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#Post#: 234--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pyramid Patrol 2018/19
DIR By: bmb
Date: August 27, 2018, 6:48 am
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JCFC
18 Aug 2018, 10:34 #10
Wednesday 15th August 2018
NCEFL Division 1
Emley 2 v 3 Campion
Liam Smith (South Yorkshire vaguely); Michael Brown, Paul
Saunders.
Campion came close in the first minute - a 40 yard shot just
clearing the bar, with the keeper looking back anxiously. Mr
Smith was under the eye not only of a seasoned Observer, but
also the League Chairman, his faithful retainer and the local
Level 3 referee, so was eager to maintain a tight grip on
proceedings. The Emley number 4 was chided after an early
chirrup and with his strong voice - matching his appearance - Mr
Smith maintained a steady flow of patter, including a couple of
exhortations to Mr Brown at throws "Talk to him, Michael." By
the 8th minute Emley had conceded their fourth free-kick.
Campion went ahead on 9 minutes, the keeper initially saving
with his feet, a second shot rebounding from the post before the
net was found at the third attempt. Emley number 8 picked up a
yellow, perhaps for something said, or maybe an offence in the
build-up, as Emley were about to resume after a Campion offside.
This, therefore, did not add to their crime count, which had
reached nine by the 20th minute. Emley managed a few attacks,
one effort following a run from half-way, but it was off target.
Campion twice came close again, once hitting the post and once
forcing a good save from the Emley keeper. Emley really should
have scored on 41 minutes, but Campion managed a double block,
their keeper adding a save a minute later. On 44 minutes he made
a block save but Emley forced the ball in for the equaliser.
Things had quietened down on the foul front, Emley ending the
half having conceded 11, fortunately for relatively harmless
offences.
There was greater fluidity to the play in the second half. The
Emley keeper tipped a good effort for a corner and made a great
block six minutes later. It was now Campion who were giving away
free-kicks and from one of these Emley turned the ball in from
close in. There were a couple of yellows, one per side, and
Emley had a "goal" disallowed for offside, while a Campion shot
passed just over the bar. The visitors equalised on 84 minutes
with a looping header from a cross, and added the winner two
minutes later. Only two free-kicks conceded by Emley in the
second half!
JCFC approved of the way Mr Smith went about his business and
his general sharpness. He managed to keep things to time, so
there was no difficulty in catching the bus back to
Huddersfield. Sadly, though, despite this strong performance, it
was only the second-best display by an L. Smith this season.
#Post#: 235--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pyramid Patrol 2018/19
DIR By: bmb
Date: August 27, 2018, 6:49 am
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JCFC
19 Aug 2018, 17:37 #11
A very different style was in evidence at
Saturday 18th August 2018
Evo-Stik League Division 1 East
Brighouse Town 2 v 0 Gresley
Lee Freeman (Sheffield); Luke Lazenby, Christopher Rose.
As the officials warmed up, was that a hint of grey in Mr
Freeman's appearance or merely the effect of his short back and
sides? The suggestion of a beard, too, was a new feature.
The pitch was an encouraging shade of green, but the weather
must have presented difficulties in rolling, leaving the surface
a tad uneven, as there were precious few attempts at controlling
and passing, the default position being to kick the ball hard
and long in the rough direction of the opponents' goal. Mr
Freeman is very brave in allowing players free rein, leaving the
feeling that he is walking a tightrope. On 8 minutes a nasty
forearm lead by the home number 9 went unpenalised. In fairness,
the view from the stand gave a better angle than from infield,
so Mr Freeman may have been unsighted. Town went ahead on 15
minutes. On 24 minutes Mr Freeman rightly awarded Gresley a
free-kick for a late challenge by Brighouse, but was then
harangued by the Gresley number 8, who gave a passable imitation
of a referee issuing a warning for persistent infringement, with
the player pointing to various places where offences had been
missed or ignored. On 31 minutes Brighouse had a free-kick, with
players lining up on the edge of the Gresley area. There was a
great deal of grappling and jostling, but Mr Freeman steadfastly
refused to look in that direction, staring fixedly at the taker
and telling him to get a move on. Astute or abject? Take your
pick! in the final seconds of the half there was a word for the
Gresley number 2 over his vociferous dissent.
