Greenwich Borough 1-2 Hungerford Town - Sending off controversy mars Boro' Vase exit

GREENWICH BOROUGH 1-2 HUNGERFORD TOWN
FA Carlsberg Vase Fifth Round Replay
Saturday 16^th February 2008
Stephen McCartney reports from Harrow Meadow

GREENWICH BOROUGH’S dream of reaching the FA Carlsberg Vase final at Wembley Stadium ended courtesy of a Hungerford Town winner - four minutes and 15 seconds into stoppage time - in a game that saw FOUR players red carded.

A scrambled effort from Jamie Gosling - his second of a very poor game - ensured that the Hellenic League side welcome Arngrove Northern League side Whitley Bay to Bulpit Lane in two weeks time.

Seven days ago Peter Smith headed home a last-gasp equaliser - four minutes and 12 seconds into stoppage time - on the Berkshire-Wiltshire border, but sadly today’s fifth round replay failed to emulate the excitement of that game.

The goal that won today’s dour affair summed up the lack of quality in this - Greenwich Borough failed to clear a scramble inside the six-yard box and Gosling stabbed home his 26^th goal of the season.

Both sides were reduced to nine-men a piece after Hungerford netted that dramatic heartbreaking winner as referee Mr Eammon Smith, who took charge of the first game, failed to send off the offender,

Borough striker Badar Mohammed, who had opened the scoring with a fine solo goal with seventeen minutes remaining, was knocked to the ground, in an shocking off-the-ball incident by Hungerford’s Toby Clark, who wears the number sixteen shirt instead of number four.

This sparked a massive melee, which included every player and members of the technical area, and then Mr Smith failed miserably to send off Clark.

After consulting his two assistants, the Woking referee shockingly sent off Hungerford substitute Craig Shand, wearing the number 15 shirt - a case of mistaken identity here - and Mohammed.

Both skippers, Borough’s Dave Waters and Paul Bedwell deservedly followed for throwing punches in the flashpoint that took place on the edge of the Hungerford penalty area at the clubhouse end of Harrow Meadow.

But the decision NOT to send off the offender Clark, left Terry Malin, Borough’s assistant manager incensed afterwards, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“To be fair he (the referee) did it wrong!” he insisted.

“The number 16 (Clark) punched Badar in the face twice and as he went down he (Clark) kicked him and that’s when Dave (Waters) the centre half went up and hit him (Clark).

“He (Clark) hit him (Mohammed) twice, he got away with it. The referee sent the wrong bloke off!

“Dave’s had to go, the two fives (Waters and Bedwell, who was actually wearing number six) had to go because they were trading whatever but I don’t think Badar hit anyone. Badar got hit twice so he (the referee) got that wrong.

“The fifteen (Shand), who got sent off, he (the referee) got that wrong!”

Despite discussing the incident with his two assistants, Malin felt Mr Smith was wrong not to dismiss Clark.

He fumed: “There is four of them out there so you’d have thought they might be able to sort the numbers out.

“The number sixteen (Clark) hit Badar twice in the face behind the ref’s back and that’s why our centre half (Waters) reacted.”

Once some sort of calm was restored, Borough’s hopes of forcing extra time ended when Peter Smith played the free-kick, taken just a yard outside the penalty area, to the impressive Chris Hubbard, whose shot was blocked by goalkeeper Dominic Green.

Hubbard, who crossed for Smith to send his bullet header into the top corner seven days ago, came into the side for Lewis Ambrose, who was relegated to the substitutes bench.

Hubbard and Peter Smith once again caught the eye as they had plenty of the ball on this bitterly cold, sunny afternoon.

But Hungerford took the game to the Kent League side during the first half and almost broke the deadlock when Luke Brewer drove past the far post - after just nine seconds.

Greenwich Borough goalkeeper Michael Holder pulled off two fine saves to thwart Gosling’s drive and a looping shot from Luke Brewer - both from sixteen-yards on either side of the penalty area.

Borough, meanwhile, created a couple of chances during the first half stalemate. Hussan Budek cracked a shot wide of the post and then Hubbard flashed a left-footed drive agonisingly past the far-post after cutting in from the right-flank.

Hungerford were content in hitting the ball high into the blue sky above on every occasion and Borough couldn’t play their slick passing against a very big and strong side.

