Wednesday 26th August 2020
Pre-Season Friendly
at Windsor Park, Godnow Road, Crowle
Crowle Town Colts (1) 1
Ryan Bonser 34Bottesford Town (2) 3
Ben Johnson 5, 12
Fin O’Sullivan 85 pen
Point & hope photo gallery: Click HERE
Initially, it had looked so gloomy, I was fearful that darkness was due to fall long before the full duration of 90 scheduled minutes, plus any stoppage-time (of which there was a fair bit this evening) had elapsed, so I positioned my car facing the pitch, just in case it's headlights might be required.
Putting down a marker before I say anything else about tonight's pre-season friendly: the match officials present tonight all have a better understanding of the laws of the game than I ever will do, and theirs is not a job that I would ever want to do myself. I'm genuinely very grateful to all of those 'men in black' who have chosen to take up their vocation, because without them the game of football, below the level where VAR is king, simply wouldn't exist.
I recognise too that we're all only human and as such are therefore fallible and prone to making the odd mistake or two... and I also accept we all see things differently to each other from time to time.
That said, this lively encounter should have (in my completely unbiased and neutral opinion) finished eleven aside... but it didn't. And to that end I believe that the dismissal of the hosts young keeper: Zach Beedle was harsh.
Ten minutes before the break, the Colts were back in it, when the ball was threaded through the right channel into the path of Ryan Bonser, who coolly motored in between two Bottesford defenders and smashed the ball past Dec Jordan.
Some might say that a few 'niggles', that hadn't been a feature of the game earlier on were beginning to develop, while others would probably counter that by claiming that the man in the middle was overly fussy.
I suspect that Beedle will have had more enjoyable nights... and it won't have been pleasant for him as he struggled to leave the pitch, with some impatient and less than sympathetic barbs ringing in his ears, after he was red-carded in the aftermath of having just taken a hefty knock, around the hour-mark.
Both goals that the Colts number one had conceded inside the opening twelve minutes had already suggested that this simply wasn't going to be his night. Ben Johnson did well to wrap his foot around the ball as it sat up awkwardly and dragged it wide of Beedle who had been thwarted from reaching the ball by the bobble as the Bottesford strike continued his run and calmly rolled his angled effort into a now unguarded net.
And Johnson was Beedle's nemesis again just seven minutes later when he was allowed the time and space to get a shot away on the edge of the area, that Beedle got a hand too but was unable to turn the ball away. The goalkeeper is the last line of defence and thus also the first in line when the finger of blame is pointed... but there were other teammates who might have done better in the build up to the goal... and credit where it is due, Johnson himself showed a good touch, great vision and sackful of strikers instincts for both of his goals.
Having gone two-down so early in the game, it was going to be a real test of character for the hosts as they fought to get back into the game, but they showed plenty of resilience as they got into their stride and weren't panicked into rushing or resorting to playing 'hit and hope' long balls, which made for good viewing for the assembled (groups of six, two metres apart rules apply) crowd that continued to grow as the first half rolled on and training sessions for both the Crowle Colts Women and junior sides that was taking place on two of the other pitches with the grounds of Windsor Park were wound up.
Half-time came and went rather economically as the officials made sensible use of the remaining daylight and the game resumed with an ever growing 'competitive edge'. There was nothing too untoward or overly unsightly going on I must add, but both sides were definitely 'up for it' and the referee's whistle was becoming a more frequent feature of the night.
Me? Well, I need someone with some tweezers to pick the splinters out of my bum because I'm all for sitting on the fence in these sort of matters.
The ball was played into the crowded Crowle area and Beedle charged from his line to claim it, pretty much as you'd expect any keeper to do... and in the ensuing chaos, that resembled the mosh-pit at the Scunthorpe Baths Hall when the Nolan Sisters visited, the officials decided that Crowle's keeper had committed an offence. I'm not disputing that he didn't (he also got clattered himself), but hands up any player present who wasn't jostling, pushing and jockeying for possession or having a crafty cuddle with an opposition player... no takers?
I thought not. No other player even got their wrists slapped for anything that occurred, yet the injured Beedle, who was obviously in no small amount of pain and distress, was sent-off, unlucky!
"You've killed the game referee, it's a friendly FFS!".
"Did you see that liner? Has that clown only got a red card for one team!?"
Some of the natives were getting a little restless and a few of the Bottesford contingent were reciprocating in kind. It was never likely to get out of hand and they'll all be pals again at work in the morning... football's back innit. And admit it, it's banter, indignant over-reaction and excuse to have a bloody good moan that we've all been missing just as much as the actual game itself.
With five minutes to go: "Referee! Are your bloody eyes painted on!?"... it's a penalty to Bottesford: "Shurrup you idiot. Calm down, you'll give yourself a heart attack!"
It's sheer poetry to my ears let me tell ya.
Despite the presence of the living leg-end Ben Simpson between the sticks for the home side, since his sidekick was sent off (Crowle also have an outfield player of the same name), Fin O’Sullivan tucked the spot-kick away with aplomb and with less than five minutes left to go, it was all over bar the shouting, of which there was still plenty.
Sitting in my car just after the final whistle: "First effing thing you've got right all night referee!", edging towards the car-park exit, I noticed two of the most vocal protagonists from opposing factions, leaving the ground together: "Your goalie was a bit unlucky with that red-card". "Your number nine looked like a bloody good player". "Good luck for the rest of the season mate!"
It's really great to have football back innit!?
FT: Crowle Colts 1 v Bottesford Town 3
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| Crowle Colts Women enjoying the second half. |
