Prescot Cables 2 - 3 Ossett Town

Date: Saturday 14th March 2009
Competition: Unibond League Premier Division
Venue: Valarie Park, Prescot, Merseyside
Attendance: 157

Ticket In: £7.00
Programme: £1.50
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Total: £8.50

The bizzarest of days here in the North West of England, a bright yet breezy day that almost verges on warm! A day like this is so rare that it’s really something to be cherished. So how am I choosing to mark this momentous occasion in the British meteorological calendar, well the only way I know how of course, a beer in hand and a football match around the corner, the perfect combination! However, in the town of Prescot, football hasn’t been a happy thing after a recent string of defeats see that “the Cables” firmly rooted to the bottom of the table, 10 points away from safety after defeats to both Worksop Town and Boston United in relegation “six-pointers”. As the threat that Prescot Cables Unibond Premier League life hangs by becomes ever thinner, they grace the Valarie Park pitch this afternoon against an Ossett Town side that although sit in mid table, will be looking over their shoulders being just 8 points above the drop zone themselves. That on its own sounds comfortable enough, but with only 5 points separating the 6 teams below them a slip up this afternoon could see them put into the mire. So it should be another corking afternoon of football with Prescot hoping that another nail isn’t hammered into their rapidly shutting coffin. Upon buying a match programme on arrival at the ground, the referee’s name jumps out at me, Mr A. Clayton of Hyde. Now, I’ve seen this “muppet” referee three previous matches this season, each time he’s ruined the game and in the case of Bamber Bridge Vs Trafford, made the players play on under floodlights in some of the densest fog I’ve ever seen where you couldn’t see one goal from behind the other. Frankly any hope of a well officiated match had gone out of the window even at this early stage. I wandered my way onto the terraces, hoping that there had been a late change, but not to be, the sight of a bald head in a black shirt was there. I was fearful that his name might be the one on everybody’s lips come full time, but at full time even I was amazed at the influence over the match he created.

The teams emerged from the tunnel at just before 3pm, Prescot Cables in their home strip of amber and black, Ossett Town in their Bristol Rovers like blue and white squares shirt with blue shorts. Before the match, a minutes silence was perfectly observed in memory of Frank Lloyd from Ossett Town and just on 3pm the match got underway. The first 10 minutes of the encounter were somewhat lifeless, neither team really got to grips with each other or the pitch and as a result a stalemate ensued. But these 10 minutes were to prove the only dull ones in the match as in the 13th minute, referee Clayton got the controversy underway. Prescot thought they had taken the lead when Jamie Croxton fired off a 40 yard ball into the penalty area that beat the Ossett Town keeper in flight and sailed into the back of the net. However, Prescot’s celebrations were cut short when referee Clayton disallowed the goal for an offside on Cables Darren Byers when he was totally uninvolved in play. A calamitous decision that had cost Prescot taking the lead in the match. But the Cables were not to be done down by this and they continued to apply pressure on the Ossett defence. A long range daisy cutter shot didn’t really trouble the goalkeeper in the 22nd minute, but it triggered a 10 minute spell of pressure that should have seen the hosts take the lead. A powerful volleyed effort in the 28th minute saw the ball deflect for a corner when it could have gone anywhere, the resultant corner had very credible Prescot appeal for handball waved away before being deflected out for another corner and the resultant delivery eventually ended up in the arms of the keeper. It would seem for poor old Prescot Cables that when your luck is out then it’s really out! Though not having had a great deal to do down the other end, Cables keeper Zak Hibbert produced a fine save in the 33rd minute when a thunderous 20 yard plus volley was turned around the post for an Ossett corner in a fine display of goalkeeping. Take centre stage once again Mr Clayton in the 38th minute when a long throw Ossett Town throw into the penalty area saw a striker hit the deck under an inconspicuous looking challenge from Prescot’s Tommy Taylor, referee Clayton pointed to the spot to award Ossett Town a penalty much to the displeasure and disbelief of the Prescot defence, there certainly looked nothing wrong with it from where I was stood anyway. Ossett Town’s Adain Savory stepped up and competently dispatched the ball past the diving keeper to give the visitors the lead. This was a lead that would last all of 3 minutes as Prescot struck back immediately as a long ball was picked up by Darren Byers on the edge of the penalty area and he shrugged off the attentions of an Ossett defender to volley the ball emphatically past the keeper and bring the scores deservedly level again. And this was pretty much how the first half would end and after a slow opening, the match had eventually come to life. Both sides had looked pretty evenly matched and if it hadn’t been for Mr Clayton’s poorly timed interventions, the score would almost certainly be different. But as it stood at this point, everything was still absolutely to play for. An exciting 2nd half lay in prospect.

Half Time:
Prescot Cables 1 – 1 Ossett Town

The first half began with yet another moment of controversy as in the 49th minute, referee Clayton awarded Ossett Town another penalty when Cables Rob McIntosh tugged on the shirt of an Ossett Town forward in the penalty area. That wasn’t the controversial bit, that was yet to follow. Adain Savory, scorer of the penalty in the first half steps up again but this time keeper Hibbert is up to the shot and saves the effort. The Prescot fans in the stand celebrate, only to be brought down to earth once again as referee Clayton orders the kick to be retaken, the reason for this still remains unclear. Savory doesn’t change his mindset or the direction of the kick and at the 2nd time of asking, he buries the ball past Hibbert to restore Ossett’s lead and the Prescot fans really start to get on Clayton’s back. But Prescot managed to draw themselves level yet again in the 69th minute after they’d enjoyed a spell of pressure on the opponents defence. After some aerial ping pong in the midfield, Darren Byers ghosted in to round the keeper and sidefoot the ball into the empty net, game level again and Prescot now started to believe they could go on to win the tie after the pressure they had applied. But the game was to have a very sour end for the home side as after Ossett went close to re-taking the lead in the 83rd minute when they hit the woodwork and then had the ball headed off the line by a defender, they got the ball in the back of the net in the 85th minute. Darren Byers lost the ball in an attacking position and Ossett’s downfield break left Prescot standing still and an aerial ball reached the edge of the penalty area. Zak Hibbert advanced to clear it but Ossett’s Tom Greaves beat him to it and launched a deft chip over the stopper that seemed to take an age to drop and roll, but it eventually trickled into the net and the Ossett players celebrated on the pitch as they were now 5 minutes away from an unlikely looking victory. In fact Ossett Town would have the ball in the net again before full time, but this time referee Clayton chalked it off for offside. The full time whistle blew not long after and the end of the match brought plenty of analysis from the home supporters.

The Prescot fans are understandably frustrated post match, and believe me I’m not the biggest Prescot Cables fan there is out there, but they were very hard done to indeed by a referee that should have his whistle taken from him for the good of the game. So the key moments were this, Prescot’s disallowed goal should never have been disallowed, Ossett Town’s first penalty award was incredibly suspect and if these decisions had been awarded correctly, Prescot would almost certainly have entered the halftime break leading. Although I did think the Prescot lad tugged the shirt of the Ossett forward for the 2nd penalty, I saw absolutely no reason whatsoever that the penalty should be retaken. Cables keeper Zak Hibbert did not appear to encroach off his line, nor did any players enter the penalty area too early. So had that not been retaken, Prescot would still have been leading. After an afternoon like that when you’re bottom of the league, you must feel that the football gods are against you as nothing went the way of the home side and the officiating was absolutely the worst that I’ve seen for many a match. Maybe now is the time to rename Hope Street to Give Up Hope Street!

Full Time:
Prescot Cables 2 – 3 Ossett Town

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