In Behind the Whistle, former Premier League referee Chris Foy goes through a selection of key match decisions from the weekend EFL action.
Behind the Whistle aims to give supporters of EFL clubs an insight into the decision-making considerations and also clarification of certain calls to provide an understanding of how the laws of the game are interpreted.
As part of a regular feature on Sky Sports following the conclusion of a matchday, Foy will be here to run you through some refereeing matters in the EFL…
Swansea 0-2 Coventry
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Did Swansea’s Ben Cabango handle the ball before his teammate Jay Fulton volleyed the ball into back of the net?
Incident: Goal scored, possible handball (Swansea)
Decision: Goal disallowed, handball
Foy says: “It’s good to see the speed of reaction and decisiveness shown from the referee to identify this handball offence.
“As the ball comes in from the corner, it clearly hits the arm of Swansea’s No 5 before his team-mate kicks it into the back of the net. The key judgement here is whether or not the handball is an offence, as an accidental handball would not be penalised as Swansea’s No 5 does not score the goal.
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Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Swansea and Coventry
“Because the arm is an unnatural and raised position, making the body bigger, the goal is correctly ruled out for a handball offence.”
Watford 0-1 Norwich
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Should Watford’s Ryan Andrews have seen red for bringing down Norwich’s Josh Sargent to deny him a goalscoring opportunity?
Incident: Possible penalty and red card (Norwich)
Decision: Free-kick and caution
Foy says: “The referee has a couple of important decisions to make here.
“Firstly, he has to decide whether or not the foul on Norwich City’s No 9 is outside the box or not. Thanks to his movement and positioning, he is able to correctly identify that the contact is made outside the box and therefore awards a free-kick to Norwich.
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Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Watford and Norwich City
“He then has to decide whether or not the foul has denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity (DOGSO). From the replay, we can see that the Norwich forward has the ball under control as he moves towards goal, and that he has an obvious opportunity for a shot on goal.
“The referee should therefore have shown the Watford player a red card for DOGSO.”
Crawley 1-2 Wrexham
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Wrexham walked away with the win over Crawley Town despite a potential foul during the build up to the last-minute winner
Incident: Possible foul in build up to goal (Wrexham)
Decision: Goal awarded
Foy says: “Wrexham were fortunate for this goal to stand, as their No 38 clearly fouls his opponent before heading the ball into the net.
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Highlights of the Sky Bet League One match between Crawley Town and Wrexham
“As the ball is played out wide, the referee should be scanning across to the middle to see what is going on inside the crowded box.
“By focusing on the player crossing the ball in, he misses the sustained holding by Wrexham’s No 38 on his opponent. The pull was impactful and meets the threshold for a foul. Therefore a defensive free-kick should have been awarded.”
Reading 1-0 Bolton
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Reading are awarded a penalty against Bolton for handball
Incident: Possible penalty, handball (Reading)
Decision: Penalty awarded
Foy says: “Although this looks slightly innocuous, it is the correct decision by the referee to award Reading a penalty for handball.
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Highlights of the Sky Bet League One match between Reading and Bolton Wanderers
“As the ball is floated into the area, Bolton’s No 29 goes to head the ball away, and makes contact with the ball with his outstretched arm.
“The arm is in an unnatural and unjustifiable position, so penalty is the correct outcome.”
Doncaster 2-1 MK Dons
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Behind the Whistle takes a closer look at this Doncaster Rovers goal against MK Dons and why it was correct to award the goal
Incident: Goal scored, possible offside (Doncaster)
Decision: Goal awarded
Foy says: “Offside decisions in which defenders step up and try to play attackers offside can be difficult for assistant referees to judge, but he gets this one spot on.
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Highlights of the Sky Bet League Two match between Doncaster Rovers and Milton Keynes Dons
“As Doncaster’s No 9 makes a run on goal, MK Dons’ No 26 attempts to play him offside. Although it is tight, the assistant gets it spot on and correctly leaves his flag down.
“When the picture crosses over and at such pace, it makes it more difficult to judge, but he does well here.”
