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| Swansea 1 v 1 Rochdale |
by JOHN BURGUM
REFEREES HAVE never had the greatest Press and not a week goes by without someone, somewhere blaming officials when things do not go according to plan. Despite the rantings and ravings from managers and players alike, quite often officials are blameless.
It's an easy excuse to point an accusing finger, as one former Swansea manager predictably did each week. But there is a growing feeling within football that many referees are weak, while others stick to the letter of the law and ignore the spirit of the game.
Referee Lee Cable certainly falls into those categories. The Woking official is one of the new breed who has much to learn about handling Nationwide League matches.
There will not be a Christmas card postmarked Swansea or Rochdale dropping through his letterbox this week but he will be receiving a video of the match. It's X certificate stuff and he should watch it in a darkened room without any children present.
Why? Simply because he can then pinpoint where he lost control of this bad-tempered affair long before booking Rochdale full-back Mark Williams for an offence everyone bar the officials knew he did not commit.
What made it even worse was that Williams was sent off 10 minutes from the end for a second yellow card when it should have been his team-mate Paul Carden, one of five Rochdale players cautioned in a match punctuated by stoppages after a bright opening.
Amazingly, Carden walked away from the first-half incident when Williams was wrongly identified as the player who had chopped down Tony Bird. By the time the referee had halted play - he originally allowed Swansea the advantage - neither he nor his linesman, no more than five yards away from the incident, were clear in their minds just who had committed the offence.
If the first half was played on the edge, the second provided a frenzied feast of poor decision- making, and in some cases the lack of it, as indiscipline spread through both gamps like an epidemic.
Michael Howard was lucky to escape with a yellow card when he pushed over a Rochdale offender and Richie Appleby was even more fortunate when he saw the red mist and drove the ball at a linesman without even a reprimand.
But there were so many other things which went unnoticed, not least Swansea claims for a penalty when both Julian Alsop and Steve Jones were brought down.
Alsop was certainly a target man in more senses than one after scoring the equaliser, and there was even a suggestion that he had been spat at during an explosive second half. Swansea also claimed that there was a handling incident when Jason Peake took advantage of some sloppy defending to put Rochdale ahead 10 minutes before the break.
Few apart from the players saw that, and there were questioning looks again when Martin Thomas had a possible match-winner disallowed although Mr Cable got that one right when Steve Watkin was accused of pushing.
The workaholic Thomas always looked likely to get on the scoresheet as both sides struggled for control on a greasy surface where players inevitably lost their footing.
Apart from the effort which was disallowed, Thomas found the target on three other occasions, more than any other Swansea player, as he again showed his ability to get forward in support of his front men. Twice he was denied by Rochdale skipper Neil Edwards, one of the smallest goalkeepers around who makes up for a lack of inches with his athleticism and keen sense of anticipation.
The former Wales Under-21 international produced the best save of the match in the first minute when he turned a Thomas shot arrowing towards the bottom corner around the post after seeing the ball late.
At the other end, Roger Freestone denied Ian Bryson before Rochdale snatched the lead through the creative Jason Peake, who took advantage of a kindly rebound before nutmegging Matthew Bound and toe-poking the ball in from six yards.
Swansea, persisting with Steve Jones in the middle of the defence until they scored, switched the lively Richie Appleby to the right flank after the interval and that's where the equaliser came from.
Appleby produced a deep cross and Alsop climbed above his marker to plant the ball beyond the reach of Edwards to register his eighth goal of the season.
Swansea always looked the more likely winners after that, and they were even given more time to find one after the fourth official signalled an extra six minutes to underline the disruptive nature of the second half.
Rochdale held out with some desperate defending and it left Swansea to reflect on two points lost after their recent winning run, but the disappointment was tempered by moving up a place to 12th, just five points off the play-off places.
SWANSEA CITY: Freestone; Jones, Howard, Cusack, Smith, Bound, Price,
Thomas, Alsop, Bird, Appleby.
SUBS: Watkin for Bird, withdrawn (69mins), Roberts for Price withdrawn
83mins). Not used: Jenkins
ROCHDALE: Edwards; Williams, Barlow, Hill, Monington, Farrel, Carden,
Painter, Holt, Bryson, Peake.
SUBS: Bailey for Holt withdrawn (83mins),
Jones for Painter withdrawn (90mins) Not use: Key.
REFEREE: Lee Cable (Woking Surrey)
ATTENDANCE: 4,010
SCORE SUMMARY: Swansea; Alsop (52mins); Rochdale; Peake (34mins).
B00KINGS: Swansea; Howard (ungentlemanly conduct) Rochdale; Hill (foul), Farrel (foul), Holt (foul), Bryson (foul), Carden (foul).
SENDING OFF: Williams (two yellow cards).
(Text supplied by Anthill)