There was a caution for the Town number 3 early in the second
half - correct enough, given the raised studs, but unconvincing
as Mr Freeman did not blow initially and only seemed to react
when surrounded by Gresley players. He was probably not bowing
to pressure, but he let it look as if he was. Two minutes later
the situation was reversed, Brighouse players noisily and
successfully demanding that the Gresley number 6's chop deserved
a yellow too. Town hit the bar following a free-kick move and on
65 minutes their number 5 received a yellow for an
attack-stopping foul. Brighouse's "starburst" manoeuvres from
free-kicks and corners came close to producing a score more than
once. On 72 minutes the Gresley keeper made a brilliant save,
pushing a shot away from the very top corner. A Town effort was
disallowed uncontroversially for offside, but on 82 minutes
another Town corner saw a further starburst, the keeper claiming
and missing, leaving the striker free to add the second. So
Brighouse started with a win, but there was a sense that this
might have been a vital relegation six-pointer.
There was a spell in the second half when it looked as if Mr
Freeman was about to fall off his tightrope, but he somehow
regained his balance and things ended quietly enough. His
approach, when successful, will make him popular with players,
but it is not one which appeals greatly to JCFC. Town make the
long trip to Morpeth on Tuesday night, JCFC after his previous
visit there, will probably not follow them.
#Post#: 236--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pyramid Patrol 2018/19
DIR By: bmb
Date: August 27, 2018, 6:49 am
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JCFC
22 Aug 2018, 12:47 #12
The dreadful programme made no mention of line-ups of players,
let alone officials. Fortunately the NCEFL website had already
published details of the officials at
Tuesday 21st August 2018
NCEFL Premier
Liversedge 1 v 4 Worksop Town
Lewis Dawson (Halifax); Jamie Waters, Henry Naylor
JCFC would have been hard pushed to recognise Mr Naylor, who
appeared to be somewhat fuller featured than previously. Mr
Waters seems to have been around since Moses was in the
bulrushes, but appears not a whit changed. In deference to his
experience, however, the PA referred to him by the more
earnest-sounding James. It has been apparent for a couple of
years that young Mr Dawson was viewed by the authorities as a
possible UACSOTF and his promotion to Level 3 came as no
surprise. When making the step up, some officials can appear
uncertain initially - one current 2B springs to mind - the most
notable exception being Tom Nield, who wowed both JCFC and Jane
Simms in one of his earliest matches. Mr Dawson, with his
rhubarb and custard appearance of fair hair and pink face,
showed no sign of diffidence, with plenty of chat and a regular
cheerful smile. The only thing he lacked, in fact, was a ball -
but he managed to cadge one for the kick-off. He has a good turn
of pace, one crossfield sprint being particularly impressive.
The early stages were fairly quiet, with one very good
advantage, but on 20 minutes an untidy challenge saw the home
number 11 singled out to receive a yellow card. For some time
thereafter Mr Dawson let nothing past him and had to defuse a
slight measure of frustration at some free-kick awards. Worksop
had looked the stronger side, but it was Liversedge who created
two very good chances midway through the half. They also picked
up a second yellow. their number 2 being very late with a
would-be tackle. He seemed surprised at the card - JCFC did not!
Liversedge went ahead on 42 minutes and at the half-time
whistle, Mr Dawson was approached by the Worksop number 7 and
then the home boss.
Sedge's third yellow came early in the second half, tnumber 4
being correctly penalised and then sending the ball into the
stand. On 51 minutes Worksop equalised - a Liversedge defender
stretching under pressure to pass the ball to his keeper, who in
turn had to stretch and could only find an attacker who had an
easy finish. A severe body-check on a Liversedge player saw
team-mates rushing to his defence and Town players forming a
shield in front of their offender, with some attendant
scuffling. Mr Dawson rightly showed the Worksop number 6 a
yellow card rather than the red being demanded by the crowd. A
minute later Mr Dawson was seen in discussion with Mr Waters, Mr
Naylor also being summoned. An irritated voice in the crowd
suggested that the referee was scratching his backside, but it
was clear that he had tweaked something in his thigh. For the
second time, therefore, JCFC was to see Mr Waters taking over in
the middle. There was a delay of some ten minutes before a bald
gentleman in a shirt too small for him ran out of the pavilion.
