Nottingham Trent cruised to victory in their Varsity tie with Uni of Nottingham in front of a raucous crowd at Greenwich Avenue
Goals from Tom Cursons and Tom Jones secured victory for the boys in pink. It’s not unusual for NTU to triumph in the football with a successive run of wins stretching from 2012 to 2018.
For the vast majority of players from both sides it was the first time that they had featured in a Varsity fixture and that inexperience showed early on for NTU.
Just four minutes into the game UoN had their first chance after a break down the right a cross was stood up, but Isaac Stones’s header could only strike the woodwork.
The players contested every ball as if their lives were on the line, you could really feel the tension in the air.
Trent grew into the contest and thanks to some chanting from the crowd and battling in midfield began to emerge as the better team.
The referee – who looked like a student himself – also seemed intimidated by the occasion, from the moment he blew his whistle he looked out of his depth.
He had a real decision to make on 33 minutes, when UoN defender Tom Unwin brought down NTU striker Tom Cursons who looked to be clear through on goal. In most other fixtures an early shower would have been the result but the young referee shirked the difficult decision, awarding a yellow.
Just seconds later, Trent thought they had a definite penalty shout turned down by the referee.
Half-time saw the referee getting an earful from both benches, refilling of pints in the crowd, but unfortunately a lack of cheerleaders due to the slightly damp conditions.
Three minutes after the resumption NTU hit the front. A penalty, cooly-converted by Gibson, sent one half of Greenwich Avenue into raptures and the other into despair.
Just before the hour mark some shocking defending from Joel Valentin laid the ball at the feet of Jones for a simple tap-in. Trent began to seize control of the crunch fixture.
Controversy and the referee were firm friends throughout the game as he waved away UoN penalty shouts on two separate occasions in the second half.
How Unwin remained on the field is a mystery that only the referee can answer after at least another three challenges that could have easily resulted in a second booking.
As the second half wore on, NTU really controlled the contest as their Varsity rivals resorted to increasingly aggressive tackles in an attempt to find a way back into the game.
As the clock wound down UoN supporters began to make their way back to Lenton and Dunkirk much to the joy of the Trent fans.
Ocean Wednesday is bound to be a heavy one for the boys in pink tonight as they celebrate a varsity victory.