5:02pm Saturday 20th March 2010
By Neil Perrett
SUBSTITUTE Jeff Goulding was sent off without having touched the ball during Cherries’ incident-packed 3-2 defeat by struggling Grimsby at Blundell Park.
The 25-year-old striker, on as a 70th-minute replacement for Brett Pitman, received a straight red card following a clash with Mariners’ on-loan defender Jude Stirling.
Goulding had been on the pitch for barely 60 seconds before he was dismissed by referee Rob Shoebridge for allegedly elbowing Stirling. And unless the club decides to appeal, he will receive an automatic three-match ban, which would kick in immediately.
Earlier, Cherries had twice come from behind to level with Lee Bradbury’s header three minutes before half-time cancelling out Jamie Devitt 27th-minute opener for the Mariners.
And after Michael Coulson had restored the hosts’ lead 15 minutes into the second half, former Cherries goalkeeper Nick Colgan allowed Liam Feeney’s grass-cutter to squirm under him to make it 2-2.
However, there was a nasty sting in the tail for Cherries as Leicester City loan man Ashley Chambers came off the bench to grab a dramatic injury-time winner for the relegation-threatened Mariners.
Boss Eddie Howe named an unchanged starting line-up following Cherries’ 2-2 draw at Notts County on Monday, while Grimsby handed a debut to loan signing Stirling, who arrived in Cleethorpes on the morning of the match.
Cherries were forced to defend in numbers during the early stages as the Mariners enjoyed the lion’s share of possession with a series of mule-like throws from Stirling keeping the visitors on their toes.
Although Grimsby saw plenty of the ball, Cherries goalkeeper Shwan Jalal remained relatively untroubled as his defence stood firm, while Steve Fletcher’s tame diving header was comfortably gathered by Colgan.
However, the hosts took the lead in the 27th minute when Devitt rolled the loose ball into an unguarded net after Jalal had only been able to palm Jean Louis Akpa Akpro’s initial effort into his path.
Jalal denied the Mariners a second when he saved smartly at his near post after defender Rob Atkinson had met Stirling’s driven cross before Cherries began to gain a foothold as the first half wore on.
And a succession of probing corners finally paid dividends for Howe’s men when an unmarked Bradbury nodded home Pitman’s delivery three minutes before the break.
Josh McQuoid replaced Alan Connell for the start of the second half before Ryan Garry’s excellent sliding tackle on Akpa Akpro denied the Mariners striker a shooting chance.
Cherries then escaped a loud and confident penalty appeal for a handball against Hollands, although referee Shoebridge and his assistant were unmoved.
A swift counter-attack failed to reap rewards for Cherries, with Pitman’s shot blocked, before Peter Bore’s low cross flashed across the face of the visitors’ goalmouth with neither Akpa Akpro nor Lee Peacock able to convert.
Grimsby regained the initiative on the hour when Coulson glanced home Peter Sweeney’s inswinging corner, although the lead was short lived as Cherries went straight down the other end to level.
There appeared to be no danger as Feeney’s tame effort from the edge of the box rolled towards Colgan’s hands. However, to the goalkeeper’s dismay, he somehow allowed it to squirm through his grasp and into the back of the net.
Cherries were rocked when substitute Goulding received his marching orders less than a minute after coming off the bench, the striker red carded by referee Shoebridge for allegedly elbowing Stirling. Colgan partly atoned for his earlier error when he saved well from Feeney’s snapshot, although Chambers had the final say when he netted the loose ball following a frantic goalmouth scramble in added time.
Cherries (4-4-2): Jalal; Bradbury, Garry, Bartley, Wiggins; Feeney, Robinson, Hollands, Connell (McQuoid, h-t, Partington, 72); Pitman (Goulding, 70), Fletcher.
Unused subs: Igoe, Cummings, Thomas (g/k).
Booked: Hollands, Bradbury, Jalal.
Sent off: Goulding.
Grimsby Town (4-4-2): Colgan; Bore, Atkinson, Stirling, Widdowson; Coulson (Chambers, 81), Sweeney, Sinclair, Devitt (Hudson, 90); Peacock, Akpa Akpro.
Unused subs: Stockdale, Leary, Wood, Wright, Overton (g/k).
Booked: Peacock.
Referee: Rob Shoebridge (Derbyshire).
Attendance: 4,428 (inc 149 away supporters).
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