His moment of glory was almost short lived, as he came close to
losing his footing on the steps. He was apparently one of the
Worksop staff and as it turned out was barely needed - on the
one occasion he had to flag for offside the ball was claimed by
the keeper and Mr Waters played on, though with a loud cry of
"Cheers, Frosty. Great work, pal." Mr Naylor had been switched
to benchside and was soon flagging to attract Mr Waters, who
showed a yellow card to someone on the Worksop bench. On 73
minutes a quick ball forward down the wing was followed by a
pass inside which found the isolated Worksop striker, whose turn
sent the defender the wrong way, allowing him to give his side
the lead. On 76 minutes a less than controlled tackle saw Mr
Naylor flagging, the Sedge number 3 receiving a long lecture and
the free-kick leading ultimately to Worksop's third. Another
very late challenge earned the Sedge number 8 a yellow on 76
minutes, with Worksop scoring a superb fourth on 82.
Mr Dawson's work had been impressive for a newcomer: he kept a
tight grip on proceedings, if anything a little tighter than
needed, but that is always the side on which to err. It is to be
hope that he recovers quickly - the injury did not appear a
major one. Mr Waters took over the reins as competently as one
would expect of him and also did well.
The match having finished later than usual because of the delay,
JCFC decided against the walk home, settling for a visit to the
Obediah (sic) Brooke. On arrival. though. the place was shut and
surrounded by fences. Obediah had in Barchester terms decided to
Slope off. What would Mrs Proudie say? Something on the lines of
"The Bishop thinks - and I agree - that you must go and sit in
the bus station for 40 minutes." JCFC dutifully obeyed!
#Post#: 237--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pyramid Patrol 2018/19
DIR By: bmb
Date: August 27, 2018, 6:49 am
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JCFC
23 Aug 2018, 12:06 #13
Had Coleridge been accompanying JCFC over the past couple of
days, he might have been inclined to pen "Waters, Waters
everywhere," not Elsie and Doris, but once again Jamie at
Wednesday 22nd August 2018
NCEFL Division 1
Emley 2 v 1 Parkgate
Jamie Waters (Holmfirth); Paul Matthewson, Steven Taylor.
Consulting the appointments beforehand, JCFC had expected Steven
Taylor to be the very tall one, with dark hair and enormous
feet: in fact he was quite the reverse, short and with minimal
hair, while a cursory glance suggested that his feet were of
normal dimensions.
Parkgate are Brighouse Town's opponents on Saturday in the next
round of the FA Cup, so a number of spies had made the shortish
journey over to watch. Also in attendance, a row in front and
two seats to the left was a corpulent gentleman. Was he an
Observer? A Waters groupie? Another weirdo preparing a report
for Rate the Ref? Who knows - but he muttered comments into a
recording device throughout - just loud enough to be irritating,
not loud enough to be interesting - and once or twice made brief
notes in his file.
It was not a particularly eventful first half. The visiting
keeper had a save to make on 10 minutes;. On 21 minutes an Emley
defender was dispossessed with a little nudge, leaving the
attacker free, but the keeper managed to block the shot. Two
minutes later an Emley man was tugged back - gently, but enough
to disrupt the attack - and Mr Waters reached for his pocket.
Emley played the ball quickly, Mr Waters had a quick check that
there was no prospect of a goal and called play back to
administer a yellow card to the Parkgate number 4. The strange
man made a note in his file at this point. Emley were in on goal
on the half hour, but chipped the ball over the bar. The only
tricky decision for Mr Waters came on 36 minutes, with a
challenge which could have produced a free-kick either way, the
verdict going in favour of Emley.
