⚽Match Thread vs. Torquay Utd. 04.02.23 [NL]

[Proactive not Reactive]

Slightly harsh on Baldwin as he was in effect trying to mark two players, Palmer and Ruben should have been picking up Lapslie as both were behind Baldwin at the time the ball was played back for the cross.

Players are going to make mistakes and miss chances.
I think we have a great squad and bunch of lads and the point I was trying to make was we shouldn’t be looking for scapegoats.
There are far more positives than negatives in the squad and we have and will continue to require the full squad until the end of the season.

[Magpies1959]

Regarding Ruben's second yellow, people have been saying, by the letter of the law the referee was right, but Stall has said he and Charlie were looking in the rule book and apparently there is no mention of it being required to give a yellow for deliberate hand ball, so the ref should have used some common sense (fat chance I hear you say).
It was an unusual case of deliberate handball anyway, as that action usually is done to give the player or team, that committed the offence. an advantage, but in Ruben's case it was more likely to be the opposite as the keeper could have taken a quick free kick with Ruben out of position.

[OchPie]

The laws say handling, deliberately or accidentally after making their body "unnaturally bigger", is an offence leading to a direct free kick. No difference between the two.

For caution, it should be if a player is guilty of:
persistent offences (no specific number or pattern of offences constitutes “persistent”)
unsporting behaviour

Unsporting behaviour means a player:
commits in a reckless manner a direct free kick offence
handles the ball to interfere with or stop a promising attack
handles the ball in an attempt to score a goal (whether or not the attempt is successful) or in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent a goal
shows a lack of respect for the game

(Among others not relevant here)

I'm sure the ref will point to "lack of respect" if he needs to justify it.

[Magpies1959]

I guess that would be his reasoning. It is a shame he didn't notice the 'lack of respect' shown by the Torquay players who kept going through the back of ours, or taking Slocombe out while in the air.

[maddogslater]

Best game I've seen from Bostock