Chaos in the Cup

On a sunny late October afternoon, the ECSSC was to play host to the second round of the

cup and what was pitted to be an intriguing clash. It was a game of football that would see

Hampshire County Division Two leaders Mudeford take on Division One leaders Millbrook. It

was a chance for the hosts to get a glimpse of what the competition could be like next season if promotion were to be achieved. However, what unfolded in the first 45 minutes was

less of a football match and more of Devils Night come early, only for the cries of ‘Fire It Up’

by T-Bird and his gang to be replaced by ‘Handball’ among many other things, by the entirety of the Millbrook entourage. This is a reference to the original classic The Crow, and while not only showing my age, it will not be the only movie reference in this piece!

Now, I contemplated how much detail I would go into regarding the events of this game, but I felt you can’t discuss the match without discussing the troubles that came with it, and so let me just be clear that what follows is strictly my view and opinion based on what I witnessed, and not that of Mudeford Pheonix.

To set the scene a little, the dugouts had switched sides of the pitch, meaning they were now on the same side as the fans. I like to stand at the end of which Mudeford are shooting at each half, which meant in the first half I had the delight of being directly behind the Millbrook dugout, which gave me a a ringside seat for the shenanigans to come. Upon their arrival to the pitch, a couple of the Millbrook players were already making negative comments about the ref, as I got the impression that they had a recent negative experience with him, from their view. Why is this relevant? Because for me, I think it sadly set the tone of what was to come.

For Mudeford though, this was all strictly business. A chance to really test themselves

against a team topping the division above and see just where we are, at this stage of the

season. This is how we lined up:

Mudeford: 1 – Maisie Roff(GK), 10 – Megan Smith, 4 – Micala Angel, 2 – Hannah Jones, 14

– Tavi Henry, 5 – Chiara Andreotti, 6 – Daisy Bradford, 11 – Jess Ellwood, 26 – Gracie

Batsford, 21 – Sophie Matthews, 9 – Rosie Abraham

Subs: 7 – Becky Atkinson, 8 – Demi Curtin, 15 – Ella Gregory, 18 – Millie O’Connor, 33 –

Tonia Gomez

As the game kicked off, Millbrook set out their stall early as they pushed into the Mudeford

half, applying early pressure to keep the hosts pinned in, but were unable to convert it into

anything more than territorial advantage. In fact, the first chance would fall to Pheonix, who a

minute in were able to get the ball back, as Andreotti played an ambitious ball forward for

Abraham to run onto, battling with a defender to try and get there first. The Millbrook keeper charged out of her box and made it first, only to kick the ball straight into Abraham, causing the ball to ricochet passed her into the box. Rosie had to then turn swiftly to get hold of the ball and get off a shot, but was unable to get enough power behind it as the recovering defenders got it clear. It was the first warning though for the visitors of the threat that Mudeford’s leading scorer poses.

Millbrook though returned to applying the sustained pressure and on four minutes they sent

a dangerous ball into the box that Maisie Roff got a hand to, before the ball is scrambled

clear, as cries of handball go up from the Millbrook coaching trio. At this early stage, it is

already about the 3 rd or 4 th time they have cried handball when it clearly wasn’t. Mudeford

briefly get out as an attack down the right sees a cross easily cleared, but it is Millbrook who

are having the better of the opening period, as on seven minutes a dangerous ball in sees

Smith get a defensive head on the ball ahead of the attacker, but Roff can’t stop it going out

for the first corner of the game. It is a dangerous corner too, lofted to the back post for a

head back into the mix, that Smith is able to clear for a throw in. The throw is then launched

in long and deep by the Millbrook number 5, a weapon that will later prove decisive, and Roff is able to gather it into her hands safely, as the visitors are seeking a goal to round off their early dominance.

A ball down the right from Smith sees a cross sent into the box by Ellwood, but it just evades

Matthews as she made a run into the box on the far side and is safely cleared. It is only a

brief respite for the hosts, as soon the cries of handball ring out again from the Millbrook

bench, this time justified, only to be waved off by the official much to their chagrin. They are

even less happy when a misplaced pass at the back almost gets them in on goal, only for

Angel to get in a great tackle and the official to judge she was fouled in the process, which

the visitors did not agree with. The freekick is quickly taken and intercepted though, as

Millbrook move the ball out wide, where Smith battles with the winger and sees it off for

another Millbrook corner. Just like the first corner, this one is lofted to the back post and this

time it finds a Millbrook player unmarked and she gets a shot off, only for Mudeford to clear it off the line when Roff was beaten. The opening goal is starting to feel inevitable, as another Millbrook attack sees a dangerous ball is blocked and the visitors bench scream for a foul. It isn’t given, but Millbrook still get a shot off that is comfortably saved by Roff. The tension is already building on the Millbrook bench who at only 15 minutes in, have already screamed for several non-existent fouls and disagreed with every decision made.

