Mids rage as SFA howler sees wrong player banned
FORMER Queen of the South player Dean Smith is serving a two-match ban after a baffling refereeing blunder.
The 22-year-old Mid Annandale midfielder played out the full 90 minutes of a South of Scotland League match against Newton Stewart on January 5.
But last week he had a twomatch ban imposed by the SFA’s referee department after the match whistler, Sean Sutherland, sent in his report claiming he had been sent off – not Zak Caldwell.
It appears to be a case of mistaken identity that arose from misreading a shirt number.
Mids secretary George Trudt said Caldwell wore the No.2 shirt with Smith always in the No.23 jersey – and claimed the referee missed the extra number. But despite protests by Mids officials that were supported by Newton Stewart officials, the SFA have accepted the whistler’s report and have refused to lift the ban.
Caldwell said: “I was the one sent off. I’m gutted for my teammate. The gaffer gave me a b ****** ing and fined me. Despite that and protests from the clubs I was in the team on Saturday while Dean was banned and he’ll miss this week’s big cup game.”
Smith said: ”I can’t believe it. I always wear 23. I even asked the ref at the end if he’d credited me with the equaliser just before the full-time whistle.”
An SFA spokesman said: “We don’t comment on disciplinary cases.”