Wingate & Finchley 2 Edgware Town 0

Ryman League Division Three

A bizarre refereeing blunder cost Edgware a goal in their Tuesday night derby with Wingate and Finchley.

Gary Skinner awarded an indirect free kick to Wingate in the penalty area on 23 minutes after a Wingate player threw the ball to Edgware keeper Simon Cheng.

Wingate were returning the ball to Edgware after the Wares knocked the ball into touch to allow Wingate's injured Steve Forwell to receive treatment.

Angry Cheng booted the ball away and was booked. Clive Wilson tapped the ball aside for John Butterfield to curl it around the defensive wall and in.

Asked why he had awarded the free kick, Mr Skinner replied: "The keeper handled a throw-in by his own player and that's why I awarded the free kick."

Mr Skinner limped off at half-time with a calf injury and his assistant took over.

Forwell made sure of victory for Wingate in the 58th minute, when he raced on to a superb through pass from Danny Fitzpatrick and scored.

WINGATE & FINCHLEY: Goodman, Nielsen, Wilson, Donn, Pope, Olayinka, Butterfield (Wood 84), Morris (Pearl 27), Fitzpatrick, Forwell (Williams, 86), Baum.

EDGWARE TOWN: Cheng, Jones (Cain 68), Adkin (Tarrant 53), Modesi, Kennedy, Karaiskos, Hall, Howard, Vokkeri, Chukwuma, Joseph (Nelson 59).

November 28, 2001 19:41

JOHN POLLARD