Report By Andrew Finch

Molesey’s play-off hopes were dealt a blow with a last minute defeat to Three Bridges.

The clock was only moments away from 5pm when Jamie Brotherton slotted beyond Liam Allen to take the points back to Sussex.

The afternoon had started so brightly for the Moles with Charlie Samuels’ stunning fourth minute strike giving them the lead, and Stafforde Palmer’s header was controversially ruled out a few minutes later.

Hakeem Adelakun drew the visitors level against the run of play on eleven minutes, and both he and Palmer both missed from the penalty spot before the half was out.

At the centre of the afternoon’s drama was the ref, who got the Molesey penalty decision wrong, missed two clear cut penalty appeals, and baffled both sides with a succession of incorrect and inconsistent decisions.

The most controversial of those calls was the decision to rule out Palmer’s header, which would have given the Moles an early 2-0 lead. Replays from several different angles confirmed that he got the decision hopelessly wrong, as Palmer simply got to the ball before Kieran Thorp in the away goal to nod home.

It will be little consolation to the official to know that he was not the only person on display who had a poor game, with the majority of Molesey players performing below par.

There is a fine line between bravery and naivety, and rather than settle for a point they went gung-ho in the closing stage in search of the win, leaving the back door wide open and presenting the visitors with a host of late chances, which they finally capitalised on with Brotherton’s strike.

It had all started so well. Samuels followed up his terrific goal against Woking in midweek – his first for the club – with an even better one, rifling an effort into the top corner from 22 yards with his less favoured right foot after Craig Lewington’s corner had only been partially cleared.

The ref nearly started a riot by allowing Three Bridges to kick off when the majority of the Molesey players were still celebrating by the touchline. Possibly legal – I don’t know – but certainly unsporting and would have made for a potentially distasteful situation had they capitalised on this advantage.

Palmer’s header was incorrectly ruled out – not a single Three Bridges player appealed for the foul – and Thorp denied Palmer’s drilled shot shortly afterwards as the Moles threatened to run riot, but against the run of play three Bridges equalised.

John Lansdale launched a long throw into the Molesey box that wasn’t properly cleared, and the ball fell kindly to Adelakun to fire through a host of bodies from 8 yards.

This galvanised the visitors, and there were no complaints when the ref pointed to the spot after Luke Elliott sent Brotherton sprawling in the box, but Adelakun rolled his effort harmlessly wide by quite some distance.

Both ref and linesman failed to spot Matt Whitehead control the ball with his arm in the Three Bridges box, but on the stroke of half-time the ref ruled that Jamie Crellin had blocked Reis Stanislaus illegally when trying to capitalise on a poor defensive back header and pointed to the spot.

It was soft. And justice was possibly done when Thorp kept out Palmer’s effort.

Way more clear cut was Crellin bundling Palmer over in the box moments into the second half, which even the amiable Thorp admitted was a stonewall penalty, but the appeals were waved away.

Robb Sheridan fired wastefully wide when clean through for the Moles, and both Brotherton and Adelakun shot just wide for the visitors.

As the game became stretched Three Bridges’ Tony Garrod and Moles’ substitute Dre Grobler but missed the target when in great positions, whilst Brotherton was twice denied when one on one with Allen.

It turned out to be a game of fine margins, with Stanislaus’ goalbound strike in stoppage time being blocked on the line by Crellin, and just moments later Sheridan lost the ball deep in Three Bridges territory, and with little cover in place the visitors broke in numbers and Garrod fed Brotherton to slot calmly beyond Allen in what was the game’s final action.

The Moles continue to cling to the coattails of the play-off chasers, and will hope for maximum points in upcoming games at home to Chatham Town on Saturday and away to Peacehaven & Telscome the following Tuesday.