Four minutes into the second half Mr Waters appeared to think
that Mr Matthewson needed some exercise as with an imperious
wave he sent him scuttling down towards the empty corner and
back again. If the reason was to ask for something to be done
about the time taken to recover balls on the cricket field side
of the ground, the request went unheeded. Parkgate were at this
point in the ascendancy, the Emley keeper having to claw the
ball acrobatically to safety. He was soon in action again and
from the rebound the post helped him out. On 64 minutes a long
ball over the defence found the Emley number 7, who slipped the
ball inside to number 11 - not offside for once - and he tucked
it under the keeper into the net. Emley doubled their lead three
minutes later, a throw onto the edge of the area being laid back
and powered home. An Emley defender then conceded a silly
free-kick for a foul on a man going nowhere and were fortunate
that Parkgate's shot hit the bar. A high foot made no contact as
an Emley player headed the ball and perhaps surprisingly went
unpenalised: a blow to the head can be unpleasant as Mr Waters
discovered a few minutes later, when the ball was hooked from
close range into his face, but he carried on stoically. An
excellent shot - possibly with a hint of a deflection - pulled a
goal back for Parkgate on 79 minutes. The closing minutes
brought some near things: a miscued back-pass by Parkgate
rescued by the keeper; a fumble by the Emley keeper, cleared by
a defender: and a scramble at the other end with a defender
clearing off the line. Mr Waters had been punctilious in adding
on time, but there was no further scoring.
It had been a straightforward evening for Mr Waters. He is a
loper rather than a sprinter, but manages to be where he needs
to be, though on this occasion, in a match devoid of malice, he
was not taxed. When first seen several years ago he appeared to
have a rather serious demeanour, but nowadays seems much more
relaxed and cheerful, smiling as he went about his work.
The biggest smile, however, was on the face of JCFC, who after
years of trying, won the Emley raffle. The prize is described as
"A Breakfast." It is in fact a box with an attractive
arrangement of 2 huge gammon steaks, 4 eggs, 4 large mushrooms,
4 tomatoes and 8 thick sausages. That may count as breakfast at
Emley - they need something to keep the cold out up there - but
for JCFC it represents the next five or six teatimes!
#Post#: 238--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pyramid Patrol 2018/19
DIR By: bmb
Date: August 27, 2018, 6:50 am
---------------------------------------------------------
microscopist
23 Aug 2018, 23:02 #14
[QUOTE]The biggest smile, however, was on the face of JCFC, who
after years of trying, won the Emley raffle. The prize is
described as "A Breakfast." It is in fact a box with an
attractive arrangement of 2 huge gammon steaks, 4 eggs, 4 large
mushrooms, 4 tomatoes and 8 thick sausages. That may count as
breakfast at Emley - they need something to keep the cold out up
there - but for JCFC it represents the next five or six
teatimes! [/QUOTE]
But no strawberry tart?
#Post#: 239--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pyramid Patrol 2018/19
DIR By: bmb
Date: August 27, 2018, 6:51 am
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JCFC
24 Aug 2018, 14:52 #15
No strawberry tart, but none needed: Hartley's do a more than
acceptable one in Brighouse - though not quite as memorable as
the ones I used to enjoy during my Summers in Kilmarnock sixty
years ago. Unfortunately curran'y pudding hisnae reached Emley,
or England in general, though there used to be a stall in
Preston market which sold it, so when I get round to the
breakfast offerings, that will be missed! As an update, I
grilled one of the gammon steaks last night, but could not fit
it on the plate, so had to cut it in two. By the time I had
finished the first half, I had almost used up the carrots,
broccoli and potatoes, but nobly ploughed through the second
half. One should always learn from experience, so tonight I
shall halve it first, which will be quite enough for a decent
meal. Gammon for tea again tomorrow then! Sausages will have to
wait till Sunday.
#Post#: 240--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pyramid Patrol 2018/19
DIR By: bmb
Date: August 27, 2018, 6:51 am
---------------------------------------------------------
JCFC
Today, 11:28 #16
My home club has a poor record in knock-out matches but having
been given a home draw against a club near the bottom of a
division two steps lower, could things change this year?
