REFEREE Tony Mason will not be on the Christmas card list at Hampton & Richmond Borough.
His decision to wave play on while defender John Scarborough was laying injured, in Saturday's crucial Blue Square South decider with AFC Wimbledon, cost Hampton a final shot at the title.
With Hampton needing to win to stay in contention, all was looking good when Francis Quarm gave them a 52nd-minute lead. But the flash-point came with eight minutes left, when Scarborough collided with his own player, Marcello Fernandes, who then set about desperately trying to get the physio on to tend to an 18-inch gash in Scarborough's leg.
However, Mason allowed play to go on and seconds later AFC took advantage of their numerical superiority to equalise through Jon Main. Scarborough's injury, which the official apparently deemed not worthy of stopping play for, was in fact so severe he had to be taken to hospital.
It would now take AFC losing on Saturday and Hampton winning by 13 goals at Maidenhead for the Beavers to lift the title. In reality, it's another shot at the playoffs for last year's losing finalists.
