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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