VAR Watch - First Division - R20

[jamesh.esms]

Derry Patriots 2-1 Flyboys 1986
We kick off this weeks review with my own match... V_McGrew gets into the area, V_Gruhlke collides with him, and the referee waves play on. At 2-1, that is a potentially huge decision, because a penalty there gives us the chance to go two clear before the break.

Verdict: I think we had a strong case for a penalty. The first thing you ask is whether the defender has made any clean play on the ball, which in this instance I don't believe was the case. In a one-goal match, that feels like a significant missed call.

Les Dieus du Monde 2-2 Lokomotiv Spartak
The biggest appeal in this game comes on 40 minutes. E_Aragon puts the ball across, S_Perryman attacks it, and B_Nott collides with him in the box, yet nothing is given. This is not a minor coming together in midfield, it is contact in the penalty area during a dangerous attacking phase. When that goes unpunished, the attacking side is always going to feel they have been denied a chance to change the game.

Verdict: I think Les Dieus du Monde should have had a penalty. The contact looked sufficient, and may have seen Les going into the break with all the momentum. In a match that ended 2-2, that may be a decision Les will look back on come the end of the season and feel scuppered their chances of a vital 3 points.

AC Larne 3-1 Shurdington AFC
This one is interesting because both sides have a penalty shout within seconds of each other on 63 minutes. First U_Kolb is knocked down and the referee turns away, then up the other end Pingu comes together with M_Hurtado and again play is waved on. For me, the Larne appeal is the stronger of the two because the description is more direct: I_Mountenay knocks the player to the floor. At 3-1, a penalty for Shurdington gets them back in the match, while a penalty for Larne probably kills it. Either way, the referee is dealing with a game-shaping sequence.

Verdict: AC Larne look the more aggrieved side here. I would lean towards a penalty for the challenge on U_Kolb, because the defender appears to bring him down rather than win the ball.

Boston Black Sox 5-2 Shieldfield
The first major flashpoint is on 29 minutes when P_Burbick sprints into the area, J_Sanetti tangles legs with him, and the referee waves away what looks like a strong penalty appeal. Then, just a few minutes later, J_Woodgate brings down D_Gregory as he breaks at goal and only sees yellow. Of the two, the non-red is the bigger outcome call for me. At 3-1, Shieldfield still had a route back into the match, and reducing Boston to ten men would have changed the whole balance of the second half.

Verdict: I think Boston were fortunate not to lose a player. There is a strong case that J_Woodgate should have been sent off for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity.

Middletown Steelers 0-3 Falkirk Scorpions
The incident worth focusing on comes late, not early. At 82 minutes T_Yeboah breaks through, T_Causey brings him down, and the referee only shows yellow. Now, the scoreline is already 3-0, so this is not quite as decisive as some of the others, but if we are asking purely about the decision itself, this is the clearest possible red-card debate in the match. Once an attacker is through and is brought down from behind or from the side with defenders scrambling, the referee has to decide whether that chance was obvious enough to justify dismissal.

Verdict: I think there is a credible red-card case here. The scoreline softens the impact, but the challenge itself looks very close to denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity.