Palace rue luck of the bounce

As Match of the Day was drawing to a close, I was left to contemplate the events that had unfolded in the Football League and Non-League 'pyramid.'

Nottingham Forest lost to West Brom and missed a penalty in the process. Elsewhere, Derby lost to Scunthorpe, and Burton Albion recorded their first ever Football League victory in empathic style.

Coalville Town too recorded a hard-earned victory in the extra preliminary round of the FA Cup to set up a meeting with local rivals Bardon (who caused an upset by dumping Arnold Town out the cup.)

So as I watched the opening of the BBC's Football League show, I was looking forward to an exciting show. However, during the day, I had somehow missed the bizarre events that took place at Ashton Gate.

Crystal Palace's Freddie Sears bursts through the Bristol City defence and lifts the ball over the onrushing keeper into the net. The ball cannons off the metal pole that keeps the net in place and bounces out of the goal.

Sears runs off the celebrate with his team-mates as the Bristol players look for someone to blame.... 1-0 to Palace.

Or not. Amazingly, the referee did not "see" the goal and believes it has hit the post or the bar or something else. This (quite rightly) causes the Palace players to complain.

Palace's 'goal' that never was

Now, while all this is going on, Neil Warnock (the world's most likeable man) is pacing up and down the touchline becoming increasingly irate and looking like he might explode at any moment.

I'm not the biggest fan of Warnock and love it when something goes against him but this was absolutely atrocious (admittedly, I was laughing by the end of the programme.)

That something like this can happen seems unbelievable, but what makes it even more incredible is the fact that last season a goal was given for Reading when it didn't even go in the net!

I understand referees have a difficult job but surely common sense would have prevailed and someone (the assistant, the fourth official, or even Mr Magoo) would have been brave enough to tell the ref that he was being a bit of a tit and that it was clearly a goal?

A disgusting decision that ultimately cost Palace. However, should Bristol City have allowed Palace to score a goal? No. They play to the whistle, it's not their fault that the ref is an idiot.

Turls