Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens gets sent off for ‘preventing a quick throw-in’ against Bolton

Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens gets sent off for ‘preventing a quick throw-in’ in their match against Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.

Richie Wellens was shown a red card for obstructing a Bolton throw-in on the 81st minute, with his assistant Pete Atherton also shown a yellow card, for his part in the altercation.

The game played out to a 1-0 defeat for the League One promotion hopefuls Bolton with their four-match winning run ended as Dan Agyei netted the only goal of the game on 54 minutes to hand Leyton Orient all three points.

The visitors’ leading scorer Dion Charles squandered the best two chances for his side, including a header from a George Thomason cross that struck the upright when he found himself unmarked at the far post.

After a closely-contested first-half, Orient were rewarded for their sustained spell of pressure after the interval with a strike from Agyei.

Bolton now sit 4th with 51 points from 25 games played, 4 points from 2nd place Peterborough, with the Trotters having games in hand over sides above them. Meanwhile, Leyton Orient are now 9th with 38 points from 27 games, 11 points from the playoff places.

Leyton Orient manager Richie Wellens was dismissed for ‘preventing a quick throw-in’…

Do you think a red card was harsh here? 🧐👇@EFL | #LOFC pic.twitter.com/OjoI6HtqBu

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) January 21, 2024

After receiving a red card, Richie Wellens was not allowed to face the media, Matt Harrold replaced him, and he said post-match, per Bolton News: “Even in the first half, I thought we were positive. We limited them to one really good chance.

“It was a dominant display and I think we were the better team, but I do think they have had two of the best chances of the game.

“I thought our aggression, we were on the front foot and forced them into a lot of mistakes. I thought it was a strong performance.”

He added: “That is probably our frustration, that it did feel like they were picking the ball up and gaining probably five yards.

“Look, it is just a split second reaction. I have just seen it again and it does look pretty light, he hasn’t elbowed him or grabbed him but he has maybe just stopped his momentum.

“It is maybe a touch harsh but you just don’t know, with the rules now, what you can and can’t do. It was a strange one, I have never really come across that situation to be honest. We will have to see.”

Ian Evatt said after Bolton’s first defeat since mid-December, as per the club website: “We’ve got a game on Tuesday and we’ve got a chance to put it right.

“But we’re an honest group and it always starts with the man in the mirror and today all of us have to look in the mirror and admit to ourselves that isn’t good enough for the level we’ve set this season.

“I expect everyone to hurt tonight and then expect us to come with a fresh mind 30 to go on Tuesday.

“We’ve had moments like this where we felt this down this season and the players have somehow always found a way to respond and we have to do the same.

“It is one game, but we don’t like losing very much and certainly the manner of the defeat isn’t nice. Too many underperformed and I think if I’d had 11 opportunities to changes and make substitutions today, I probably would have done.

“We’ve just got to focus on being better. All is not lost, we must remember that. This group always finds a way to respond and we have to do the same again.

“It was disappointing,” Evatt added on missing out on the chance of staying closer to the top two with a fourth away defeat of the season. “I can’t make any excuses or sugarcoat that. That was not up to our standards or level. We didn’t play the conditions well enough, do the ugly side well enough or the basics well.

“Having said that, we had the two best chances of the game, two chances that really have to be goals, and take those two and we end up winning the game. But for us -and we just focus on ourselves – that wasn’t acceptable.

“Very rarely am I this disappointed with that group of players but today is one of those days we let everyone down. We let the travelling fans down, we let ourselves down and we have to be better than that if we want to achieve our ambitions this season.”

📺 Ian Evatt spoke to Wanderers TV to give his post match thoughts.#bwfc

— Bolton Wanderers (@OfficialBWFC) January 20, 2024

This is what fans are saying as Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens gets sent off for ‘preventing a quick throw-in’ against Bolton…

@Pandamonium1881: Joke. It may well be law but how is integrity if a player doing the same thing gets a caution. Not to mention the player in question had taken two throws in a couple of minutes before that and was stealing more yards than The Dolphins, The Redskins & The Seahawks put together

@DanAuton2590: Strictly speaking the red card is correct but the number of times that Bolton sub nicked at least ten yards on throw-ins after Orient went ahead was ridiculous, it was literally every time and not once did anyone do anything about it, no wonder Richie got annoyed #lofc

@mattj_362: Referee should do his job and not let the player steal 15yds maybe?

@Wrighty2902: Pulled the man back and out of his technical area. Straight red for me.

@WellsyOs: Harsh, yes. The referree was allowing the Bolton throws to be taken 10/15 yards further than where they should have been. Doesn’t allow RW to act as he did, but we were ALL fed up with the poor officials. Yellow card at most.

@trickytrees12: Since when has stopping a quick throw or free kick been a red card? That’s a yellow card offence isn’t it? and Maybe if the officials didn’t let them take the throw from 10 yards further forward in the first place? …

@benben1980: Either way Richie would have seen red. For either what he did or if he verbally complained. This rule about managers not being able to give officials constructive criticism is at fault here. Bolton players were talking the p155 with their touchline travelling on throw ins.

@Stuart_Covey: It’s in the laws of the game. If a manager/coaching staff delay the restart of a game. It’s a straight red. If a player does it. It’s a yellow. Dorking wanderers manager got a red at Oldham for kicking the ball away

@harris1881: The red card was not harsh and Wellens needs to curb his hot-headedness. But it should never have got to the point where the Bolton player was getting away with stealing 5-10 yards at every throw on.

@LesLk52: The whole game they were stealing 5/10:yards and ref or Lino completely ignored it, should only have been same punishment as if a player did that and that is a yellow

@JeffDGraves: Harsh but correct but also wouldn’t have happened if the ref had cracked down on the ridiculous amount of space Bolton were pinching from their throw ins.

@PeterTechE: look how far the Bolton player ran with the ball from where the ball went out of play 🤣

@EnnJason: The guy took 5-7 yards with every throw on. The linesman ignored this. The red ignored this. After about 12 throw ins someone had to step up and say ‘this is not within the rules of the game’.

@lee_beckett: What about stopping players moving half way down the pitch to take throw in’s, stealing a few yards I under stand but metre’s is taking the piss