Baxter and McFall furious with IFA over officiating

CRUSADERS manager Stephen Baxter gave a scathing assessment of the refereeing performance in his side’s 2-2 draw with Glentoran at the Oval.

The Crues had two players sent off while Glentoran’s John McGuigan was also dismissed during a contentious clash, officiated by Latvian referee Andris Treimanis.

Kyle Owens was the first to go. He was initially booked for bundling Robbie McDaid over the touchline, with his second caution of the game coming after he won a header.

Having brandished another yellow card in Owens’ direction, it seemed the referee had to be reminded by the players that the defender had already been booked, eventually leading to the red card being produced.

Control was lost on the stroke of half-time when a rash Marcus Kane challenge on Paul Heatley incited a mass brawl involving players and coaching staff from both teams. Rory Patterson and McGuigan were both sent off.

“That’s the worst refereeing performance I’ve seen in 30 years of being in football,” an incensed Baxter said, directing his criticism at the IFA rather than the official himself.

“I feel embarrassed for our football association bringing a referee in to handle a game like this because you can’t witness that type of stuff. The game was beyond him.

“The decision making was farcical and when you’ve two managers, Ronnie (McFall) and myself, chatting the whole way through the game about laughable decisions — about decisions that are yellow cards or red cards that are waved away and then yellows and reds that (shouldn’t be).

“You really had to be here to see it and believe it. I blame the IFA for organising these exchange programmes — I don’t blame the referee, in fact I felt sorry for him in the end.”

Baxter continued: “It was farcical and it’s not fair on the teams.

“It’s just beyond a joke and this is the second year it has happened to us around this sort of exchange programme. As soon as I saw it, I feared what might happen and I watched it unfolding in front of us.

“It’s unfair for everybody, for

our players. When you see Rory Patterson and Kyle Owens sitting the changing room with faces like Lurgan spades, they’ll go home and have terrible weekend

Shoving match: Referee Andris Treimanis attempts to restore order following Marcus Kane’s foul on

Paul Heatley

and (the officials) will go to the hotel, have steak dinners and fly home. It’s not fair, simple as.

“Our association need to apologise to our club and to Glentoran for producing this today.”

Opposite number McFall agreed.

“When you bring referees in from different countries they are not used to our culture and it is difficult for them,” he said.

“That was evident from the start of the match all the way through.”

Crusaders took a 16th minute lead when Paul Heatley collected a Patterson pass and sidestepped a defender before beating keeper Elliott Morris.

John Herron headed a response for the Glens just after the half hour mark, angling Willie Garrett’s free-kick well out of Crues stopper Harry Doherty’s reach.

But Ross, Clarke, Declan Caddell and Heatley conjured up the opportunity for Patterson to rifle past Morris to restore the visitors’ lead and take his total for the season into double figures.

After Owens’ controversial dismissal, Robbie McDaid stabbed home an equaliser from close range when the Crues’ defence failed to deal with a Ross Redman corner.

The melee that followed Marcus Kane’s crunching tackle on Heatley saw Patterson and McGuigan dismissed ahead of an understandably quieter second half.