The beauty of football, is that anything can happen at any time, and so often we see teams

dominate and then concede, and that is what nearly happens to Millbrook. On 17 minutes, a

ball is played forward and puts Bradford in some space on the left-hand side approaching

the box. Once again the Millbrook keeper charges out and is well beaten as Bradford gets

her shot off, only to watch it roll agonisingly onto the post, before being put out for a corner.

The resulting corner, Mudeford’s first of the game, finds Angel in the box but she can’t get a

clean connection on it, and the ball is scrambled clear. The whole move though has given

the hosts some confidence, and they not long after look to attack again, as a ball is played

over the top into the Millbrook half and Ellwood battles with a defender to get on the end of it as the ball bounces towards the box. The defender manages to get ahead and passes the ball back to the keeper who proceeds to pick it up for a blatant pass back which the official ignores, as the increasingly angry Millbrook coaches admit that was one they got away with.

Mudeford now though are in the ascendancy and then press forward again, as a ball is lofted

forward and Abraham knocks it on, before chasing it down herself. The keeper is out swiftly

to claim the ball, and then having done so, Abraham catches her with a foot midstride that

causes her to tumble. As the Millbrook players and staff scream at the ref that it was a foul

on the keeper, the ref to everyone’s shock points at the spot, awarding a penalty. On this

occasion, they had just cause to be angry. Even the most diehard of Pheonix fan would

struggle to argue that was a penalty and actually believe it. However, penalty it is, and

having gained it, Abraham stepped up to take it, hitting her shot low and to the left, only for

the keeper to get a hand to it and make the save. In all honesty, while I felt for Rosie in that

moment and was gutted we hadn’t scored, the reality was that justice was done given it

wasn’t a penalty to begin with. However, among the Millbrook celebrations, come very loud

vocal sarcastic comments towards the ref from the coaching staff, as the atmosphere

between Millbrook and the official is getting sour with every passing minute.

Mudeford are looking confident now, and on 24 minutes a cross from Smith into the box

causes problems, but the defence are able to get it clear. After a tough start, all the pressure

and opportunities recently have come the way of the hosts, and it takes an error to give

Millbrook their next opportunity. Some misplaced pass at the back from Roff causes Smith to

have to see the ball out for a corner, and like the previous two, the set piece is lofted to the

back post. This time though it is overhit and the connection on it can only find the side

netting. Millbrook, having been more focused on the ref in the recent spell, look to try and

regain their dominance and force another corner, this time from the other side, amidst more

handball cries from the Millbrook bench that once again clearly wasn’t. This corner is again

dangerous as it travels right across the face of goal, with Roff just getting a hand to it before

the defence clear. The game is opening up a little, as Mudeford are next to foray forward,

with a ball into the box that sees Abraham get a head to it, catching the defender in the

process as the ball loops into the keepers’ hands. The defender goes down with a head

injury, and an argument ensues between the ref and one of the Millbrook coaches who is

demanding to come on, while the ref is saying he has asked the player if she needs

treatment and the player refuses to talk to him. The coach argues it is a head injury, and is

eventually waved on, only to then be immediately sent back as the player has got up.

Millbrook then attack from the restart as a hoofed ball over the top opens up an unexpected

opportunity, as the forward gets a toe to the ball and chips it over Roff, but the balls bounces wide of the goal, while the Millbrook bench yet again scream handball. While there have been two obvious handballs missed, most of the cries have been wrong, and from an outside viewpoint it has become the boy who cried wolf in regards to the Millbrook bench.

Mudeford, through all that is going on, continue to just play their game, as first Smith surges

down the right, but her through ball is just over hit, and then Abraham looks to have broken

the defensive line, only for the flag to go up, when it was clearly not offside. Confusion

follows, as the play seems to stop because of it, but then the flag gets waved off by the ref,

only now Mudeford have lost the ball. A minute later though, it doesn’t matter as Pheonix

play a dangerous ball forward and Abraham challenges with the defender to get on the end

of it. Once again the keeper comes charging out and once again she misses it, as the ball

gets past her and so does Rosie. The keeper then grabs hold of Rosie and tries to pull her

down, achieving it, but not before Abraham gets her shot off and finds the back of the net!!

