We lost. Not irreversibly, as has been the general rule up until now, but we still lost.
Hell we even managed to lose a goal off a poxy fucking corner inside the first five minutes. Now if there’s anything we have managed to learn under Uncle Ray’s guidance then it’s the ability to defend set pieces and to keep the first fifteen minutes of away games as tight as the proverbial duck’s arse.
Inevitably we had to change all that tonight. Fewer than 200 seconds had elapsed when a Millwall corner was headed in unchallenged from around the penalty spot. The home crowd were up for it well before this went in but after it they were baying for more. Visions of a wet Sunday afternoon in Cheshire appeared in my mind but to their credit the Saddlers weathered the oncoming storm. I’m not overly sure that the players knew how they did it but they did.
As the first half passes the crowd became less involved and the boys began to get the ball on the ground as pass it around as they can. Half time came and the deficit was still only one goal. A clean sheet in the second half would do but if we got a chance we needed to take it.
The chance was soon to come. A wonderful mazy run by Wrack, beating four or five Millwall players on the way through was crudely interrupted by Roberts in the home goal. Wrack had taken the ball around him and was about to prod the ball into an unguarded net when the goalkeeper recovered enough balance to remove his feet from underneath him.
A penalty, a red card for the offender no Millwall reserve keeper on the bench and thirty minutes still to play. The tie had it’s first defining moment. Well all these statements are correct with one exception. No red card. Not even a yellow card as the referee decided that a spot kick was punishment enough. Quite when the official received clearance to ignore the basic laws of football I’m not sure but ignore them he did. Yeah, rules are meant to be broken but there are no rules in football. There are only laws and the law is the law.
I can honestly say I've never felt more cheated by a referee’s decision. This was like violation. He had no right to interpret the law as he saw fit. A professional foul is a red card offence. No arguments, no grey areas, no second chance and no doubt about it. Now either he bottled it under pressure from the home crowd or he made what he though was the correct decision. If it was the first one he was wrong and he shouldn’t be allowed to officiate at this level again. If it was the second reason then he was wrong and he shouldn’t be allowed to officiate at this level again.
As if to rub salt into a fairly open wound Pointon’s subsequent penalty was saved by the legs of a very fortunate goalkeeper. We also hit the bar, had a goal ruled out and were generally the better side after the 20 minute mark but we got nil.
0 - 1 means we’re still alive but should we concede first next Tuesday then in all probability it’ll be game over.