Right, time to add my own opinion. But where do you start after a game like that?
Firstly, a big thank you to all the volunteers who turned up on the morning of the game to help clear the pitch. A lot of credit also needs to be passed on to the club's groundstaff. When you consider the numbers of games falling foul of the weather recently and the state of pitches at places like Matlock, the York Street pitch really is something else that gives us pride in our club.
Boston were the best side in the first half, though in my view the three goal half-time lead probably flattered us. Stocksbridge created their fair share of chances in the first half but failed to convert any of them; Boston probably didn't create that many chances over and above the goals we actually scored, but crucially we were clinical in front of goal.
And then on to the second half.....
From my position Church's tackle looked like a bad challenge, and I wasn't surprised when the red card came out.But in all honesty a number of the Stocksbridge challenges in the build-up to that incident appeared equally reckless, and yet went completely unpunished. That is my main gripe with the referee.
After Church was sent off we made a number of substitutions, with Camm and Davidson being called upon. Personally I didn't think either substitute performed particularly well. Camm does not "boss" the midfield in the same way that Church does, and for me "went missing" for the remainder of the game. (I didn't see too much of Newsham or Sleath in the second half either). When Davidson came on I wanted to see him hold the ball up to help in easing the pressure on our defenders. What I saw instead was a series of flick-ons which only found Stocksbridge defenders. Davidson was the furthest man forward, so for him to continually flick the ball further forward merely conceded possession and resulted in our defence being put under more and more pressure. I understand that the managers seem to prefer "like-for-like" substitutions and Davidson generally only replaces Suarez (or vice versa). But we were reduced to ten men and effectively playing with a lone striker; Davidson's first touch sometimes lets him down and I'm not convinced he was suited to that role in that formation. Jamie Clarke would have been the better option.
Suarez has played well in a number of games and has deserved some of his man-of-the-match awards. But on Saturday Tom Evans should have won the award - absolutely no question.
Other people have intimated that they are going to write and complain about the referee's performance. Quite honestly I wouldn't bother wasting your time! A few years ago Boston played away at Hartlepool in the FA Cup. The weather was bad and all of our official supporters' coaches were held up due to there having been a number of crashes on the A1. My understanding at that time was that Boston had asked for a delayed kick-off, Hartlepool had agreed with the request but the referee on the day had insisted on a three o'clock kick off. The result was that 200+ Boston fans missed the opening 30 minutes, and that there was a surge on the Hartlepool turnstyle as soon as the coaches arrived. I felt there was a very real danger of a "crus", and after events like Hillsborough I thought the ref had acted irresponsibly in insisting the game kicked off on time. I wrote to the Football Association to tell them what I thought. My letter had absolutely nothing to do whatsoever with events on the pitch. I eventually received the response from the FA, but it was a "bog standard" automatic response talking only about referee's decisions on the field of play being final, etc, etc. They hadn't even considered the safety concerns I'd raised and quite frankly it felt like they hadn't even properly read my letter. The authorities that govern football in this country are just as much a joke as some of the officials who run out on a Saturday afternoon.
If anyone does write a letter of complaint then I'd be very interested to hear what response they get. But I'd expect they'd only receive an automated reply that quite frankly isn't worth the paper it is written on.
One of our supporters snowballed the linesman during the second half, and I'm slightly concerned that this could put our club into more trouble - particularly if the referee mentions the incident in his report.
Church will no doubt get a three game ban and that will leave us short in midfield. I'm not convinced that Camm is the answer and wonder how close to match fitness Adam Millson is? Spalding may have had a few postponements, but in my view the door is now wide open for Millson to make his return.
The managers have spoken recently about the need for some more experienced heads to guide the younger players, and I don't know what the budget situation is regarding bringing in a new face. We do however have two managers on the bench, both of whom were player-managers at Ilkeston last season and either of whom could potentially fit the bill. I understand there may be contractual issues with Ilkeston which have prevented both from so far playing for Boston, but I wonder if those issues are resolvable? If Rob Scott plays in the same spirit that he manages, then he may just be that extra bit of steel that our team needs between now and the end of the season.
