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Tonbridge players have had a laugh over the goalkeeping blunder that’s gone viral.
Angels keeper James Shaw conceded a bizarre goal against Hungerford last weekend after putting the ball down for a free-kick that hadn’t been awarded.
Quick-thinking James Harding nipped in to score and the footage has been viewed online thousands of times.
It confirmed a 2-0 National South defeat but by Tuesday the players could see the funny side.
Manager Steve McKimm said: “It was an error, a comical error, and everyone’s had a laugh about it. We even did on Tuesday night.
“Everyone makes mistakes but when it’s a keeper it’s highlighted even more because of the position they play.
“The important thing is you learn from it and don’t make the same mistake again.”
Shaw, who was clearly fouled, thought he heard a whistle, but McKimm wasn’t so sure.
“He said he heard a whistle. I personally didn’t but only he knows what he heard," added McKimm.
“Saying that, it should have been a free-kick and when he made the error I think the referee should have brought it back and given the free-kick but he’s allowed play to go on and they’ve scored.
“Let’s get it right, mistakes happen and that was a genuine mistake.
“I thought the ref was giving us the advantage in being able to kick it further out of his hands but it’s done now.
“James has been tremendous coming in since Jonny Henly’s been out injured so I’m not going to haul him over over the coals for one mistake.
“I’ve just told him to learn from it and play to the whistle, as you’re told when you’re a young kid, but, like I said, he thought he heard a whistle.”
Shaw got the mistake out of his system with an excellent performance in Tonbridge’s FA Cup win at Chichester on Tuesday night.
But McKimm could have a decision to make at Oxford City this weekend as Henly is virtually recovered from a foot injury.
