The next time a manager wins Manager of the Month we should just send it straight back. Thanks, but no thanks; as we lose against a side that offered little today.
The conditions were as bad as I thought. Windy wind and a bouncy pitch. That said, we took the game to the home side and it looked like we took the lead when a goal line clearance looked suspiciously over the line (at the time... less so when we looked on an iphone-filmed replay.
Ibz then forced a fingertip save, which went on to hit the pot. Two great chances but no goal as we went into half time.
Second half and things soon started to go south. Puma, who had just been booked, launched into a ridiculous challenge and fouled his man. It could not have happened in a worse place on the pitch, being near the Southall dugout. Out came the second yellow and we were down to 10.
The game was quite stale at this point, so we hoped for a draw (which with Marlow losing, was a bonus)... but this hope came to an end when Suthall broke down the left and crossed to allow an easy tap in. Our players appeared to be upset that a foul off the ball went unnoticed.
The ref went on to frustrate us by doing things that only he knows why... like playing on after a bad challenge when there was no advantage and then suggesting our players wanted advantage (when they didn't) so not going back for a free kick or even giving a yellow card.
This frustration boiled over on the final whistle when a scuffle broke out. The ref awarded a post match yellow to a Southall player.
Marlow would have been total limbs, as they came from 4-1 down to win 5-4. No games for us for a couple of weeks to lck our wounds though...