He said, “It’s not often backroom staff get a mention but we have to credit Todd with a lot of what happened on Saturday. I have never known anything like it going into the match.”
Frickley were without the suspended Ollie Ryan with Brad Grayson not making the trip due to an ankle injury picked up in the game last week. Kelvin Bleau was taken ill on the day of the game but the manager also revealed that Danny South had returned from his trial in Ireland with a thigh strain. Danny Walsh had been off work for two days with a back injury, Lincoln Adams had a hamstring strain, Grant Darley had injured his ankle in training on Thursday and Ryan Mallon was still struggling with the hip injury which forced him from the field last week. The Blues’ manager said, “It sounds like I am making it up but all these players were struggling and shouldn’t really have played. We had several players who were coming back in during the warm-up for more treatment.” Rinkcavage joked, “We had that many injuries that we banned anyone from being injured. We asked Todd to patch everyone up and get them out and he did that in his usual good natured but determined manner.”
Blues’ delivered a solid, battling display that could so easily have resulted in a win but it meant they stretched their unbeaten run to four games, all against tough opposition. Rinkcavage said, “I thought the players were magnificent on Saturday. If anyone had offered me a point at five to three I would have snatched their hand off given our injury problems but in the end we were sat in the dressing room disappointed we hadn’t won it. We created the better chances, passed the ball better than them and I couldn’t have asked anymore.”
Frickley were incensed in the first couple of minutes when Kendal number 9 Taylor made a horrendous looking tackle on full back Ben Turner which left the Frickley defender on the ground for some moments receiving treatment. Rinkcavage said, “It was the worst tackle I have seen all season. It was two footed, high and reckless and if Ben’s leg would have been grounded it would have snapped it without a doubt. Ben was a lucky boy but he still had marks just below the knee to show how high the tackle was. I have never seen a more obvious red card and why only a yellow was given only the referee knows.”
Taylor then went on to open the scoring for Kendal and Rinkcavage added, “The referees have this ridiculous habit of checking to see how serious the injury is before taking any action. They deny they do this but it is clear they do. Nowhere in the rules does it instruct referees to make a decision depending on the seriousness of the injury. If Ben’s leg has been broken the player would have got red, absolutely no doubt about it. The fact that it was in the 2nd minute shouldn’t have mattered either but I think it did.” Rinkcavage continued, “I don’t like to see any player sent off because it ruins the game but for tackles like that they have to go. Players lively hoods are at stake and Ben is lucky to be walking today.”
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