Stopping the Streaker!!!

Havant & Waterlooville are famous for going ahead twice at the home of Liverpool Football Club, Anfield, in a memorable FA Cup clash in 2008. Goals from Richard Pacquette and Alfie Potter sent the 6000 travelling supporters into dreamland, and despite going on to lose 5-2, the day certainly belonged to everyone connected with Havant. 

Three years on and the Blue Square Conference South outfit are back in the news once again; however, they played second fiddle this time around. Havant hosted Dorchester Town in a league game on Monday evening, and whilst the Hawks won the game, the match itself will be remembered for a bizarre incident, which will live long in the memory.

Streakers are no longer common place in sport thanks to improvements in security standards over the years; however, one managed to sneak behind enemy lines this time around.

A fan wearing a mankini – made famous by Sacha Baron Cohen in Borat – grazed onto the pitch to be greeted with hearty chants, and the manic blindfolding of eyes from fans big and small no doubt.

Dorchester’s player-manager, Ashley Vickers, certainly didn’t see the funny side of the situation, though, and wrestled the wigged man to the floor with a challenge that any rugby player would be proud of.

Vickers did the game a favour, and surely both teams could get underway again? Afraid not. The referee stunned everyone in the stadium by issuing a straight red card. The 38-year-old’s tackle was deemed ‘too dangerous’ by David Spain, and was given his marching orders.

Players, coaches, fans and a certain Steve Claridge were understandably left dumbstruck by Mr. Spain’s decision. According to Vickers, the chairman of Havant offered to take off one of their players to even up the sides.

Interestingly, that never materialised. Even more interestingly, Dorchester, who finished with eight men, lost the game 3-1, despite being on level terms when both teams had a full quota of eleven. 

What makes this staggering incident unbelievable, still, is that a Wayne Rooney elbow or an Alan Shearer kick in the face is unnoticed and unpunished, yet the removal of a naked intruder from a pitch, by a player trying to resume a football match, is a sure fact that football has gone completely mad. 

The former Dagenham & Redbridge player may have switched his allegiances to rugby for a split-second, but is there seriously no sense of humour or common sense left in football? 

On the plus side, nevertheless, Vickers is now a YouTube sensation.

He spoke of his amazement when speaking after the game. Probably sitting down due to the shock of what had befallen him, he said: “I’m dumbfounded and speechless. A guy ran on to the pitch without any of the stewards getting near him and I thought I was doing them a favour.”

Clearly not, Ashley.