Rothwell Town 1, Evesham United 1

PAUL West revealed that it wasn't his decision not to give the ball back to the home side after Saturday's Southern League Midlands Division One opener ended in a mass brawl, writes Mervyn Collins.

"It was the player's decision," the Evesham boss declared after Anthony Robinson had thrown the ball to Mark Owen before Simon Fitter's long ball from halfway was clinically netted by Richard Ball.

"It's a very grey area but we had been on the wrong end of time wasting tactics and constant stoppages all afternoon. They had had two players carded for kicking the ball away and it's not for me to say that the player was feigning injury but he should never have really got up after the way he went down."

West admitted that in the same situation he would have given the ball back but he backed his players for their part in what turned out to be a stormy final few minutes.

"Robbo's taken that decision and the referee has said after the game that he was perfectly within his rights to do what he did," the United manager recalled.

"Their manager had a real go at me and I was offended by his accusations but I told him that it wasn't my decision."

West kept his players on the pitch until tempers had died down and he backed them in the face of severe provocation.

"Bally was elbowed in the face and that's what started the fighting, the manager said. "I wasn't happy with Nathan (Vaughan) racing 70 yards to become involved but we're a team and we all stick together."

The manager had seen his side produced a spirited second half show down the Cecil Street slope after a disjointed display in a goalless first period.

Vaughan produced the save of the match to deny Chris Difante while Mark Owen's 42nd minute strike that found the corner of the Town goal was rightly ruled out for offside.

It took Rothwell just 60 seconds to break the deadlock after the restart when Anthony Watson allowed Difante to get in a cross that Justin Jenkins blasted in from six yards.

Owen and Ball both spu-rned glorious chances to level, Vaughan's long punt almost caught out opposite number Tom Smith who was grateful to a defender to deny Steven Hands.

However, Smith's departure on a stretcher after falling awkwardly saw Jenkins don the gloves and it was his decision to throw the ball out that led to Evesham's 89th minute leveller and scenes that don't belong on a football field!