Gary’s got previous and it’s just not right
WATCHING the crazy scenes at Yeovil on Tuesday was like an action replay for me – and not a very nice one.
Back in August of 2009, I took my Palace side to play Gary Johnson’s Bristol City and we were cheated out of a perfectly good goal.
If you don’t remember what happened, Freddie Sears took a shot for us that went in, hit the stanchion at the back of the net, and then bounced out.
Everybody knew it was a goal – the fans, the players, me and Gary. It wasn’t even in the corner, it was right down the middle. Our players were all piled on top of each other celebrating, theirs were down on their knees, gutted about losing a goal.
Yet the referee, Rob Shoebridge, and his two assistants somehow didn’t see the ball cross the line and waved play on.
I ran down the touchline and I said to Gary ‘You saw it go in the net, you’ve got to let us have a goal, surely?’ Even the fourth official was backing me up.
But we couldn’t change his mind. Sod’s law of course, we conceded a last-minute goal and ended up losing 1-0.
I remember saying to Gary at the time ‘You’ll live to regret that’ and to be fair I don’t think Bristol City ever recovered from it. They had a really poor season and Gary himself eventually left.
It’ll be interesting to see if Yeovil are affected because other clubs will certainly remind them about it.
When a man is down injured and his team-mate has put the ball out, you have to give it back. Yeovil didn’t just keep the ball, they actually scored a late equaliser!
It wasn’t a nice feeling and you can understand Birmingham boss Lee Clark being very angry.Yes, I know players go down to waste time when they’re not injured. But the referee can add time on for that.
It was ungentlemanly conduct and he realised did Gary. Having thought about it for 15 minutes, he knew they were in the wrong.
That’s why he let them walk a goal in for 3-3 but it was too late because Birmingham should have won in normal time. I bet if the lad who scored could have his time again he’d give the ball back.