Saturday 25th August 2018
FA Cup Preliminary Round
Brighouse Town 0 v 2 Parkgate
Dan Sanderson (Blackburn); Daniel Curran, Matthew Cooper
Of course they couldn't! Brighouse played the role of Goliath
(rarely can they have been thought of in such terms) to
perfection. There was plenty of early bluster as they attacked
in numbers - but unfortunately all in a flat line, so that there
was nobody to lay the ball off to, and the tall Parkgate
defenders were in no mood to make mistakes. The home number 9
received a yellow card for clattering into the keeper - most
home fans disputed this, JCFC and his colleague were in full
agreement with Mr Sanderson. On 26 minutes David produced his
sling, the initial effort was blocked, only for the second to be
fired in decisively. The Parkgate number 6 received a yellow
card a minute later for leaving his foot in; the excellent
free-kick was curling in at the far post until the keeper's
brilliant save pushed it away - and that was as close as Goliath
came. On 33 minutes out came the sling once more, a long shot
out of nowhere leaving Town's disagreeable keeper stranded. As
half-time approached there were one or two minor scuffles and at
the interval the visiting number 11 had something he wished to
get off his chest.
Brownie points went to Mr Sanderson before the restart as he
dealt with a substitution himself while Mr Curran checked the
net. The home number 4 was soon cautioned after advantage had
been played. Parkgate were happy with the situation and went to
what seemed to be seven at the back - and who can blame them?
Town brought on their experienced playmaker, who organised
repeated spells of passing the ball across the back four inside
their own half. Parkgate were happy to let them do this, as
ultimately another fruitless long ball would have to be played,
and they were quite capable of dealing with that. The home
keeper was perhaps lucky to escape with a warning for a
foul-mouthed outburst at Mr Sanderson when a free-kick had to be
retaken. There were a couple more yellow cards late on for
fouls, but Goliath subsided with a whimper.
Mr Sanderson is young, though probably the oldest of the three
officials. He moved well, used his whistle effectively and
controlled the game without difficulty in what was a good
afternoon for the officials. For Brighouse Town a good afternoon
it was not!
#Post#: 258--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pyramid Patrol 2018/19
DIR By: JCFC
Date: August 27, 2018, 2:14 pm
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Though still smarting from the effects of our Gauleiter(in)'s
jackboot, I had better see what I can make of this new place.
Sunday 26th August 2018
FA Cup Preliminary Round
Worksop Town 2 v 1 Carlton Town
Andrew Whittingham (Derbyshire); Wayne Porter, Michael Douglass.
Mr Whittingham looked reasonably young and fit; AR2, on the
other hand, looked oldish and somewhat stout, AR1 merely oldish.
As a consequence the warm-up was rather limited: a tepid-up, if
you like.
It was to be a match in which Mr Whittingham and Mr Porter were
at times not quite on the same wavelength. It started before the
kick-off when despite a fortissimo bellow to ascertain each
keeper's readiness, the check with Mr Porter twice drew a blank,
as he was looking the other way, in conversation with someone
over the fence. Worksop failed to clear an early Carlton long
throw and the visitors took the lead on 4 minutes. Some rugged
early exchanges suggested that it would need more than Mr
Whittingham's cries of "Steady! Keep it clean," to keep on top
of things.The visitors had a big central defender in number 4, a
balding version of Martin Keown, with a fearsome glare. On 15
minutes he slipped over midway inside his half, looking
anxiously over his shoulder while still on the grass as the
Worksop striker took advantage, only rising once his colleagues
had bailed him out. A minute later he slipped again, this time
in his penalty area and his colleagues' attempt to rescue the
situation merely conceded a penalty from which Worksop
equalised. On 19 minutes a Worksop player was fouled on the
touchline, leading to much waving of arms by his team-mates, the
appearance of Mr Porter 35 yards into the opposite half,
apparently unsolicited, (Oh Mr Porter, what shall I do?) and a
yellow card for the Carlton number 2. The free-kick drew a good
save from the keeper. On 25 minutes as a Carlton attack
penetrated the Worksop half, the crowd finally drew Mr
Whittingham's attention to Mr Porter, standing on halfway,
flagging wildly. Mr Whittingham initially assumed that it was
for offside - but why the vigorous waving? A jog across the
pitch led to the award of a foul throw in the opposite corner of
the field. Untidy, but understandable. A minute later another
flag from Mr Porter, this time held out in front of him and
waggled incomprehensibly from side to side caused one spectator
to declare that he must have St Vitus' Dance. Worksop went ahead
on the half hour, firing home a free-kick.Mr Porter had been
crouching, the better to view affairs and had been commendably
decisive in his signals - as was again the case on 35 minutes.
