A heart breaking, contentious, and controversial penalty sent Thamesmead Town spinning to an underserved defeat and left them marooned in the relegation zone of the Ryman Premier, as Bognor Regis Town bagged the points and headed back to the Sussex coast with the victory handed to them on a plate by the referee Neil West.

After Ben Johnson’s opener had been cancelled out within a minute midway through the first half by Jordan Hibbert’s 35 yard pile driver, the game seemed destined for a deserved point each when Bognor sub Ollie Pearce went down in the box. The disbelief around the ground almost to a man (or woman) from both home and away fans was almost deafening, but despite the Thamesmead protest’s Johnson kept his cool to drill the ball into the net to take the points. A furious Mead boss Keith McMahon confronted the official at the final whistle – his disbelief and frustration evident for all to see and to be fair, almost everyone had sympathy with McMahon who is working tirelessly to get his side climbing the table.

The home side were forced onto the back foot early on yet it was Thamesmead who could have struck first. Tyrus Gordon-Young was first denied by the legs of keeper Mark Zawadski and then as the ball was poked back towards goal somehow the Bognor defence recovered to hack the ball to safety. Danny Phillips then sent in a shot for the home side that Zawadski did well to gather at the base of his left post, before the visitors struck.

Aaron Hopkinson did well down the right outpacing the home defence and his whipped ball into the near post was touched home by a stretching Johnson to open the scoring. Its often said in football that defensively you’re more likely to concede when you’ve just scored – this was the case in this game – but what a leveller it was. Hibbert picked the ball up just inside the Bognor half advanced ten yards and left fly with a vicious driven shot into the top corner that Zawadski admired as it flew past him.

Gordon-Young then went close to putting the home side in front after a delightful through ball from George Monger – the striker just couldn’t direct his shot inside the post, whilst at the other end home keeper Rob Budd produced a stunning save to deny a Johnson free kick.

The second half began with the visitors on top and Budd again made a great save to deny Ben Godfrey after a great interchange with Terry Dodd. Johnson then drove a cross in that Budd did well to hold onto as forwards and defenders alike slid in trying to get a touch, before substitute Pearce then had a goal chalked off as a ball somehow found its way all the way through the box.

Monger then had a shot from distance just too high from Gordon-Young’s lay off, as at the other end, Pearce shot straight at Budd from four yards. Moments later, Budd made the save of the night to deny Johnson’s curler coming in of the left wing, whilst as play flowed from end to end, Thamesmead sub Dan Ailey missed a golden chance only moments after coming on for the hard working Gordon-Young. The tall sub did well to create room for the chance but just couldn’t quite get the direction on his poked shot and the chance was gone.

Then as 90 minutes elapsed came the nights big talking point and moment of controversy as Johnson won the game for Bognor drilling home from the spot.

This defeat really was a tough one to take for Thamesmead and boss McMahon who was clearly shaken long after the final whistle. It would probably be correct to guess that referee West wont be getting a Christmas card from anyway at Bayliss Avenue this year…

THAMESMEAD – Budd, Hopkins, Porter, Hibbert, Tozer, Baker, Roberts, Phillips, Gordon-Young (Ailey 76), Monger, Fairweather-Johnson (Bankole 73)

Subs not used – Butler, Hayles, Beckford

BOGNOR REGIS – Zawadski, Louis, Crane, Tuck, Axten, Robson, Hopkinson (Sackman 90), Wills, Dodd, Godfrey (Pearce HT) (Chamberlain 90), Johnson

Sub not used – Malins

Referee – Mr Neil West
Assistants – Mr Jeff Stanley and Mr Jonathan Pickford