Dismal Pioneers Fall to Britannia

Britannia 4 Richmond Pioneers 1

A depleted Richmond Pioneers squad travelled to Newton Athletic Park on Sunday to take on Britannia, and turned in a tepid performance, losing 4-1 to a team that a week earlier had been humbled 5-0 by Richmond Olympics.

Missing five players, with the usually powerful midfield decimated, the Pioneers faced a Britannia team that was bolstered by players from their Over 40 team, whose game had been called off. Not only that, but the referee was intent on seeing the game through claret coloured glasses, in one of the most biased displays of officiating in recent memory.

The Pioneers started well enough when, after just five minutes, Dennis Luk set up Ken Swanston, whose dipping shot from the edge of the area eluded the Britannia keeper. The Pioneers should have gone two up when Ken Johnston was through alone with just the keeper to beat, but the goaltender easily saved Johnston's effort.

Britannia tied the game up when a shot from an tight angle eluded Pioneer keeper Dave Valitas.

The Pioneers appeared to take the lead when Evgeni Kushnir set up Graham Mason, but Mason's goal was erroneously called back for offside, the first sign of problems with the officiating.

A clash of heads between 'Iron' Mike Mogul and the Britannia striker held play up for five minutes while they received treated, but both players were able to resume, with Mogul sporting a nasty gash over the eye.

Following indecision in the Pioneer defence, Britannia added a second goal, to take a 2-1 lead into the intermission.

The Pioneers were unable to raise their game in the second half. Missing a couple of key figures in midfield, the Pioneers struggled to keep possession and create any quality chances, although Kushnir came closest when he put the ball wide of the goal with just the keeper to beat.

Although the game was finely balanced, Britannia were creating the better chances, and just seconds after the referee ignored a Britannia forward throwing elbows like he was Alan Shearer, Britannia took a 3-1 lead.

Throughout the game the referee had infuriated the Pioneers with the endless calls all seemingly favouring the home side. So it was no surprise when, in the closing minutes, he comically awarded Britannia a penalty kick for the most innocuous of challenges from Mike Mogul.

Despite the built-in excuse of missing too many key players, there was no disguising the fact that some serious cracks are starting to show in the Pioneers once steely veneer, with this loss the third in eight games this season.

Next Sunday: It's a home game, as Surrey Classics come to the Copacabana riding a 60 game undefeated streak.

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