Quality in short supply among refs
IS there a point when the standard of referees gets better?
It seems that for the past few seasons, the only thing that football supporters agree on is the lack of quality in the match officials.
After Saturday’s game against Dave Challinor was very reserved but Mansfield manager, Nigel Clough, in his post match interview, expressed his disappointment in Paul Howard.
His interpretation of the laws of the game were frankly baffling, from the first minute, he ignored a blatant handball in the Stags area that should have given us a penalty, to the last, a simple throw in that was awarded to the visitors that clearly came off a Yellow sock which subsequently led to the equalising goal.
There was a clear and obvious foul on Kyle Knoyle that was late and high right in front of the Linesman and fourth official, nothing was given.
In the week before Mansfield’s Quinn was red carded for exactly the same foul.
Two minutes later Niell Byrne was booked for a coming together yet later in the game, when he got into a wrestling match with Rhys Oates, nothing was given when. If I’m honest both should have seen red.
Mr Howard was weak, cowardly and clearly out of his depth.
The football, from County at least, was fantastic.
While the visitors pulled, pushed, kicked out, elbowed and dived, we just got on with our game.
The midfield trio of, man of the match Croasdale, Collar and Sarcevic were in complete control, constantly breaking up play and creating chance after chance for Wootton and Madden.
When the goal came it was a thing of beauty, Akil Wright crossed from the right and Paddy rose like a Salmon to plant the ball over the visiting keeper and into the back of the net.
It was no more than he deserved.
The problem for us is that we appear to have lost the free scoring that we were so good at back in February when we would regularly score two or three goals per game; we had further chances on Saturday but we failed to capitalise so often.
The game should have been won well before Mansfield got their equaliser and on a day when most of the play-off contenders also dropped points it was frustrating to say the least that we didn’t win but we’re still in with a chance and all the teams around us have to play each other so you never know, with a bit of luck and a decent referee or two, we might make the automatic places before the end of the campaign.