Tuesday 26 January 2016, Stotfold 3 Leverstock Green 3 - Spartan South Midlands League, Roker Park
My second attempt to see a game at Stotfold, beaten by the rain last time but even with Storm Jonas and it's gale force winds this time I would see some football.
A good size crowd with a number of other groundhoppers and neutral and some us still in the queue at the quaint tea bar when Leverstock scored- and they should have been two up when the ref failed to give a penalty.
They eventually did go two up and were by far the better football team, Stotfold did have some good players but their captain and forward did seem to think he was better than he was (I would be proved wrong). The visitors soon went two up but by that time I had wandered round the pitch and was stood behind the Leverstock dug out and what a shock, I found a manger who instead of coaching or praising his team (who were playing well) spent the whole half moaning about the official, abusing opposition players and then arguing with the crowd.
Just before half time, Stotfold got one back so 1-2 at half time.
Second half and Leverstock stopped playing football and decided to follow the example of their manger, and moan, foul, and moan their way through the half and at the same time Stotfold started to play. The behavior of the visiting manger seemed to have persuaded most of the neutrals present to support the home team and it was their captain (who I had not been impressed with) who decided to show us all he could play and he scored twice, one in the last minute to give Stotfold a 3-2 lead but then a needless penalty was given away in injury time and the game ended 3-3.
Now I must say the ref did not have a great game but the abuse from the visiting manger was certainly not needed or appreciated and di make a mockery of the so called FA run 'respect' campaign.