Unfortunately this time Mr Whittingham was equally decisive in
pointing the other way. Worksop's number 9 was spoken to for
being silly, preventing the ball being brought back for a
free-kick, but shortly after was angry, with some justification,
at a missed advantage opportunity. Mr Whittingham decided it was
politic to have a word with the Carlton number 7 before the
restart.
At the end of half-time Mr Whittingham was engaged in earnest
conversation by the Worksop captain. This was to be the prelude
to a series of interventions from that source as he became
increasingly aerated. Carlton made a substitution just before
the hour, delayed, as despite Mr Whittingham's whistle, Mr
Porter was dozing quietly. It had been a scrappy third quarter,
and things did not improve greatly in the fourth, though Carlton
did hit the bar on 70 minutes. At the next substitution Mr
Porter was all poised and ready, but it was the crowd again who
eventually managed to alert Mr Whittingham. The Carlton number
4, who had also been a thorn in Mr Whittingham's flesh, finally
received a yellow on 84 minutes for persistent infringement of
various sorts. Midway through the caution process he lurched
violently towards the referee - hopefully by way of some kind of
explanation rather than an aggressive act. He was followed two
minutes later by the Worksop number 22, who seemed reluctant to
accept the caution. Worksop managed to lift the ball over the
bar when clear in the goal area and at their final substitution
Mr Whittingham and Mr Porter were both on the ball, but in the
absence of a board, there was a delay as the player pretended
not to be, though the position he had taken up was a giveaway.
Mr Whittingham had kept a reasonable grip on proceedings, in a
fair-to-middling sort of way, without ever looking quite on top
of the game. With time he may acquire a more obvious air of
authority.
The highlight again came at half-time, JCFC's ticket winning
second prize in the draw: £20 was a pleasant surprise and offset
the train fare and the time spent with a History Maker while
waiting for the 18.02 train.
#Post#: 265--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pyramid Patrol 2018/19
DIR By: bmb
Date: August 27, 2018, 4:20 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: JCFC link ---
>
> Though still smarting from the effects of our Gauleiter(in)'s
jackboot, I had better see what I can make of this new place.
>
--- End Quote ---
Never underestimate the damage my size 5's can do! [emoji6]
At least I moved the posts over as promised before I put my
jackboots on [emoji8]
#Post#: 276--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pyramid Patrol 2018/19
DIR By: JCFC
Date: August 28, 2018, 5:03 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Indeed you did ... Vielen Dank! Meanwhile the Bank Holiday derby
game drew a decent crowd to
Monday 27th August 2018
Evo-Stik Division 1 East
Brighouse Town 2 v 2 Ossett United
Lee Hible (Stocksbridge); Matthew Bacon, Jack Mason.
JCFC had forgotten that when last seen, Mr Hible had unwisely
acquired a beard; so it seemed had he, as it looked as if he had
merely not had time to shave on this occasion. He was under the
eyes of the assembled elite of Ossett refereeing - no, not Steve
Lynch this time - not to mention a popular official from a few
miles in the opposite direction.
The Brighouse programme had predicted a ferocious encounter - an
unusual choice of word, but as it turned out an accurate one. On
5 minutes the Brighouse number 11 put in a very strong tackle of
the sort that would once have been applauded - he took the ball
- but such was the strength of the challenge that he took the
man as well, so it would nowadays perhaps be seen as reckless.
