Willand vs Swindon Supermarine
A sports journalist was recently embroiled in a Twitter controversy that he really had nothing to do with.
His issues started shortly after the BAFTAs had finished and Twitter became the epicentre of the ill-informed and the socially illiterate. The ignition of this maelstrom was, of course, a racial slur that could be heard on the BBC broadcast of the awards.
Internet personalities and idiot politicians were quickly playing ping pong with blame, targeting both the BBC and the individual who uttered the slur. It seemed beyond their cognitive reasoning that someone could hold the dual positions that a) the racial slur was abhorrent and b) it was involuntary.
John Davidson, Tourette’s campaigner and sufferer, left soon after the incident, and within hours was being accused of faking his illness, of being able to stop the tics if he really wanted, and of being racist because his tics were just his subconscious.
It’s a slight on society that most of those throwing baseless accusations hid behind the anonymity of made-up names and egg shaped profile pictures, but even that pales in comparison to what happened next.
John Davidson quickly began receiving messages on Elon’s social media platform. The irony that many of these included slurs that, although not comparable with what was heard at the BAFTAs, did have the distinction of being deliberate, was not lost. Derision turned to dogpiling, which turned to death threats.
One can only imagine what John Davidson, Tourette’s campaigner, thought about this. Because John Davidson, Tourette’s campaigner, doesn’t have a Twitter account.
Australian sports journalist John Davidson does, though, but this case of mistaken identity didn’t seem to deter the dullards.
Unfortunately, the case of the wrong John Davidson isn’t an isolated one. A relative of Great Train Robber Tommy Wisbey was once questioned at Bristol Airport because he shared the same name as Tommy’s son; a mistake quickly rectified but still a shock to the system. Jason Kessler, American writer and food critic, faced severe distress when his reputation was damaged by the actions of a MAGA supporter and white supremacist who happened to share his name.
But as serious as these instances were, they seem benign when compared to David Sosa, a Florida man who was arrested twice due to a 1992 warrant from Texas for a different David Sosa. Despite having different physical descriptors, he was jailed because of the shared name.
It’s not just the famous and infamous who have name crosses to bear. For the last thirty years I’ve been receiving emails from a near namesake in New England, who I can only assume uses my email address when they don’t want to receive junk mail, and I once missed out, albeit temporarily, on a work bonus, while my namesake was paid twice.
There are also two teams in Swindon, and Willand’s opponents for their second of three home fixtures in seven days were the superbly suffixed Supermarine. The visitors started the game three points above the hosts and with half an eye on the teams below them, were buoyed by an unbeaten start to March.
Ben Watson, able to call on a settled and talented squad, made a few changes from the side that beat Mousehole comprehensively on Wednesday. Bateson, Jagger-Cane and Dorothy started in the forward areas, while Sneap came into midfield.
There was another familiar name on the official list submitted to the FA, with referee D. Baylis officiating.
The game kicked off shortly after 3pm under a sun that, if not blazing, was at least visible and it was an open beginning. The visitors showed early intent, but within moments Willand thought they had taken the lead. Bateson rounded the goalkeeper and Kempster applied the finish, only for the assistant’s flag to cut celebrations short, Bateson adjudged offside in the build-up.
Supermarine settled and began to create chances of their own. Hemmings fired wide, while Purnell produced a good recovery save to deny Bateson at the other end.
The visitors took the lead after 15 minutes. A move down the right ended with a well-delivered ball into the box, and McDonagh met it with a controlled finish past Ashby-Hammond. It was a well-taken goal, but from a position that fans at Silver Street are starting to see conceded more often than they would like.
Willand continued to create openings. Bateson went close again, while Kempster remained involved in attacking moves, but the final touch proved elusive.
The other story of the half was the number of shouts for fouls and penalty appeals that went unanswered at both ends. On another day, the scoreline — and perhaps the number of players remaining on the pitch — might have told a different story.
Half-time – Willand 0–1 Swindon Supermarine
At the break, Willand made a triple substitution, introducing Morgan, McIver-Redwood and Rooke.
The second half saw a clear shift in momentum. Willand applied consistent pressure, forcing Supermarine onto the back foot, but struggled to find the cutting edge required to truly test the goalkeeper. Crosses were regularly delivered into the box, and Maciver-Redwood went closest with a diving header that drifted wide.
Willand were also denied an equaliser when a corner was forced home, only for the referee to rule it out for a foul on the goalkeeper.
Despite Willand’s endeavour and growing control of the game, Supermarine defended their lead well. They dealt with aerial deliveries, limited clear chances, and Purnell remained solid throughout.
In the end, despite the pressure, the equaliser never came, and Supermarine held on to secure the win.
In his post-match interview, Ben Watson gave credit to the visitors while also expressing frustration at several refereeing decisions, noting that a number had gone against his side.
I won’t comment on that. I just hope he doesn’t get us mixed up.
Full-time – Willand 0–1 Swindon Supermarine
