Late flag causes controversy again

This was a completely different side which was on display this week after last week's disappointing performance and there was no reason why Hexham could not chalk up their first three points of the season on the road.

Thomas North who had just returned from injury was using his strength up front and ably supported by Jamie MacNameee but for all the pressure the Chemfica debutant in goal David Clements was never really tested. He only had one real save to make diving to his right hand side and the rest of the time he had a comfortable first half.

Chemfica have been playing well recently and centre forward Anthony Bruce has been amongst the goals recently but he was well marshalled by Gavin Cox and teenager Tom Hacking who has settled in to this standard of football with great ease.

The first sign of controversy was just before half time when Scott Robson broke through the defence leaving the full back stranded and stroked the ball past the advancing keeper only to be thwarted by the linesman's flag waving for a player who was in an offside position but coming back and not interfering with play. This was a disappointing end to a first half after Hexham had dominated with no reward.

The second half began with Chemfica having the advantage of a slight slope and the low autumn sun at their backs and they did step up a gear with more pressure and giving Hexham keeper Heads some work to do.

But it was Hexham who took the lead when a bad clearance from the home side was intercepted by Jamie MacNamee and after he challenged the keeper found himself in the clear with only one defender between him and the goal.

Very calmly he took control of the situation and instead of blasting the ball at the goal he beat his man and gently rolled the ball over the line. On balance this was deserved but Chemfica were not going to give up and made a double substitution which was to play a major role in the final outcome of the game.

As this was Thomas North's first game back he was understandably tiring so the substitution was being prepared, as this was happening the ball fell to him from a corner and if that chance had come earlier he may have had enough energy to connect with it but it was just out of his reach.

After that let off Chemfica got back into the game with a well worked move down the right wing where the ball was pulled back from the by line and sub Dean Calvert scored from close range.

This was a blow for Hexham but they kept up the good passing football and effort. Scott Coates had covered every blade of grass in the middle of the park and his midfield colleague Neil Tiffin had been an inspiring force in the engine room.

Neil was given the man of the match award but Scott also had a strong claim. At one all it was anyone's game and Hexham had Michael Robson to thank for getting back to clear off the line with Chemfica pushing for the winner.

As the game entered the final minutes Hexham thought they had provided the knockout blow a excellent through ball from Scott Coates was laid off by Tom Phillips to Jamie MacNamee he took the ball wide and his pinpoint cross found Tom Phillips who made no mistake.

The referee who had checked for offside when the first ball was played let the play carry on but as soon as the ball went into the goal the flag from the line went up. After another lengthy delay he disallowed the goal for offside, this was a carbon copy of an earlier game at Newcastle BT when Hexham had to settle for a point.

But worse was to come, with Hexham feeling aggrieved, in the final minute another Chemfica sub Michael Crozier crashed home an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net. Those earlier substitutions had really changed the game. You could put this down to a lack of concentration and discipline from Hexham but to lose at such a late stage in such circumstances was a bitter pill to swallow