PSF. Stoke Gabriel V Brixham AFC 27/072013

[Dave]

PSF. Stoke Gabriel V Brixham AFC 27/072013

Venue.. Churchward Memorial Ground

Kick-off 2pm

Match report and match photos to follow later.

[Dave]

Final score Stoke 4 Brixham 1



Firstly thanks to young Tom from Stoke for providing the names of the Stoke players and to Brixhams manager Jason Couch for doing the same for his team. Don’t always feel sorry for football referees but I did today for a good part of the first half. It seems someone forgot to tell the Brixham players this game was a preseason friendly and not some cup final. While I do not like to see bookings in such games, today the ref had no choice to book two players very early on because if he had not done so, this game could have got quickly out of hand.

Someone said to me before the start of the match that it was going to be a one sided affair, due to stoke playing in a higher league and Brixham missing a few important players. One sided it certainly wasn’t particularly in the first half where Brixham gave as good as they got.

We did not have to wait to long for the opening goal, Brixham had won a free kick on the edge of the Stoke box but the ball was fired into the Stoke wall. The ball ended up being cleared out of the Stoke box and was played long up the field. The Brixham centre half decided to head the ball back to Dan Gillard in goal for Brixham but sold his keeper short with a very weak header, The ball dropped into the space between the defender and the keeper and Dave Worthington for Stoke said thank you very as be buried the ball past the keeper into the right side of the net.

There was then a rather silly and unnecessary part in the play that saw a Stoke player getting kicked while he was down on the ground and it looked when other players decided to get involved, things might have got out of hand. But the ref got in there and gained control of the situation and rightly issued a yellow card. Shortly after this Brixhams Jay Morgan committed a cynical challenge out wide on the left and he too also found himself in the book. Thankfully after this the game settled down somewhat and the ref felt no further need to book any players from either side.

Back to the football action and Stokes Kris Davis hit a mighty fine shot from all of 35 yards out that Dan Gillard was forced to tip over his crossbar. Dave Worthington should then have got his second goal after finding himself just inside the left hand side of the Brixham box with only the keeper to beat. He decided to try and lob the keeper and while he successfully managed that, the ball just went wide of the right hand post.

Stoke did take a two goal lead after more generosity by a Brixham defender, Andy Deare was standing all alone on the edge of the Brixham box with no Stoke player anywhere near him. Dan Gillard gave out a very loud “MINE” shout expecting Andy Deare to just let the ball go over his head and bounce safely into the keeper’s hands. But Andy headed the ball and I don’t think he will ever score a headed goal from so far out ever again.

Brixham got a goal back from a player who looks very strong on the ball and one I’m sure will score plenty of goals for his team this season. The ball was played into the Stoke box from the right hand side and bang in the centre of goal was Jimmy Holland. He took a swing at the ball and missed it completely but the loose ball ran onto Jay Morgan. He turned one way and then the other showing good close control of the ball before hitting a sweet low shot past the keeper.

Onto the second half that was not such an even contest as Stoke stepped up a gear and had most of the play. Stoke so nearly made it three one after a corner was swung in from the left, the ball got blocked close to the goal line but came out to the edge of the area where stokes Ben Towler was standing. He hit a fine first time shot that smashed against the crossbar.

Then came what was for me the best goal of the match, the ball was fired in low and hard into the Brixham box from the left hand side of the pitch. It took a few touches before landing at the feet of Kris Davis, he hit a very powerful shot right into the top right hand top corner of the net.

It looked like Stoke was going to score again when Dean Stevens was played clean in on goal, but Brixhams Lee Welch made a last ditch saving tackle from behind, forcing the ball out for a corner. It was not long before Stoke scored their forth and last goal of the match, this time the loose ball inside the Brixham box fell to Olly Critchlow to fire home.

So there we have it, a very even first half and a second half that Stoke dominated, but on today’s evidence I'm sure Brixham will do well in their own league this season and stand a very good chance of clinching the promotion they had hoped to gain last season. I will be covering a Brixham home game early in the season.

[Dave]

Wow posted on the South Devon Soccer Forum


While I appreciate referees have a hard job, but some players do not help themselves with their total arrogance and god like complexes.


That may well be true for a few referees but in my own honest opinion, that was not the case in this game. I have always taken the view if you do not notice the ref very much during a game, then he has more than likely had a good one. I have watched plenty of games where the ref seemed to want to make himself the centre of attention that was not the case yesterday.

I had a chat with the ref before the game and again at half time, I personally think he is one of the better refs in the SDFL and does what is a very hard job to the best of his ability. There were a number of bad tackles during the game, the sort we do not want to see happening in local football or any level of football for that matter.

Yes there were the usual moans from a few players and the managers on the touchlines when a decision was made they did not agree with. There was the usual abuse shouted out to the ref and its something that needs to be cut out of the game.Refs are going to get some decisions wrong as do linesmen, it happens and players and managers just have to accept this is going to happen as it does work both ways.

It works both ways as a decision may go in your favour as well as going against you, over the course of a season one would hope it all balances out. We have all watched replays on the TV where it looked from one angle a foul had been committed, only to view it from another angle and learn that was not the case. Refs do not have the luxury of replays or the ability to see something from many different angles. It all happens so fast and all they can do is use their experience and judgment to try and make the right call.

Yesterday’s ref had a good game in my book, he gave what he saw fairly and quickly stamped down on some of the things that were going on, he had a few words with the offenders and got those not involved away from the situation thus allowing the game to get restarted as soon as possible.

I often wonder what makes someone even want to be a ref in the first place; it’s a thankless task where you are going to be subjected to abuse of one sort or another. They most certainly don’t do it for the money and there are plenty who object to the small amounts they do receive. I do not believe they do it for power and in most case do it only because they love the game as well and want to play some part in it. Without them what would games be like? Total chaos with the game just ending up degenerating and players getting badly hurt.

Life is simple play by the rules and you then stand a good chance of being on the right side of the ref, be abusive and commit reckless fouls and then rightly suffer the consequences.