Saturday, November 28, 2009

Game 32: Salisbury City 0.1 Stevenage Borough (Blue Sq Prem) 28.11.09

After some heavy overnight rain the majority of games in the Western League's Les Phillips Cup had been postponed and with more rain forecast for the afternoon, I decided not to risk a two hour drive and decided to head up to the Ray Mac for the visit of Stevenage Borough and former Whites striker Charlie Griffin.


As I drove up to the ground the morning sunshine had disappeared and the ground was covered in a typical November gloom. There was a surprise when I got into the ground – regular keeper James Bittner wasn’t out on the pitch warming up and in his place another James – James Lester who had signed as an emergency keeper for the game. This was explained by Radio Wiltshire’s commentary team as a necessity as a new Bittner had arrived in the world earlier that day! Salisbury had another ‘new’ face, defender Chris Todd had been given permission to join the Whites on loan from Torquay.


Stevenage have been a bogey team for Salisbury in the past but there was a joke at the start of the match as Henry cried for handball. This time it was Ronny Henry rather than Thierry Henry whose handball earlier in the week had set up France’s appearance in next year’s World Cup.


Lester was kept busy and looked to be a useful substitute for Bittner, saving well from Yemi on three occasions in the first half but couldn’t do anything about the huge hole that opened between the Salisbury central defenders just before half time. Stevenage played the ball forward into the gap and Charlie Griffin ran through to collect the ball, take it round the keeper and slot it into the net. Salisbury’s best chance of the half came three minutes before that when Chris Flood headed just over the crossbar.


Salisbury didn’t have any luck in the second half as they tried to create an equaliser. Flood was denied a penalty in the 52nd minute as the referee missed him being held back by a Stevenage defender in the area. Clohessy and Flood both put headers straight at the keeper when well placed and Tubbs put a freekick wide of the post. Stevenage were more adventurous with the impressive Mitchell Cole coming on as an early substitute.


The game turned on two decisions by the referee as the rain started to pour on the 130 visiting supporters at the far end. In the 72nd minute Chris Todd was given a second yellow card and then a red card when he was adjudged to have brought down Griffin, despite an earlier offence not being spotted. Stevenage managed to miss an open goal before Matt Tubbs was sent through the middle only to by cynically tripped by Roberts. The referee appeared to signal that Roberts wasn’t the last man and only gave a yellow card but in reality the two players wouldn’t have reached Tubbs and a red card would have been the appropriate punishment as Tubbs would normally score in that situation.


Stevenage managed to force another excellent save from Lester who made a point blank save in the 87th minute from a corner. Salisbury had one final chance to get something from the game in injury time when a cross found substitute Bradley Gray unmarked in the box but he placed his header wide of the post.

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