Three sent off in limp Stotfold defeat

Stotfold saw two players and their manager sent off in the final minutes of a limp 1-0 defeat at home to bottom of the table Oxhey Jets on Saturday.

Stotfold came into the SSML Premier fixture on a high after the home win on Tuesday night against Cockfosters.

It was goalless at half time. The only highlights of a dire half were a couple of long range efforts from inform striker Ben L’Honore, and a Reece Louden shot that came back off the bar.

Despite the hairdryer treatment from the Stotfold management team during the interval it was pretty much the same in the second period.

It took until 75 minutes for Stotfold to come to life and show a bit of fight as Drew Cardines and L’Honore both went close with half chances.

Then on 86 minutes Oxhey’s Raymond Koomson wriggled into the box, the challenge was only half hearted and the substitute slotted home what proved to be the winner.

But the action wasn’t over yet as the last five minutes were full of controversy.

Firstly an Oxhey player ran the ball out of play and took the most outrageous of dives that even had the Oxhey bench laughing out of embarrassment, but the ref awarded him a free kick.

This incensed the Stotfold players and second half sub Louden kicked the ball back into play only for it to hit the Oxhey player in the head. He was given a straight red, then in the protest Stotfold manager Rob Bates also got his marching orders.

The game restarted but the game was now on a knife edge and the first tackle after the restart saw Jaiden Irish smash a loose ball at a Oxhey defender whilst laying on the floor. This saw another straight red, the third one in five minutes.