Ref takes centre stage in United’s loss

A series of contentious refereeing decisions played a big part in Wairarapa United's 2-1 loss to Olympic in their Central League football match played at Hullena Park, Masterton, yesterday.
The home team finished the match with just nine players after having first James Oxtoby and then Waisake Sabutu sent from the field for tackling offences during a niggly second half, and whether either incident deserved a red card could be - and was - hotly debated.
Certainly several in the good-sized crowd were quick to vent their disapproval at the action taken in each case by referee Simon Lount and Wairarapa United players weren't slow in venting their frustrations as well.
Understandably too as similar infringements by Olympic seemed to all too often escape Lount's attention.
It was a pity the referee should take centre stage in a match which at times produced some scintillating football.
Both teams were intent on using the entire width of the pitch in their attacking movements and play shifted from one end of the field to the other on a regular basis.
Olympic's unbeaten Central League record looked under huge threat at the halftime break at which stage Wairarapa United deservedly led by 1-0.
Their goal was an absolute cracker with Adam Cowan making a long searching run down the right flank before firing in a high cross which saw the ball headed home by Campbell Banks.
That was by no means the only scoring opportunity created by Wairarapa United in the opening 45 minutes.
James Oxtoby had a shot saved off the line, Cowan shot high with only the 'keeper to beat and Banks cleverly turned the defence inside out before firing the ball just wide of the posts.
It wasn't all one-way traffic though.
Olympic too mounted some dangerous attacks and at least twice Wairarapa United 'keeper Richard Gillespie was called on to make spectacular diving saves.
Oxtoby's sending off early in the second spell was always likely to create problems against an Olympic outfit which next weekend will play Manurewa in the semi-final of the Chatham Cup national knockout competition.
And those problems surfaced just minutes later when Olympic broke open the home team's defence on the right flank and the resultant cross was headed into the net
Fears then were, of course, that with one player short Wairarapa United could in for a decent beating but they showed huge character and resolve to keep the scores tied until a penalty was awarded - again somewhat dubiously - for hand ball. Olympic made no mistake from the spot and they were in front 2-1 much to the delight of their vocal band of supporters.
Any chance of Wairarapa United recovering from that setback practically went out the window not long after when Sabutu was sent from the field but again you couldn't fault their grit as they consistently thwarted Olympic attacks with stout defence.
In fact, the most promising movement in the closing stanzas actually came from them with Banks and Miriek Tvaroh combining in a move which ended with Tvaroh's shot going wide.
For Wairarapa United this was their last Central League appearance of the season and this loss ended a remarkable run of five successive wins.
However to push Olympic so hard was still a thoroughly commendable performance, especially allowing for the refereeing hassles and the fact they were without two of their star players in Seule Soromon and Nick Roydhouse, both of whom are overseas.
The decision to play skipper Pita Rabo at fullback was a huge success for his solidness on defence made him one of his team's shining lights, along with 'keeper Gillespie, Sakeo Valevou, Cowan, Sabatu and Banks.