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Search forTen-man City battle hard for a point
Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 12:47
Still league leaders but with arch promotion rivals AFC Wimbledon breathing down their necks and now with two games in hand, it's vitally important that City take all three points in this Saturday's home match against the new Dons.
There was nothing controversial about the 15th minute red card for Steve Robinson for being the last man and hauling down the Blues' Danny Green - rules are rules.
But what is controversial is that Harris was a good yard offside when he ran through to collect the pass in the first place.
Unfortunately on the night both assistant referees were appalling when it came to offside matters and clearly need some classroom refresher lessons on the subject.
Referee Nigel Lugg did his best to make himself star of the show, refusing to allow the game to flow and being inconsistent for both sides in his decision making, certainly showing no so-called respect to anyone.
What a pity there was no assessor there to offer advice and marks for the three match officials.
Despite all this for the neutrals it was in the first half at least an exciting, pulsating and open game with five goals being scored.
City's Jon Keeling opened the scoring on 10 minutes with a cross-cum-shot from the left before Piers Wixon equalised from the penalty spot on 16 minutes and Harris put the visitors ahead with a fine shot four minutes later.
City equalised on 33 minutes with Keeling supplying a cross for Ollie Berquez to head home and three minutes later they regained the lead when Andy Duncan headed home a Keeling corner kick.
Stortford equalised eight minutes into the second half when makeshift centre-half Dave Rainford was beaten by Harris to score from an acute angle.
Naturally City tired in the second half but to their credit kept going forward with either side still looking for that elusive winner.
The visitors visibly showed their delight with a point at the end while City will feel it was two points lost in a game they would clearly have won with a full crew on the field.
City manager Jeff King was still pleased with his players, adding: "A point was excellent as we played most of the match with ten men."
Chelmsford City: Gay; Miller, Knight (Duffy), Duncan, Robinson; Rainford, Berquez, Minton, Keeling; Moore (Hallett), Holmes (James).
It was only a single goal victory when it should have been at least a four or five goal winning margin but Chelmsford City manager Jeff King was happy enough with three Blue Square South League points at Fisher Athletic on Saturday.
"A win is three points and that's what we wanted. We were so far on top we should have scored half a dozen goals."
As it was a goal from Dave Rainford on 67 minutes, after he has seen his penalty brilliantly saved eight minutes earlier by goalkeeper Simon Overland, settled the issue but many City fans in the meagre crowd of 371 left at the end wondering why City had not scored more.
City were well in control for so much of the game and there's little doubt that on current form they are going to give another side a "really good hiding" as King describes.
Chris Moore, preferred to Bertie Brayley in attack, should have opened the scoring on five minutes but headed wide and it became a question of when and not if City opened their scoring against a fairly dogged home side.
Surprisingly the only goal came just past the hour when substitute Jon Keeling supplied the right cross for Rainbird to score.
Disappointingly the floodgates failed to open but City were well in command throughout.
The irrepressible Jeff Minton controlled the middle of the park and he too was unlucky not to score late on but his free-kick came back off the crossbar.
Three more points in the bag and that's all what matters.
Chelmsford City: Gay; Miller, Knight (Hallett), Duncan, Robinson; Rainford, Berquez (Brayley), Minton, James (Keeling); Moore. Holmes.
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HEADS I WIN: Chelmsford City's Andy Duncan towers above Fisher Athletic's Joe Howe in Saturday's Blue Square South match that City won 1-0.
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