Late controversy (after earlier controversy) sees Dockers snatch a point

Newhaven 2 Pagham 2, SCFL matchday #12

For the second time in the space of a week, Newhaven left it late (very, very late, in fact) to get something from a game they had moments earlier seemed certain to lose.

Following Wednesday’s dramatic win Bexhill, Dockers fans were hoping for something a little bit more straightforward at home to Pagham.

Having taken 11 points from their opening 11 games, Pagham currently sit in lower mid-table, meaning a Newhaven side on a run of seven straight victories should have been confident of extending their winning run.

Yet a sloppy start to this afternoon’s encounter had the Dockers chasing the game from as early as the ninth minute.

Pagham dangerman Dan Simmonds ran unchallenged at the heart of the Newhaven defence before firing a clinical shot into the bottom corner, giving Jake Buss little chance.

Newhaven almost responded immediately with Ryan Warwick forcing a good save from the Pagham goalkeeper from a free-kick.

The Dockers, though, were struggling to create much from open play and what already suddenly looked like being a tricky afternoon became decidedly more so in the 18^th minute when the visitors doubled their lead.

Simmonds again was the architect, getting in down the left-hand side too easily before being given too much space to produce a low-cross which Rob Malila could do nothing but divert into his own net.

The second goal did seem to wake Newhaven up, but with Pagham already looking to slow the game down at every opportunity a route back into the game looked far from a formality.

On the half-hour mark, they did get one back, when another pin-point Warwick free-kick was flicked cleverly into the net by the head of Malila.

With confidence partly restored, Newhaven were then quickly granted the perfect opportunity to pull level. 

Lee Robinson was fouled in the area for a penalty. However, with everyone in Fort Road expecting the net to bulge, the normally oh-so reliable Alfie Rogers was denied by the Pagham keeper.

Further decent opportunities fell Newhaven’s way as half-time approach. Lee Robinson was denied by the goalkeeper, while Rogers then took too long to get his shot away when slipped in by the striker.

In injury-time at the end of the first-half, the visitors should have been reduced to ten men, when Rogers was hauled back by Toby Pointing when through on goal. To most people’s surprise, though, only a yellow card was brandished.

It would prove to be far from the final controversial moment of the match…

A few minutes into the second-half, Pointing somehow avoided being given his marching orders for the second time. The ref decided as clear a yellow card as you will ever see should warrant nothing more than a foul, leaving Newhaven’s players astonished to still be up against 11.

The fact that Pointing was withdrawn by his manager before the game even restarted says everything you need to know regarding how fortunate they knew they were to still have a full compliment of players on the pitch.

With the match still 11 v 11, Newhaven toiled, seeing plenty of the ball, and lots of it in dangerous areas, without ever really looking particularly threatening. Take nothing away from Pagham, they were defending well, and using every trick in the book to slow the game down (whilst for the most part managing to avoid punishment).

The truth is that Newhaven looked tired. Understandable after their late night heroics against Bexhill just a few nights ago. 

Playing with the extra man they should have undoubtedly had would certainly have made things a lot easier!

With three minutes of normal time remaining, Pagham missed a glorious chance to surely seal the three points with probably the only clear opportunity of the second-half for either team.

Newhaven found themselves at sixes and sevens at the back and Simmonds raced clear seeming certain to score. Thankfully for Newhaven, though, he could only scoop his shot high over the bar and into the skate park.

And so we moved into injury time. With memories from Wednesday night still fresh in the mind, surely it couldn’t happed again. Could it?

For the longest time it appeared no. Still the Dockers struggled to create chances. A Rogers free-kick from a dangerous area, blasted into the wall, the best they could muster.

Then, with the game deep, deep, deep into stoppage time, came a moment that easily equals the ref’s failure to show a red card to Pointing as the most controversial moment of the match.

From a corner, a huge bundle in the area featuring about 15 bodies led to Josh Tuck hitting the cross-bar from close range. As the ball bounced up into the air a plethora of players from both teams tried to get onto the loose ball. With one player’s hand clearly seen to punch the ball over the bar.

Me - and everyone I spoke to - felt that the culprit had been wearing a red shirt. However, with a couple of players down injured there was a long delay before any decision was made by the officials. 

A delay during which time no one knew quite what was happening.

Once everyone was back on their feet, the referee convened with his assistant to try and ascertain what decision to take. He then called the two goalkeepers (both of whom were team captains) together. For a moment, we wondered if he was going to play rock, paper scissors with them in order to reach a decision.

Ultimately, though, he was explaining that he was awarding Newhaven a penalty, as both he and his assistant were 100 per cent sure it had in fact been a green shirt who handled the ball – but as they couldn’t pin down exactly which player, no red card would be shown.

Feeling (probably quite rightly, to be fair) aggrieved, Pagham’s players went apoplectic, leading to one of their players to be sent off anyway.

With the game by now into the 11^th minute of injury time, Rogers showed nerves of steel to step up and this time fire his penalty past the still seething Pagham skipper.

When the final whistle blew a few minutes later, it was hard to say which team should feel more aggrieved. 

Pagham will certainly feel hard done by, while Newhaven will point to the fact that they should have had a man advantage for at least 40 minutes – and probably more.

Ultimately, it’s another point for Newhaven when none had seemed likely. Yes it came in fortunate circumstances but it does at least stretch the unbeaten run to eight games ahead of next week’s visit to Eastbourne United (and move us up to second in the table).

Following next Saturday’s trip to the Oval, we’re back at Fort Road on Tuesday 17^th October, when we face higher-division Chichester City in the Sussex Senior Cup.

Your support at both games will be appreciated.

Come On You Dockers!

My man of the match (aka, the controversial part): Rob Malila. On a day on which few Dockers shines, Malila was one of the exceptions, putting in an energetic display that saw him cover just about every blade(?) of fake turf.

After the match, Reuben caught up with Ian Robinson to try and make sense of the game’s crazy ending!