Hamilton Panthers 2 v 1 Kartiers FC

Top played third in the York & District Premier League with the league leaders coming out
on top after controversy reigned supreme at Rufforth.

Kartiers went into the game without Taylor, Cooper and Page and with joint top scorer
Andrew Woodall failing to reach half time for the second game running due to a hamstring 
injury, this was always going to be a tough ask against a team who have suffered only one
league defeat all season.

Keeper Daubney, thankfully recovered from the neck injury sustained against Wilberfoss,
pulled off a string of fine saves as Hamilton piled on the pressure but even he had no
chance with the opener, a fine shot from twenty yards out after a smart corner routine had
caught the Kartiers defence cold.

Matt Ward and Louis Blackwell were lively going forward but forays deep into the Hamilton
half were few and far between as the Kartiers defence worked overtime to keep their side
in the game.

With the scoreline only 1-0 at the interval the visitors were very much still in the game
but a crazy decision at the start of the second period knocked the stuffing out of the
visitors. Braithwaite was fouled deep inside his own half but recovered sufficiently for
the referee to wave ‘play on’. The young Kartiers midfield player immediately sent Blackwell
goalwards, and when he was felled inside the penalty area the linesman flagged for a
spot-kick, only for the match official to bring play all the way back for the first offence.
The decision incensed the Kartiers camp and even drew sympathy from the large contingency
from Hamilton who were equally perplexed by the referee’s decision.

Hamilton took advantage and increased their lead, again in controversial circumstances
after the ball was shepherded out for a goal kick only for the referee to bizarrely give
a throw-in from which Hamilton scored their second, a header from six yards out.

Kartiers battled gamely on and pulled one back through make-shirt centre forward Craig
Campbell and right at the death Blackwell almost snatched a point but his left foot strike
whistled past the post.

Kartiers manager Ian Jennings found it hard to keep his emotions in check after the game
and said 'its hard enough playing teams like this without decisions going against us.
We are very thin on the ground at the moment and knew today would be difficult but if we
had been given the opportunity to make it 1-1 from the penalty spot we could have gone on
to win the game and still be in the title race but one shocking decision has now put that
beyond us and we now can forget about the league and concentrate on winning the two cups
that we are still involved in.'