Nnamdi, Schmidt (McLaren), McVeigh (Shaw), Street, Poutakidis, Naidu, Townsend, Pinz (Karaljevic), Saad, Loney, Sejdic.

They say that some refereeing decisions will go your way, and others will not, but over the course of a season, it more or less balances out.

If this is the case, Hotspurs opponents in the coming weeks may as well not turn up, since we’ll be winning penalties on the half-way line and an offside decision won’t be given against us even if our centre forward is hugging the opposition goalkeeper inside the 18 yard box. That’s to say nothing of the 3 opposition payers who will be sent off before the game has even begun.

I have not railed against the officials in any previous match report, and I do not intend to start now. Suffice it to mention 3 penalty appeals turned down last weekend against the GAS, and a winning goal on Saturday against the Casuals for which the striker was so far offside, he would have been able to ask for planning permission to build a condominium in the space between him and the last defender.

The referee’s ‘assistant’, whose positioning, level of concentration, and indeed focus was called into question at various junctures in the match, was the only person in attendance at ITE Tampines, who did not think it was offside – and I’m including the 22 players on the pitch, at least 10 subs, a smattering of spectators and the referee himself.

Whether it was felt that overruling the lack of a decision on the part of the linesman would have been tantamount to undermining his authority will remain a mystery that only one man can unravel, and he seemed pretty loathe to do so, even after the game.

If the Cosmoleague is serving as a training ground for unqualified officials to cut their teeth, then I think it’s something that needs looking at. Although we don’t play football professionally, we work our arses off during the week, doing whatever it is we do to ensure our continued tenure in Singapore’s fair garden city, and look forward to our Saturday diversions from the harsh reality of life and employment. How galling it is then to take your football seriously and get ready for match days, only to go home empty handed, frustrated, and, quite frankly, seething from the injustice of it all.

Ah well, these things happen. It was a great game, by the way, full of stylish football, lightning counter-attacks, and delightful passages of play that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a much higher league in terms of football standards.

The Hotspurs took the lead after fine work down the right by Abbas and a clinical finish from Ally, but the Casuals gave themselves a psychological advantage with an equaliser on the stroke of half time – a superb finish, but facilitated by some sloppy defending.

The Casuals took the lead in the second half from a penalty – no complaints at all – and Hotspurs equalised via an excellent free-kick from Sam.

The game was there to be won, and Hotspurs had their tails up and wagging, but it was not to be. Credit must go to the Casuals striker for recovering from his surprise (and sense of isolation) to convert the winner, although he had enough time to compose a light opera and eat a light meal before making it 3-2.

Seriousness, paranoia, and the sense of injustice aside, this was a very good game of football. What a shame it had to be spoilt by officialdom and the odd bit of petulance from certain players, who know who they are and should be just a little bit ashamed. “We’ll get him later….” has no place on a football field, unless the football field is a playground, and the people involved are 8 years old, and immature at that stage of their development.

With 4, possibly 6 points dropped in the space of 2 games, it’s not hard to understand Hotspurs’ sense of frustration and disappointment. On a positive note though, we played our part in a good game. Shame about the result, although it must be said that Hotspurs created enough clear cut chances to have won 3 games, and our finishing (or lack thereof) continues to be an aspect of our game that has considerable room for improvement.

Too many players had good games for me to mention every one, but plaudits to Jamie who skippered the side and played with conviction and style in an unaccustomed role; Ally and Esad who worked their socks off up front; Abbas who was Picassoesque in his creativity (and occasional truculence); Chris – magnificent at the back; Brian – excellent in the second half (which is good really, since that’s when he came on); Marko and Sam, who displayed a fighting spirit and the will to win throughout – Sam’s free-kick was a peach.

Anis was also terrific, he assures me.