As the Pheonix celebrate, the keeper can count herself lucky because had it not gone in, it

would have been another penalty and arguably a red card. Having ridden out the early storm

and some tough moments, the Division Two side have shown their Division One opponents

how it is done and are now in front, a well known feeling at the ECSSC this season.

Sadly, the joyous moment is marred by the situation between the official and Millbrook taking another downturn. Play is held up as one of the Millbrook players starts having a go at the ref, because he has allegedly told one of the players to ‘f*** off’, and that player is 17. The player complaining and then the coaching staff are all screaming at the ref that he can’t

swear at a minor, and there is talk by the players off walking off. With Mudeford lined up

ready to restart, arguing is taking place. Now, while I can understand that an official should

not be telling any player to ‘f*** off’, let alone one under 18, at the same time the Millbrook

players and staff had shown him no respect and plenty of verbals throughout the game. Not

only that, but all three staff members had been repeatedly shouting ‘f***’ on the touchline

during the game, as had some of the players. In fact, the one making the complaint, then

shouted it in a call to gee up the team when the game finally restarted. It was just a mess,

and only served to ramp up the anger on the Millbrook bench even more as we eventually got back under way. The rest of the half ticked by with little chance, other than a long ball

into the box that Abraham got a head to but was saved comfortably, while a through ball

down the other end was comfortably gathered up by Roff.

As the half time whistle went, it was a welcome break from the mess that had taken place. Here is that second movie reference. That first half had been like watching the All Valley Karate Championship, in which Daniel Larusso was just trying to win by doing things the right way for his calm and respectful mentor Mr Miyagi, while Cobra Kai under the guidance of John Kreese, were ‘sweeping the leg’ and playing dirty as their entrants acted wildly. Only, in this case, on one side you had Pheonix Manager Ian Roff, calmly on the touchline, giving constructive guidance when needed, but being measured in a way that enabled his players to go about their game with composure. On the other side, you had Millbrook’s three coaches, each taking it in turns to bark out instructions, while in unison repeatedly shouting at the ref, swearing and throwing their arms up, while on the pitch their players were just as amped up, losing focus on their play and spending too much time arguing with the ref or complaining to their staff about him. The ref had also done himself no favours, as some of his decisions did not help sway the claim that he had an issue with Millbrook, as they did with them. Instead of a sport, it had been 45 minutes where Millbrook and the official had seemingly come into it with a beef between them, and they had all let it get the better of them to the detriment of the sport. Yet, there was a football game played in that first 45 minutes, and Mudeford were winning it.

As the second half rolled round, I expected Millbrook to come out on fire, but it didn’t

happen. The first chance fell to Mudeford after four minutes, as a run down the right by

substitute Becky Atkinson saw the ball crossed into the box and a shot fired off that the

keeper, who could just grab it, chooses to hit it with her leg and nearly knocks it back to

Abraham before gathering it. Her goal kick though is quickly recycled back by Mudeford, as

play out on the left finds Andreotti, who makes some space and gets a shot off, but the

keeper saves it. While the first half for long periods had been tough for Mudeford to find

space, the start of the second half saw them finding it with ease, as the Pheonix continued to

probe down both wings, but over hitting the final ball each time, letting Millbrook off the hook.

On 55 minutes, Millbrook nearly make the hosts pay for not doubling the lead. A long throw

by number 5 causes chaos in the Mudeford box and a Millbrook head sends the ball across

goal, only for a Mudeford foot to get it clear for a corner before it is tapped in. The resulting

corner hits a Millbrook back and goes wide of the post. A minute later and Millbrook get

forward again and win a corner. The corner is tame and easily cleared out for a throw, but

that is a more dangerous scenario. Number 5 launches it again, as Roff and a challenger

compete for the ball. Roff ends up on the floor crawling on all fours towards the ball, as a

Millbrook attacker climbs over her and knocks the ball to a teammate who crosses in. The

ball is just waiting to be tapped in, but once again a Mudeford boot gets it clear just in front of goal. Alarm bells are ringing though, and it has suddenly become clear that we can’t afford to give away throw ins anywhere near our box.

