By Chris Cummings
Sometimes football has a way of kicking you when you’re down. Winless since Whitehawk away in November, the Blues might well, justifiably, argue that they haven’t quite got the rub of the green this season. Questionable red cards, disallowed goals, and missed chances at crucial moments that all have turned wins into draws and draws into defeats.
And while it’s churlish to blame any failure on officiating or random misfortune, you could very easily make the case that the Blues were owed one by the collective officials heading into Saturday’s defeat at home to Dartford.
And that is exactly what happened in the middle of the second half, when Dartford player Sam Okoye was shown a second yellow card for time-wasting while taking too long over a throw-in. It was the sort of decision you feel righteous about when it goes in your favour, but seems unfathomable when you’re on the wrong end of it. And this Blues side would know better than most having experienced a similar fate three times already this year: Georgiou vs Bognor Regis; Garrett-Douglas vs Folkestone; Cracknell vs Chatham.
It presented them with a golden chance to turn a game around that they were trailing 2-1 at the time, with over half an hour of football still to go. And, in truth, they created enough to win the game.
The Blues goal came from some nice interplay between Keller, Restrepo, and Benjamin Watt, who was making his full debut in the centre of midfield. Restrepo laid Keller in behind the Dartford right back and got himself in the middle to slide in a full stretch and tuck Keller’s low cross into the corner and beyond the outstretched arm of Jacob Marsden in the Darts’ goal.
From there, they were in the ascendency, creating more golden chances. Camilo Restrepo had three massive ones: a free header in the six yard box where he was stooping low to the ground and sent wide, and a one on one at a tight angle that was well smothered by Marsden. His third, and maybe the best of the lot, came after Ogo Obi had scuffed his kick when the ball fell to him on the penalty spot with nobody around. The goal was begging, but his miskick fell to Restrepo who could only blaze over the bar from 10 yards out.
If they had been unfortunate to get themselves into good positions with no end result, they managed to get the ball in the Dartford net twice, both in carbon copy situations. They were deep corners flung to the back post, where Ben Frempah rose highest to nod home twice from inside the six yard box. On both occasions, Marsden was on the ground, and on both occasions, the referee awarded Dartford a free kick for goalkeeper interference. They were both 50/50 decisions that went the way of the Darts.
And so Dartford managed to hold on to their slender margin that was created in the first half with two well taken finishes - George Whitefield opened the scoring in the first 10 minutes rising highest to head home from a whipped free kick, and Samir Carruthers buried a spot kick ten minutes before halftime, after Loic Hernandez brought down his man after he had been beaten. They changed to 5 at the back, including ex Blue Mike Olarewaju, and marshalled the game from there, ultimately holding on for the three points and extending their unbeaten run. They are next at home to Billericay, while the Blues welcome local rivals Hendon for what promises to be a huge game with plenty of feeling. After such a good crowd at this one, we’ll need your support over the next few crucial games at the Lane.
See you there!
Wingate & Finchley: Grainger; Cracknell; Byron (Drakes-Thomas 76’); Watt; Frempah; Lowe (Obi 77’); Garrett-Douglas; Keller (Georgiou 69’); Newton (Bello 82’); Restrepo; Hernandez
Unused Subs: Iontton
Photos courtesy of Martin Addison.
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