Padiham Saints J.F.C

Well despite the scoreline you weren't outplayed, I've said it many times you're not a bad footballing side it just that sometimes you seem to have a lack of direction.
Show me a team that can dominate midfield and I'll show you a team of winners. Today we just didn't compete in midfield, there were some half hearted challenges and when we did win the ball it was like 'What do I do with it now?' We let them dictate the game for large parts and despite that they really weren't that good to consistantly break you down. Thing is for the most part they were first to the ball and they won the second balls.

There was some really sloppy play at the back resulting in goals and an uncharacteristic error from Crabby (blame the pitch) which flattered Sporting in terms of result.

Sadly the talking point of the game will be the challenge on our keeper by one of their forwards. It was deliberate, premeditated and vicious and has no place in the game of football whatsoever. The ref yellow carded the player but I'm sorry ref you got it wrong, it should have been a straight red. Had that happened at any other level of football he'd have been sent off in a heartbeat. Had that challenge been in town the lad would have been up on a GBH charge that's how bad it was.
This lad is nothing short of a thug, had it been a fifty fifty challenge or even seventy thirty there would have been some justification in it. Fact is that this lad saw red and deliberately and callously lashed our keeper accross the knee, fact is lad our keeper was just better and quicker than you were. Sad thing is he'll likely do it again next week to someone else, if you can get away with a challenge like that at any level of football then there's something wrong with the game.
For those that weren't there to see it you can imagine how bad it was when I say there was a stunned silence from Sporting supporters. Normally you get 'He was going for the ball ref' etc etc, but no, nothing, they knew just how bad it was.
Despite Crabby being carried off and replaced for the rest of the game full credit to Sporting for sending no one down to see how our keeper was. I can think of a lot of expletives beginning with S to name this side and Sporting wouldn't be one of them.

We have a lot of good talented footballers in this side it just needs pulling together, some of the close three and four touch passes were brilliant at times and they couldn't cope with it but you need the vision for the longer penetrating ball. I'm sure if you stay together and get a couple more players to take the pressure off you'll do well in the future.

As for Crabby, well done lad, don't let it put you off that type of player are few and far between. Hope you don't need the hospital.

Well said Jon couldn't have put it better myself as usual your account of the game was spot on.

As for Sporting thats something that they weren't but it happens whenever we play them. The assault on Nathan and thats a putting it nicely was vscious and uncalled for at the end of the day they were winning comfortably so I just don't see the point in what that player did and like you said where was the concern from them (non existant) at least at Padiham Saints we play the game fairly and if a player goes down from either side we all show concern but thats the difference between the 2 sides we care about players.

Well done for your attitude and dignity today saints you made us proud.

Paula x

Well Paula 'assault' just pretty well sums it up. Several times today Nathan made their forwards look a bit silly coming out for balls and beating them to it and cutting out crosses.
When they had throw in's second half one of their spectators shouted to his player to keep it away from the keeper. I presume because they knew there was a fair chance Nathan would get to it. I'd like to think the player in question wasn't under instruction.

If anybody reads my posts on this forum they'll know that I'm all in favour of playing good hard challenging football. I'm the first to critisise when our lads don't challenge hard for the ball.
Todays incident wasn't like that and that's what riles me. Nathan had the ball in his arms to his chest when the lad went in. There was no attempt to play the ball and all the lad was intent on doing was causing harm to our keeper which he did.

It's taking all my resolve not to contact the LFA over this matter as I consider the ref got the decision wrong. Had the challenge been an attempt to win the ball then yes, a yellow card was the right decision. It was plainly obvious to everyone the intention was to get the keeper and therefore it's a red.
The fact that the ref was a decent one stops me from trying to take it further but they have to realise that allowing a player to all but get away with this behaviour is condoning it. I wonder what the ref would have done had the lad swung a punch to lay him out? So what's the difference?

