Kentish Football 
Salisbury City 2-0 Maidstone United - I'm not going to blame the referee for our defeat, says Hume
FA Carlsberg Trophy Second Round
Saturday 30th January 2010
Mike Green Reports from Raymond McEnhill Stadium
MAIDSTONE UNITED crashed out of the FA Carlsberg Trophy on an afternoon to forget in shivering Wiltshire.
The gulf in class between the full-timers from Wiltshire and the part-time Stones was clearly evident, but you can’t but wonder what would have happened if Crawley referee Warren Atkin had seen the 26th minute melee that saw Peacock dismissed slightly differently, and it was the officials performance that annoyed Hume the most when he spoke to www.kentishfootball.co.uk and BBC Radio Kent after the game.
"OK we made a disappointing start," Hume admitted. "We even talked in the dressing room about not giving anything away in the first 15 minutes, and then poor Tom (Parkinson) and Peter (Hawkins) get in a muddle we conceded a goal away from home at a good Conference side."
And the goal will haunt the Stones for a long time to come. Matt Tubbs, who was to play such an integral role in the afternoon, broke free down the right, and his deep cross found Bradley Gray unmarked at the far post, and with all the time in the world and effectively the freedom of Wiltshire let alone Salisbury, the left winger duly despatched his 9th goal of the season past a motionless and defenceless Jamie Turner in the Stones goal.
Tubbs the brought the best out of Tuner with a free kick which the giant stopper only just reached before the game took a sinister turn.
Yes Peacock’s tackle on Tubbs was crude and perhaps merited the straight red card but the reaction of Salisbury's top scorer was a disgrace and has no place on a football pitch, as a fuming Hume explained.
Hume fumed: "The turning point though undoubtedly was the sending off and I'm not going to hide behind the fact that I'm very disappointed with the referee!
“PK (Peacock) has gone in for a rash challenge - I accept that - as it could have either been red or yellow depending on the referee! What I'm really annoyed about is what happened next when one of their players grabs PK, drags him 10 yards and thumps him, and the official deems it "not violent conduct" and only pulls out the yellow card!"
Referee Atkin is surely now due at least one Christmas card from the Salisbury area!!!
"To make matters worse" Hume then continued, "When I spoke to the referee at half time he said to me that he perhaps could have seen that one a bit more even!"
The sending off and the injustice of being a man short finally kick started the Stones, and Hawkins was only denied by a last ditch lunge whilst Jay Saunders shot straight at keeper James Britnell.
If the Stones felt any injustice into Tubbs still being on the pitch at the start of the second half, the Salisbury striker really did rub Maidstone noses in it as he was on hand, six minutes after half time to tap home his 20th goal of the season after Turner had made a fine save to deny Darrell Clarke.
Nathan Paul then had a golden chance to pull one back but could only head straight at the keeper from Roland Edge's long free kick, but on 64 minutes came the other incident that incensed Hume.
Stuart Anderson clearly led with an arm in a challenge with Parkinson, that led the Maidstone defender needing treatment, yet incredibly Anderson too was only shown a yellow card when it seemed a red more fitted the crime!
Stones boss Hume again, "I also can’t believe that at the start of the second half, one of their players puts what the official has just described to me in the dressing room as "an aggressive arm in one of my defenders faces", and not an elbow - I don't know what the difference is - but then the assistant said that if it was an arm or an elbow it should have been a red card... well today it wasn't and I really don't think that we got the run of the green from the officials today," the Stones boss concluded shaking his head.
Tubbs could have netted another but for a combination of Turner and Hawkins, and Gray could have helped himself to a second but for Turners fine late stop, and if the delivery of former Gillingham full back Sean Clohessy had been better than dreadful, the home strikers may have had more to feed on than scraps.
And sadly and in truth, that just about summed up this Trophy tie that never really got going and most if not all of the 746 crowd went home frozen to the bone!
Hume was philosophical in defeat afterwards.
"Despite all that happened I'm not going to blame the referee for our defeat today," he said, "as we were up against a very good side when we had 11 on the pitch.
“When we went down to 10 it made it even more difficult, but the lads that stayed on the pitch did me proud today as they were really up against it against a really good side."
"I'm disappointed in some of the things that went on today but Salisbury are a good side - they're a full time side and they got a thoroughly deserved victory today, and now go to Cambridge United on Tuesday in the next round.
“We've now got to get our focus on the league and make sure we're up there come the end of April - that's got to be our focus now and that begins in our next league game next Saturday."
Some games live long in the memory - the memory of this one sadly started fading before the exit to the Car Park was reached!
Salisbury City: James Bittner, Sean Clohessy, Luke Ruddick, Stuart Anderson, Jamie Turley, Robert Sinclair Chris Flood 71), Darrell Clarke, Matt Tubbs (Toby Osman 79), Ben Adelsbury, Bradley Gray, Patrick Cox.
Subs: Ryan O'Hara, Tommy Widdrington
Bookings: Matt Tubbs 26, Stuart Anderson 64
Goals: Bradley Gray 1, Matt Tubbs 51
Maidstone United: Jamie Turner, Nathan Paul, Jermaine Darlington (Dean Hernandez Bradshaw 81), Tom Parkinson, Peter Hawkins, James Peacock, Jay Saunders, James Pinnock (Gabriel Odunaike 76), Danny Hockton (Lynden Rowland 68), Nick Barnes.
Subs: Ant Bodle, Richard Knell
Booked: Nick Barnes 80
Sent off: James Peacock 26
Attendance 746
Referee: Mr Warren Atkin (Crawley)
Assistants: Mr Daniel Cook (Elson) & Mr Domininc Gregory (Southampton)
Fourth Official: Mr Dean Creleaven (Whiteley)
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