While Millbrook are causing all sorts of threats from their big throw, it’s Mudeford who are the better side in open play, as first a run by Atkinson down the right sees her cross taken by the keeper, and then good play and pressure by Demi Curtin down the left forces a mistake from the keeper, before eventually the ball goes out for a goal kick. Pheonix then open up a great chance to make it 2-0. The ball is played forward to Abraham who has her back to goal, but in the best individual piece of play in the game, she takes it down with a brilliant touch and then slides the ball through, splitting the defence for the Batsford to run onto, She is one on one with the keeper, who again is quick off her line and this time it works, as Batsford’s shot is straight at her with the angle narrowed. At 2-0, Mudeford would have been comfortable, but with it remaining only 1-0, the lead is vulnerable and after both sides have a couple of attacks that are easily dealt with, Millbrook find a way to punish the hosts.

If the visitors were to equalise, you would put your money on it coming from a throw, and that is exactly what happens. Another huge throw by number 5 causes chaos in the box and the ball is only scrambled to edge of the D, where it is then driven back in. Roff gets a hand to it, but it isn’t enough to stop the ball hitting the back of the net, as the game is now tied at 1-1.

While I am now at the other end away from the Millbrook bench, I can still hear complaints

and unwarranted cries of handball. There is even a moment where Mudeford take a throw

and it hits the Millbrook player on the arm, which knocks the ball onto a Mudeford arm, and

the Millbrook player starts calling for a handball. When it doesn’t come, she throws

comments at the ref, despite it hitting her own arm first. Calls of ‘don’t talk to him’ then come from the bench.

Pheonix haven’t let the setback of conceding knock them, and after some probing they push

forward again, A Millbrook player looks to intercept the ball just outside the box but goes

down hurt, enabling Smith to get onto it and put in a dangerous cross. The ball just evades

Abraham, but Batsford runs onto it in the box and knocks it past the defender, who kicks the

boots of Batsford forcing her wide. Batsford gets the shot off but the angle is now too

difficult, and it goes out. Millbrook get away with it, as the contact was a foul, but by staying

on her feet, the ref misses it completely, when it could have been a penalty. Mudeford

continue to push forward, and good pressure again from Curtin sees the ball fall to Abraham

around the penalty spot and she gets a shot off, but it goes agonisingly wide. Abrham is then subbed off for O’Connor.

All the play is coming from Mudeford at this stage, although Millbrook remind them of the

danger they pose with another big throw from number 5 causing problems, but it is

scrambled clear. Phoenix then push down the other end and win a corner. The corner is

crossed in and Angel swipes at it, getting just enough connection to send it towards goal

where it is cleared just in front of the line.

Time is ticking down, but for all Mudeford’s good play, Millbrook still have ‘that’ throw and it is the throw that is doing all the damage. They get another one, and as number 5 launches it

in, a head knocks it on and this time a Millbrook player gets to it first and just has to tap it in,

but instead they blast it wide. Not long after though, they get another. This time it is launched in and the header flicks the ball onto the crossbar. It bounces back into play and falls to a Millbrook player whose effort is blocked, bit it falls to anther and their shot is parried, but still finds its way into the side netting to make it 2-1 to the visitors.

Abraham comes back on to replace Angel as Mudeford have to go for it, but the next chance falls to Millbrook, who deliver a corner in that Roff gets a fist to, but it falls to the Millbrook number 4 who just has to tuck it home, but instead blasts it over the bar. With that reprieve, Mudeford push forward and apply late pressure as they look for an equaliser, although Millbrook still manage to cry for a penalty ridiculously after a good tackle. As time ebbs away, a long ball sees Abraham get an outstretched boot onto it, but she is unable to get enough connection to chip the keeper, before an effort by Batsford goes wide. A last second freekick even sees Roff join the attack and nearly get a flick on, but the ball goes through to the keeper and the full-time whistle blows.

While it is Mudeford who bow out of the cup, they can very much do so with pride, knowing

they took the leaders of the division above them all the way, and the difference in the end

was a huge throw that we just weren’t able to defend.

The game for me was a highlight of how vulnerable referees are without any official

assistants and 4th official. While some of his decisions were certainly questionable, the reality

is the way he was spoken to and treated throughout the game by the Millbrook staff and

players was disrespectful and at a higher level, would never have been stood for. However,

at this level, he stood alone, and Millbrook left having advanced in the cup, and bar a few

yellow cards for dissent, they were unscathed from how poorly they acted.

For this game I have no individual player of the match. For me, that award goes to everyone

at Mudeford Pheonix. Why? Because while the match official and all of Millbrook lost their

heads, acted appallingly and gave nothing but a poor impression of themselves, Mudeford

carried themselves with respect and honour, never once getting involved in the drama or

letting it affect them. Ian Roff and his players can be proud of themselves, not only for how

they performed against opposition a tier higher, but for how they carried themselves. They

were a credit to themselves and the badge, and they did us all proud.