Goal call is on target

September 23 2009

Shepparton News

Video footage of Shepparton South's winning goal in Sunday's Goulburn North East Football Association grand final has revealed the Southerners crossed the line by the barest of margins.

South won its maiden women's premiership at the weekend after edging Shepparton United 1-0 in a tight contest.

The match had few chances for either team to score, with South's winning goal coming three minutes before half-time.

Bonnie Kilmartin kicked a high ball into the penalty area which was tipped by United goalkeeper Sheridan Fairless but fell into the goal mouth.

Fairless, United defender Katerina Dimitriadis and South duo Lucille Clarke and Grace Zito all stumbled to the line trying to make contact with the ball.

Dimitriadis put her foot on the ball as it went into the goal mouth, one frame of video footage provided to The News by Rob Handley showing the ball on the goal side of the line.

Dimitriadis then kicked the ball away, only for the referee's assistant to signal the ball had crossed the line.

News photographer Bethanie Sessions also managed to capture the moment the ball was across the line.

Officials connected to the United women's team had been investigating the legitimacy of the goal on Monday, but the club has no recourse under competition rules to dispute the referee's decision.

Goulburn North East association women's competition rules state under section five, category four that a decision can only be changed by the referee before play restarts.

The current women's rules of competition were adopted by the association this year in a move to bring the competition into line with the same rules used by Football Federation Victoria-run leagues.

Goal-line calls in the professional game regularly argue about the need for technology on tight calls, the most famous example being England's third goal in the 1966 World Cup final awarded to Geoff Hurst in spite of video footage that suggested the ball bounced on the line and not over.

Goals have also been infamously not paid when the ball has crossed the line, one recent example being Manchester United goalkeeper Roy Carroll dropping the ball on the other side of the goal line in an English Premier League match against Tottenham in January 2005.

Anyone interested in buying a video of the Goulburn North East association grand finals can phone Rob Handley on 5822 1941.