How can any player or manager or parent not condone one of the worst challenges i have seen in over 12 months of football. When a goalkeeper has the ball in his hands and a player from unsporting deliberatly run 10 yards and kicks at full pelt the goalkeepers kneecap which resulted in the keeper being carried off and the referee only issuing a yellow card. Surely any decent coach would have dragged that player off the field off play and repremanded him. Also on refereeing which i will be making some startling comments next week as i promised at the end of the season how can a referee at todays game state that he cannot over rule the linesman ( shocking, laughable,absolutly ridicolous) Also on refereeing point how can he allow play to go on when the ball has travelled 30 yard down field a player has fouled in the penalty box and he signals for a penalty yet the linesman shouts from 30-35 yards back it went out of play no flag was indicated when the ball was played in the first instance yet he has suddenly dragged play back 30 yards and gave saints a throw in what advantage was gained there absolutly no advantage what so ever absolutly incredible decision. Yet in the first half when i flagged for a foul throw he over ruled me and gave a corner.And one final hypicrytical this unsporting team is and i do not say this likely is when when thier goalie was injured and the ball was kicked out of play fletch threw the ball back to the keeper (in a sporting manner) and i asked the keeper to wait well our midfielder got back into position did he do this did he hellers like he kicked the ball immediatly upfield which resulted in the second goal. Fianlly next week please read my comments on refs and matches that have taken place this season it will make interesting reading.

Hi Paula, take it that's you James, Paula in drag.

That was the disgraceful part of the challenge James, the time it took from Nathan claiming the ball to the lad 'hitting' him, must have been all of three seconds, nothing accidental, just cold calculated 'I'm going to get you' mentality. Here's me thinking all the Loonies played for United.

Now you've refreshed my memory I do remember the incident when we threw back to their keeper and he immediately continued play without giving Liam I think it was, time to get back into play.

I well remember a couple of years back you hooking one of our players off for a particularly bad challenge and saying that 'No one in my team plays like that'. The player shall remain nameless but that's how managers and coach's should behave for the sake of the team and the game.

Look forward to your comments on refs I've given my fair share on linesman this year.

Just to put everyone's mind at rest Nathan is up and walking and so far doesn't need the hospital.Nathan a few times in the game got to the ball before they did and i think probably did it one too many times to the delinquant that attacked him.In one of the post's not sure which one of the two postees posted it mentioned GBH and the other one assault,and also reporting it to the LFA.
I will sleep on that thought tonight and let Nathan make a decision.That player should have been given a red card and don't know why the referee got that game so wrong as he was rather good with the under 11's.
Can i just say a big thankyou to Jack who flagged for the attack on Nathan you got it right just a pity the ref didn't listen to you.

That's good to know that Nath's knee is looking like it's going to be ok. How bad would that have been for a football/sports career to be over before it's begun amateur or otherwise?

The right thing to do now is to just let the issue go but I can't help feeling that this will not be the last time this lad does something like this be it on or off the pitch. I still for the life in me can't see how the ref allowed the player to stay on the pitch after what he did. There or rather 'it' wasn't a challenge for the ball, the keeper had the ball in his arms, it was just intended to bring the outcome that arose i.e. take the keeper out of the game.

Absolutely disgraceful from both the player and the referee, the player should have been off regardless of the agegroup playing. I've no doubt that the LFA would use that as an excuse for him not walking 'Well they're u14's and we don't like to send them off at that age'.

The leniency of the ref could be seen when they had a foul throw against them and he allowed them to take it again with a warning. Sorry again ref NO, not at this age group, they should be playing to the full letter of the law and if they don't know the laws of the game well it's time for the club to make sure they do.

I'm finding it hard to let this one go but just as a matter of record the laws of the game say a player will be red carded for:

1) Serious foul play. This includes a tackle that endangers the safety of an opponent.

2) Violent conduct

So come ref or any other ref for that matter, what in the assault on Nathan didn't endanger his safety and what given how long Nathan had the ball before he was 'hit' couldn't be construed as 'Violent conduct'.