Total Confusion in the Press Box

There is an article in today's Manchester Evening News which relates to the problems that journalists had in the press box at Gigg Lane last night when Bury drew with Hereford United and the reporters couldn't agree who had scored two of the goals.

Included in the box were Richard Prime for the Hereford Times, Keith Hall for Vital Football and H&W and our very own Ex-Landlord who wrote the match report for Bulls News.

The article is by Mike Whalley.

EVERYONE has a bad game sometimes - including journalists. My many cock-ups in seven-and-a-half years as a football reporter include getting a goalkeeper's name wrong all the way through one match report, and once turning up 25 minutes late for a game at Altrincham and having to crib a fellow reporter's description of the first goal.

That's the thing, though; when you're having an off day at a match, there's usually someone else in the press box who is on the ball enough to help you out. It's very unusual for an entire press box to have a nightmare - but that's exactly what happened at tonight's League Two match between Bury and Hereford.

If you were following the match via local radio tonight, or read the reports in tomorrow's newspapers, you will probably wonder if we were all watching the same game. (It's a favourite put-down of supporters, that one, when a match report doesn't quite hit the mark: 'Were you at the game?' Yes I was, and I can't say it helped me very much.)

Let me explain; tonight's match at Gigg Lane finished 2-2, and of the four goals, three of them were very untidy, to the point were there could be some dispute over the scorer. Unfortunately, several of us had a very thin strip of the penalty area at the Cemetery End obscured by a pillar. It's never been a problem on my previous visits to Gigg Lane. Very unfortunately, this thin strip of penalty area seemed to be where a good chunk of tonight's goalscoring action took place.

So after 29 minutes, Dave Challinor's long throw into the penalty area led to an almighty goalmouth scramble which ended in Bury's opening goal. Teenage midfielder Richie Baker raised his arm to celebrate the goal - giving what turned out to be the crucial clue - but still the BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester reporter sitting next to me wasn't sure. Neither was the public address announcer, who took a good five minutes to confirm the scorer. Neither were most of the other journalists around me. Eventually, we all settled on Baker as the scorer. Crisis over.

Er, not quite. Twelve minutes into the second half, Andy Bishop's shot was deflected towards his Bury team-mate Glynn Hurst, whose lob over the goalkeeper was hacked in at the far post. This goal was at the other end, so at least there was no pillar to worry about. Hurst raised his arm to celebrate. The vital clue. Except that it wasn't. "Simon Travis own goal," said the Hereford and Worcester chap. "I thought Marc Pugh got the final touch," said another reporter. "I'm sure it was Hurst," I said.

Eventually, most of us settled on a Travis own goal. Except for Hurst himself, who claimed the goal after the match (thanks, Glynn), and Bury's official website, who also gave it to the striker.

OK, so two disputed goalscorers. It happens. Put it down to bad luck, and write your report.

Six minutes later, Hereford striker Steve Guinan hit a cross-shot that clearly took a deflection on its way past keeper Andy Warrington. Unfortunately, my view of the deflection was obscured by said pillar.

"I think it's Guinan's goal," I said. "Ben Smith has turned it in for Hereford," shouted the Hereford and Worcester reporter. The man from the Bury Times suggested it had gone in off Bury midfielder Nicky Adams for an own goal. He turned out to be right, but by this stage, our heads were all spinning. What chance an accurate match report now?

I shouldn't say this, but I felt a tinge of relief when Hereford substitute Andy Williams fired a spectacular equaliser into the top corner from 25 yards with 12 minutes left. "Thank Christ for that," I thought. "A goal I can actually describe accurately."

So I apologise if my match report differs wildly from others tomorrow morning. It's just that, well, I couldn't really see what was going on.

Not that I got any sympathy afterwards from Bury's media officer Gordon Sorfleet, a man with a wonderfully dry sense of humour. "Ah, yes, the pillar," he said. "The thing that holds the roof up."

Fair point, Gordon. I'll stop complaining now.

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