#9 v3 | Page 29
When is a goal not a goal?
On#the#12th#January#2014,#in#the#34th#minute#of#the#
Newcastle#v#Manchester#City#game,#with#the#visitors#
leading#1@0,#Cheick#Tiote#hit#a#leC#foot#screamer#into#the#
top#corner#of#Joe#Hart’s#net#to#score#a#magnificent#
equaliser#against#arguably#the#best#team#in#the#country.#
The#crowd#went#wild,#Tiote#and#his#team#mates#ran#to#
the#dug#out#to#celebrate,#and#then#suddenly#the#mood#
changed.###
ACer#consulLng#with#the#linesman,#ref#Mike#Jones#
disallowed#the#goal,#much#to#the#amazement#of#the#
crowd,#the#players,#the#TV#commentators#and#everyone#
who#saw#it.#It#appears#the#Gouffran#was#deemed#to#be#
interfering#with#play#whilst#in#an#offside#posiLon.#
Replays#and#photographs#showed#this#was#not#the#case#@#
not#even#close,#but#the#goal#didn’t#stand#and#City#went#
on#to#win#2@0#with#a#last#minute#goal#easing#their#
nerves.###
A#complete#miscarriage#of#jusLce,#admiTed#by#the#
Premier#League#in#a#roundabout#way,#by#dropping#Jones#
from#refereeing#the#following#week.#But#that#didn’t#help#
us.#
Bizarrely,#this#happened#31#years#
to#the#day#that#a#referee#whose#
name#will#be#known#by#any#
Newcastle#fan#over#the#age#of#35.##
Trelford#Mills.#It#was#an#FA#Cup#3rd#
Round#Le#between#Second#
Division#Newcastle#and#First#
Division#Brighton#(Championship#v#
Premier#League#for#our#younger#
readers),#and#once#again#
Newcastle#were#training#1@0,#when#
with#five#minutes#remaining#Imre#
Varadi#controlled#the#ball#and#toe@
poked#in#for#an#equaliser,#or#at#least#
we#thought#it#was,#unLl#Barnsley’s#Mr#Mills#ruled#that#
Varadi#had#handled#the#ball,#and#the#goal#was#
disallowed.###
Howls#of#derision#rang#around#the#ground,#unLl,#with#
the#game#drawing#to#an#end,#Jeff#Clarke#headed#the#ball#
across#goal#for#Kevin#Keegan#to#score.#Mass#hysteria#was#
again#turned#quickly#into#a#torrent#of#hatred#and#abuse,#
as#Mills#ruled#that#Clarke#had#fouled#a#Brighton#player#
and#the#effort#was#disallowed.#Brighton#won#the#Le#and#
got#to#the#final,#and#Mills#became#a#hated#figure#on#
Tyneside,#and#sLll#is#to#this#day#to#fans#of#a#certain#age.#
Ironically,#Mills’#previous#visit#to#SJP#had#been#a#day#of#
celebraLon,#as#Keegan#made#a#scoring#debut#for#United#
against#QPR#on#the#opening#day#of#the#season.##Ninety#
minutes#is#a#long#Lme#in#football!#
One#of#the#best#Newcastle#goals#that#wasn’t#a#goal#came#
in#the#92@93#season,#and#was#‘scored’#by#midfielder#
Robert#Lee#against#Brendord#at#SJP.#As#Newcastle#chased#
the#ball#forward,#Brendord’s#keeper,#Graham#Benstead#
came#racing#out#of#his#penalty#area#to#clear#
the#ball#up#field.#As#Barry#Venison#appealed#for#offside,#
Rob#Lee#controlled#the#ball,#five#yards#inside#his#own#half,#
and#struck#it#leC#footed#back#over#Benstead’s#head#and#
into#the#Leazes#End#goal.###
Alas,#the#referee#pulled#the#game#back,#disallowing#the#
goal,#and#awarding#a#free#kick#to#Newcastle!#A#certain#
David#Beckham#hit#a#similar#goal#a#couple#of#years#later,#
and#everyone#remembers#that#one,#while#Lee’s#effort#
disappeared#from#the#wider#sporLng#public’s#memory.#
Of#course,#it’s#not#only#Newcastle#who#ends#up#on#the#
receiving#end#of#these#decisions.#A#goal#which#probably,#
though#will#not#be#admiTed#by#FIFA,#hastened#the#
introducLon#of#goal@line#technology,#was#Frank#Lampard’s#
strike#for#England#vs.#Germany#in#the#2010#World#Cup.#
England#was#deservedly#trailing#2@0#when#MaThew#Upson#
pulled#a#goal#back,#with#eight#minutes#of#the#first#half#leC.#
Two#minutes#later#Lampard#crashed#a#25#yard#shot#which#
hit#the#underside#of#the#crossbar#and#bounced#a#metre#
over#the#line.###
As#the#England#players#wheeled#away#to#celebrate,#both#
linesman#and#referee#failed#to#
acknowledge#the#ball#had#crossed#the#line#
and#the#game#went#on#at#2@1.##England#
eventually#lost#4@1,#but#who#knows,#if#the#
goal#had#stood,#the#Three#Lions#would#have#
went#in#at#half@Lme#with#their#tails#up,#and#
the#Germans#would#have#been#distraught#
at#throwing#away#a#two#goal#lead.#Instead#
England#was#forced#to#chase#the#game#in#
the#second#half#and#was#picked#off#by#our#
old#enemies#on#the#break.##A#case#of#what#
if!!##
And#finally,#one#of#the#greatest#goal@that@
wasn’t@a@goal#goals,#‘scored’#by#
ToTenham’s#Pedro#Mendes.##It’s#January#4th#
2005,#and#with#Lme#running#out#at#Old#Trafford,#Man#Utd#
and#Spurs#are#drawing#0@0.##With#United’s#defence#pushing#
up#to#the#half#way#line,#the#ball#breaks#to#Mendes#50#yards#
from#goal.##He#spots#keeper#Roy#Carroll#off#his#line#and#
tries#an#audacious#lob.##Carroll#back#pedals,#but#the#ball#
crosses#the#line#and#despite#a#desperate#aTempt#by#the#
keeper#who#scoops#the#ball#out,#it’s#a#definite#goal.###
However,#both#the#ref#and#linesman#are#sLll#25#yards#from#
the#United#goal#and#to#the#amazement#of#all#and#sundry,#
the#goal#is#not#given,#and#what#would#have#been#a#
wonderful#winner#at#Old#Trafford#doesn’t#stand,#and#the#
game#ends#in#a#draw.#
There#is#always#the#one#that#goes#your#way,#naturally.##
1966#anyone?#Although#that#was#definitely#a#goal,#wasn’t#
Barry%Hindmarsh
29