IT was obvious in the first few minutes that one set of supporters were going to be unhappy at the end of Jarrow Roofing's clash with Whickham.
Referee Gary McMullen disagreed with his assistants three times. If they could not get it right, who could have done?
Two throw-ins and the ball being in or out of play were overturned, giving the players some concerns.
The pace of the game gra
dually picked up after the early blips, when Roofing's Michael Chapman played in Tony Thirkell, who sent in a rising shot that was touched over by Stephen Robinson.
From the corner a deflection took the ball towards Thirkell, and only the high bounce stopped him rifling the ball goalwards.
Whickham's Craig Tait and Chris Laws then tested Gary Frater from distance.
On 20 minutes came the expected incident involving the referee.
Kevin Davison pinched the ball off Whickham's captain Paul Cavanagh and drove into the penalty area, only to be tackled from behind by Cavanagh, leaving Davison on the ground waiting for the whistle that never came.
Roofing began to dictate the game, and Davison and Thirkell went close, before Whickham's Kris Holmes almost headed into his own net.
Whickham started well after the break, and for the next 20 minutes kept Roofing penned in their own half.
However, captain Brian Rowe stopped any real threat on Frater's goal, and when Whickham did get a shot on target, the Jarrow keeper was more than capable of holding the shot.
After the onslaught, the referee's whistle came too often, nullifying the work being delivered by the players.
The whistle-happy official ensured a very dour final 20 minutes.
Whickham's Chris Laws hit a post for the best second-half shot, while Roofing's Michael Hepplewhite made a great run across the penalty area before shooting wide.
The silver lining for Roofing, who had to settle for a 0-0 draw at the final whistle, was results elsewhere, particularly leaders Sunderland RCA's home defeat.
