let's get the game called off and come back on another night'.
“Because we're obviously fighting for the same positions in the play-offs. It would have been a massive three points for us if we could have seen it through to 90 minutes.
“But he's won today. Today, we all go home feeling sick. I can't believe the game has been called off, I'll be honest with you. Christian Eriksen had a heart attack on the pitch, and they played on. But for the welfare of his players and their hamstrings, I hope they're ok.
“I feel sick to my stomach now because the fan is ok, which is the most important thing, and we could have played on with the game, but we've not been given the opportunity.”
“The referee has said to me, he can't force them to come out of the changing room and play.
“Even their players were saying 'we want to carry on', so let's be real about it. There's only one man who's got the job done today.
“We now have to come back on a Tuesday night and try to recreate what we've done today. It will be difficult, of course it will, they're a good side, but we should have been eight or nine nil up I think, we were brilliant. They got away with one.”
“Myself, the management team and players, we know we're not the best team in the league but we'll always give it a go and have a fight.
“I'd like to think if the shoe was on the other foot today, we'd have continued. I don't think we'd have chucked the game in, I really don't.”