Flanagan’s Onions 2 Young Men’s Social Club 2

Tempers boiled over in this heated First Division encounter at Goose Gosling Field yesterday between Flanagan’s Onions and Young Men’s Social Club, who each had a player sent off for violent conduct.

Onions were reduced to ten men in the 80th minute when substitute Anthony Rocker retaliated after he was fouled by Social Club’s Shaquan Sampson.

However, the visiting side’s numerical advantage lasted only five minutes, as substitute Jaire Fough-Smith also received a red card for shoving Treshun Smith, the Onions captain, to the ground.

“We went down a man but I felt like maybe it should be 10 versus 10 [at the time of the first incident],” Mick Ward, the Onions coach, said.

“I’m not going to disagree with the red card ... if our guy swung a punch, then fair enough. But if the guy [Sampson] swung a punch first, then where’s his red card? I’m disappointed with that, the lack of consistency there.

“I understand you can’t see everything, but if guys are swinging punches at each other, then it [red card] should be one each.”

Jahmair Lewis-Trott, the Social Club captain, added: “There are going to be scrappy games like this when the heat and exhaustion gets to players, but we still have to try and hold our discipline and pull through.”

Lewis-Trott put his team ahead when he spotted Onions goalkeeper Lejaun Matthews off his line and scored from 30 yards out.

Onions regrouped and got themselves back in the match when Chejon Berkeley rose at the back post to powerfully head in Smith’s corner.

Social Club regained the lead right on the stroke of half-time when Angelo Matthews scored from a 35-yard free kick, the Onions goalkeeper again paying the price for straying off his line.

Onions started the second half on the front foot and got their just reward when striker Mark Field equalised from a tight angle at the near post with a shot that took a deflection on the way in.

Onions then created clear-cut chances to kill the game off, but were unable to capitalise and ultimately had to be content with a share of the spoils.

It is the first time this season that Ward’s team have dropped points after winning their opening two league fixtures against St George’s and Vasco.

“I thought we were the better side,” he said. “Definitely what we need to work on now is that final ball and the finish.

“We had at least two one-on-ones with the ’keeper, which we should be finishing, and obviously we had the free kicks in dangerous areas, which we need to do better at.

“We also conceded two goals from distance and we can’t let guys shoot from 20 to 30 yards. We have to be pressing that ball — and they caught the ’keeper off the line twice!”

Lewis-Trott said: “It was unfortunate we couldn’t keep the lead, but we still managed to get a point from a difficult game.”

SCORERS

Flanagan’s Onions

Berkeley 33

Field 47

Young Men’s Social Club

Lewis-Trott 12

Matthews 45

TEAMS

Flanagan’s Onions (4-2-3-1): L Matthews — J Higson, C Berkeley, C Rego, C Alexander — M Lindsey-Bailey, C Burns (sub: A Rocker, 33min) — B Turner (sub: J Morgan, 46), S Swan, T Smith — M Field (sub: P Makakobe, 70). Substitutes not used: N Anglin, D Simmons, N Dunkle, P Smith. Booked: Field. Sent off: Rocker.

Young Men’s Social Club (4-4-2): Delroy Ricketts — S Butterfield (sub: J Fough-Smith, 51), A Matthews, C Woolridge, M Smith — N Armstrong, J Lewis-Trott, S Sampson, K Rawlings (sub: M Young, 65) — K Butterfield, P Mallory (sub: Kimshun Smith, 83). Substitutes not used: P Darrell, D Simons, Derek Ricketts, Kimmori Smith. Booked: Sampson, Young. Sent off: Fough-Smith.

Referee: T Adams.