Above: Adam Ventieri composes himself before launching the ball back into play for Berwick City.By Glen Atwell
A REMARKABLE hat-trick to experienced Doveton striker Leon Buhic secured his side a 3-2 victory against Berwick City in Football Federation Victoria State League Three action at Waratah Reserve on Saturday.
But a controversial call from referee Tina Zafiropoulos almost overshadowed the well-attended local derby.
Doveton, with its wealth of experience, was taking on a Berwick side with an average age of only 21.
But it was the fountain of youth that dominated most of the first half.
Berwick City star Tony Byrne scored the first goal of the game with a crisp strike that was driven straight past unmoved Doveton goalkeeper George Tsianakas.
Byrne was back in the thick of the action only minutes later, but this time disaster struck, and he soon limped from the field with a badly injured groin.
It was enough to swing the momentum to the home side, and Doveton soon became the aggressor, peppering the Berwick defence.
Buhic was everywhere, handling the ball with poise and precision, and it seemed only a matter of time before the former National Soccer League star would score the equaliser.
It came late in the first half, and brought with it a wave of drama.
Buhic’s clean strike from the edge of the box was deliberately handled by Berwick defender Stuart Mackie, but despite his obstruction, the ball still sailed into the back of the net.
Referee Zafiropoulos awarded the goal and then produced a red card for Mackie, banishing him from the ground for deliberately preventing a goal-scoring opportunity.
But the ball had still crossed the goal-line, meaning Mackie should have been booked for a deliberate handball and received an instant yellow card instead.
Chaos reigned as Mackie marched from the field, and players swarmed the referee to debate the call.
Berwick City president Perry Mur, who is also one of Football Federation Victoria’s top referees, stepped in to help clear the confusion.
“The referee was wrong in sending the player from the ground, it was the wrong call,” he said.
“Mackie had tried to prevent a goal-scoring opportunity, but the ball still went in and the goal still counted, so it should have been called a deliberate handball. The interpretation was wrong.
“Luckily, one of the linesman raised his flag to speak to the referee about the call, and after a short discussion the referee realised her mistake and allowed the player back onto the field,” Mur said.
But Mackie had already entered the clubrooms, removed his boots and was preparing for an early afternoon shower.
A message was quickly conveyed to the dressing rooms and the mid-fielded soon emerged, boots in hand, and rushed back onto the field.
With the half-time score locked at 1-1, and the crowd still building, possession seesawed early in the second half as both sides struggling to find a path into attack.
Berwick was well served by Luke Ventieri, who generated several opportunities, but it was the brilliance of Buhic that turned the game Doveton’s way. The 27-year-old turned his opponents inside out, wowed the crowd with his sharp instincts and scored his second goal early in the half.
Matthew Nitz scored for Berwick City to draw the game 2-2, but that deadlock was broken late in the game when Buhic slammed home his third goal and completed a memorable hat-trick.
Buhic said scoring a triple was always a memorable achievement.
“It was great, and we won the game,” he said.
“We probably didn’t play that well on Saturday, but want promotion this season, so it’s going to be a tough year.”
Doveton coach Sam Elmazi lamented the quality of the officiation.
“It’s a shame when a game is overshadowed by the poor quality of the refereeing,” he said.
“The decisions were all over the place and the red card handball was bizarre – it was just appalling.”
Elmazi was also disenchanted with the performance of his side.
“Buhic’s hat-trick was a positive but I think we played pretty poorly,” he said. “It was our experienced side playing against Berwick’s kids.
“Berwick battled hard, but it was the men that won on the day.”
