Dave O'Donoghue tremendous but Geese robbed

The Geese were controversially robbed of a draw last night in Dublin, when Derek Tynan Architects objected to what seemed like a good goal. Despite protests by the Geese players the score was invalidated after the game by league officials. The event in question centred on whether the football had crossed the sideline and should have been a throw. DTA players claimed that the ball had left the pitch, but Anto Saul continued playing and scored what appeared to be a perfectly legitimate goal. When DTA scored late, the Geese had considered this an equaliser, and certainly not a winning goal.

After the game the Geese argued with Derek Tynan Architects and several of the DTA players claimed to have seen the ball crossing the line. But when a league official, who had witnessed the event, deemed that the ball had not crossed the line, the captain of DTA, aware now that his dishonest testimony was no longer valid, changed his own account to say that only the keeper and one defender had claimed the ball had crossed the line.

It was a bitter blow to the Wild Geese who had started the game in a lively fashion and looked the more likely to score. Their passing was sharper, and possession held on to more regularly than in previous games. Yet it was DTA who opened the scoring when a ball through the centre found the DTA forward unmarked and he fired past stand-in keeper John Goodwin

Without any experience as a keeper, Goodwin still managed to make several crucial saves, and was certainly not to blame for the later goals. The Geese struggled to handle the skillful DTA midfield, and Murray and Saul were forced to make several last ditch blocks.

However, Dave O'Donoghue was putting together another busy man of the match performance, and it was his corner kick which found Oliver Tormey who side-footed in from close range.

When DTA made it 2-1, with another ball through the centre, O'Donoghue's throw was flicked on by Tormey and Anto Saul who had slipped around the defence cooly scored. The goal was similar to Robbie Keane's late equaliser in Korea against Germany.

The Geese appeared then to have taken the lead, when Saul struck his controversial goal. DTA then appeared to have equalised late, when another through ball was scrambled in the goalmouth over the line.

A draw had seemed like a fair result. But instead the Geese were unfairly treated to an unjust decision

Wild Geese:  J.Goodwin (c), O.Tormey, A.Saul, E.Gorman, J.Conroy, N.Murray, D. O'Donoghue, J. O'Keeffe

Goals: O.Tormey (1) A.Saul(1) - though he also scored the goal that never was)

Editorial extra on this game: http://www.wildgeesefc.org/?q=derek_tynan_architects_controversy