The whistle blew, Ossett players assailed Mr Hible, who after
checking on the man down was able to administer a yellow card.
In a previous match JCFC commented that Mr Hible's way of
dealing with incidents gave the, doubtless false, impression
that he could be swayed by player reaction - and Brighouse came
to just that conclusion here. On 11 minutes the Ossett number 4
was late, Brighouse players swarmed round Mr Hible and the
yellow card appeared for the tackler. A minute later roles were
reversed, Brighouse's serial card-collector putting in what
looked like one of his more reasonable attempts at a tackle,
bringing about much ado from both sets of players and a yellow
for the Brighouse number 8 to add to his collection. A couple of
further challenges from him, one looking rather worse than the
one for which he was cautioned, provoked cries from the Ossett
technical area of "That's twice you've bottled it, ref."
Unusually, Brighouse were on top and applying a great deal of
pressure, though the final ball into the box never quite found
the man. On 24 minutes Mr Hible changed tack - reasonably enough
- settling for a word with the Ossett number 6 and his
captain.Two minutes later the game changed tack too: Ossett
played a free-kick in their own half diagonally forward to the
left, where good work found an attacker free to give them the
lead, very much against the run of the play. Their number 10 was
spoken to after 28 minutes, and five minutes later Brighouse
were awarded a free-kick for a forearm to the neck, which
provoked much hoo-ha but no further action. The Brighouse number
4 - noted as an explosion waiting to happen - received a yellow
on 36 minutes and the Ossett number 6 followed on 44 minutes,
one spectator loudly reminding Mr Hible that he had already
involved the captain for this player. Three minutes into time
added a Brighouse cross was headed goalwards, pushed out by the
keeper and headed straight back in for a deserved equaliser.
Half-time produced discussion as to which of three likely
candidates would be first to see red - Brighouse's number 4,
familiar to both clubs, being favourite.
Ossett started the second half much the better and the home
keeper soon had to make a great save from a header. It was
something of a surprise when Town went ahead on 62 minutes,
courtesy of a gift from the Ossett defence. Three minutes later
Ossett had what looked a strong penalty appeal turned down, with
further protests. On 77 minutes Mr Bacon flagged for another
foul by the Town number 4, Mr Hible went and had a chat and
number 4's favouritism was justified as a second yellow saw him
trudging off. The free-kick led to an Ossett equaliser. On 80
minutes there was a further brouhaha: with an Ossett player on
the ground, the Brighouse number 10 - another who has shown a
short fuse in the past - appeared to throw the ball at him and
off he went. Things were still going on, however, and though Mr
Mason had taken a few tentative steps onto the pitch from the
other side, he might have taken somewhat closer order. The
Ossett number 10 was shown a red card before the dust settled.
Brighouse's diminutive substitute became wound up and was
involved in a couple of confrontations. On 87 minutes yet
another saw him receive a yellow card for his part in an
altercation, Mr Hible appearing subsequently to look to Mr Mason
to see if he wished to finger an Ossett participant, but nothing
was forthcoming. Peace finally came with the final whistle, one
fan remarking drily on the way out "Another dull game with
nothing happening."
Mr Hible has been seen in the past to be a competent official,
but on this occasion had a struggle on his hands, with both
teams showing a lack of discipline. He stuck at it manfully, if
not always totally convincingly. Could more have been done to
stop players from hounding him? Perhaps, if he had made it clear
in the fifth minute that he was not going to tolerate such
behaviour. Maybe, if he had dealt with the first incident
differently. We cannot tell. It was not an afternoon that he
will look back on with a great deal of pleasure and it will be
no consolation to him to think that the spectators enjoyed it
all tremendously. Here's hoping he has a quieter time in his
next match.
Meanwhile the teams meet again in three weeks - but as that is
in the League Cup, perhaps tempers will be cooler and maybe the
personnel different, for a competition that is secondary in most
managers' eyes.
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