Smith sent the ball into Green’s grateful arms after striking a right-footed free-kick in a central position from thirty-yards inside the opening four minutes of the second half.

And Smith was played in by Mohammed four minutes later but a diving Green spilt the shot but managed to push the ball around the post at the second attempt.

Waters’ downward header, following Hubbard’s corner, was comfortably saved by Green.

But Mohammed broke the deadlock with his 25^th goal of the season with 27 minutes and 19 seconds on the second half watch.

Latching onto a slipped pass through the middle of the Hungerford Town defence the Yemon-born striker rolled his shot past the advancing Green and into the bottom left-hand corner of an empty net.

But the Borough management team lambasted their players afterwards, as Gosling hit-back - just 108 seconds later.

They fell asleep as Clark’s quickly free-kick caught them napping and Gosling’s angled drive, across Holder, found the bottom far-corner, to the delight of the travelling fans’ behind that goal.

As the game entered stoppage time you sensed that their would be a goal that would settle this game.

Borough did have chances to clear that six-yard scramble and Gosling was on hand to stab home a goal-bound shot from Paul Powell and all dreams off Greenwich Borough emulating Deal Town’s success at Wembley Stadium eight years ago evaporated.

“We’ve thrown it away really, that’s the bottom line of it,” admitted Borough’s manager Phil Miles, speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“We didn’t play well first half, I thought we played quite well and got the goal twenty minutes from the end and then switched off, just completely switched off.

“Then really the last twenty minutes we were all over the place, then probably got done by our own downfall really - what we normally do!

“We warned them last week, they do quick free-kick’s and that’s what’s undone us really, quick free-kick and the last goal we should have cleared it properly three or four times and didn’t and it’s too late really.”

You’re always at your most vulnerable when you’ve scored, and Miles knows that tonight.

He said: “We got the goal and you’re thinking “let’s keep it tight for five minutes” but we just didn’t do it.

“It’s so disappointing because you go out of a Cup you go out with a great goal or something like that but it’s just disappointing because of the way we’ve conceded the goals.”

On the flashpoint incident at the end, Miles expressed his feelings.

“I believe our centre forward took a couple of punches to the back of the head and a kick when he hit the floor,” he said.

“But it’s not nice, it’s not a nice way and to be fair, both clubs are not like that.

“It’s been two good games of football and they’ve been tight affairs and it’s overshadowed it a little bit but it’s not the sort of thing you really want to be associated with.

“I’m not sure why the first two got sent off, their centre forward or their centre forward because I don’t think they were involved in throwing any punches.

“I can see why the two (others) got sent off, that’s fair enough. It’s overshadowed what should have been a good day.

“It’s disappointing really that we’ve gone out of a competition that I thought once we got the goal we were probably going to be on our way and could have played Whitley Bay in a couple of weeks time but it’s not to be, it’s not to be.”

Meanwhile, the official gate of 148, was the largest crowd to watch Boro' at Harrow Meadow this season.

Greenwich Borough: Michael Holder, Jon Samuels, Harry Vitalien, Peter Smith, Dave Waters, Danny Moore, Chris Hubbard, Hussan Budek (Joseph Ogoo 90), Winfred Gnaly, Badar Mohammed, Ben Yiadom.
Subs: Lewis Ambrose, Ibrahim Kallon, Michael Barker, Lee Haywood.

Goal: Badar Mohammed 73

Sent Off: Badar Mohammed 90, Dave Waters 90

Hungerford Town: Dominic Green, Nick McCrae (Craig Shand 90), Jim Smith, Toby Clark, Steve Davies, Paul Bedwell, Paul Powell, Charlie Austin, Jamie Gosling, Luke Brewer, Chris Copp.
Subs: Adam Mayo, Ian Concannon, Ritchie Guy.

Goals: Jamie Gosling 75, 90

Booked: Jamie Gosling 23

Sent Off:  Craig Shand 90, Paul Bedwell 90

Attendance:  148
Referee: Mr Eammon Smith (Woking, Surrey)
Assistants: Mr Bernie Moss (Ongar, Essex) & Mr Peter Howard (Cambridge)
Fourth Official: Mr Simon Finnigan (Maidstone)