Alsop bemoans refereeing decisions as Robins go down at Haverhill

Alan Alsop (Image: Archant)

Ely City boss Alan Alsop believes poor refereeing decisions robbed his side of victory at Haverhill Rovers on Tuesday night.

The Robins twice took the lead against the Suffolk side but were pegged back on two occasions before a late penalty sent them tumbling to their third defeat in succession.

Alsop admits that Haverhill’s penalty was probably rightly awarded but bemoaned two penalties he said his side were denied.

He said: “They were two of the most blatant penalties I have ever seen. Their whole bench knew it, even their captain admitted it but that seems to be how it is going for us this season. Nobody can quite believe how we haven’t won more games.

“I praised the lads after the game for their work rate because we played really well on the night and we didn’t deserve to lose. I’m convinced that someone in the Thurlow Nunn League is going to be on the end of a hammering sooner or later when our luck turns.”

Ely took a narrow 1-0 lead into half-time after Adam Murray, playing up front, netted. Haverhill redoubled their efforts after the break and pulled level after a sweeping counter-attacking move.

Ely stuck to their task, however, and were back in front shortly before the hour mark as Murray stooped to head home a low cross. Andrew Claydon was then denied a penalty after appearing to be shoulder charged off the ball before Haverhill equalised again.

Chris Sterecki’s tackle inside the box was adjudged to have been a foul and the hosts moved into the lead with a quarter of the game to go. It was in the dying minutes that Ely were denied what Alsop says was a stonewall penalty after Austen Diaper was felled. Instead a free-kick was given outside the box and the chance slipped away.

The Robins came into the match on the back of a disappointing 1-0 defeat at the hands of fellow strugglers FC Clacton.

In a turgid opening to the match, it was Clacton who enjoyed the better chances, with Lee Pacey called upon to deny Jake Clowsley after a stinging long-range effort.

The Robins best chance of the half came in the 18th minute when Adam Murray flicked on to Richard Chadwick, who returned the ball to the defender only for his subsequent shot to be blocked on the line.

The Seasiders took what ultimately turned out to be a decisive lead in the run up to half-time as Kyelan Marvell slipped a low pass into the path of Aaron Condon.

Condon darted beyond the Ely defence to fired low and to Pacey’s right for his 12th goal of the season.