Linesman controversially denies Bradford PA’s late equaliser to dump them out of FA Cup

A linesman has gone viral overnight after he controversially denies Bradford PA’s late equaliser to dump them out of the FA Cup.

Uploaded after the game, footage shows the moment a brilliant pass met Eddie Church, who then put the ball past Karl Dryden only for it to be ruled out for offside on the 84th minute.

That was three minutes after Will Longbottom got Bradford Park Avenue’s first following a great cross sent in.

An own goal saw Ashington go ahead after just five minutes, and not long after, Bradford netted only for that to be disallowed for offside.

Ashington extended their lead on the 74th minute – and thats where late drama took place. Home fans produced wild celebrations, while Bradford were left frustrated.

Late on Park Avenue @BPAFCOfficial pull one back against @Ashington_FC #nonleague #groundhopping pic.twitter.com/0otjHFc9Gl

— M O T O H 🎃 P P E R (@kc_mcqueen) September 17, 2022

OH DEAR, LINESMAN! Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! 😧Bradford (Park Avenue) denied a late equaliser and they’re out of the cup! @BPAFCOfficial @Ashington_FC #NonLeague #groundhopping pic.twitter.com/GEdzNkeekD

— M O T O H 🎃 P P E R (@kc_mcqueen) September 17, 2022

Despite a late push from Bradford, Northern League outfit Ashington secured one of their most important wins in recent history, sealing a place in the FA Cup third qualifying round.

BPA boss Mark Bower said after the game: “Angry, disappointed, embarrassed, feel like I should be apologetic to the people that came to the support us.

“Obviously position that we’re in I think there’s a lack of confidence in the team so we start off the game first few minutes pretty well we were dominating possession and as soon as they put a ball in our box.

“We can’t legislate for the goals for the last couple of games that we’ve given away to give a team a leg up and then it becomes more difficult to sit back and we were one paced, we were lacking any kind of urgency and really, a desire and a work-rate to go and get back in the game, I think the majority of the players in our team are opening someone else is going to do it for them.

“Spoke at half time, so we told them what we thought, second half came out better we had lot ball in the final third we just lacked any kind of we just looked for extra confidence at the minute and in and around that final third numerous times we got in.

“We’re just so frustrating because we got better quality the lads are better than what they’re producing at the minute certainly around that final third we should be creating quick chances from the positions that we’re getting in and we’re not doing that, concede the second, get back in it.

“Will I thought looked bright when he came and deserved his goal and then we had one disallowed first half which was tight and then the goal gets disallowed at the end, certainly looks very very tight.

“We’re playing of team three levels below, just to scrape a replay, so we need to change something we need to change something I don’t change something quick it’ll be me and boss end up getting changed, we’ve stuck up for the lads when I see them play well, but unfortunately I think we know it’s show more parts of what we got in the league but clearly we need to change something because we’re not getting the results that we should be.”

FULL-TIME: @Ashington_FC 2-1 @BPAFCOfficial

A major upset here as @theofficialnl club send National League North opposition out of the @EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/h7h18LjDYp

— Mark Carruthers (@MarkCarruthers_) September 17, 2022

SEE MORE: Upsets galore in surprising FA Cup Second Qualifying Round

There was plenty of reaction as a linesman controversially denies Bradford PA’s late equaliser to dump them out of the FA Cup…

@jimycfc1: That’s shocking 😳

@ian_swfc: Thats as bad as the so called officials at our game today & it only gets worse Every Week.

@blueskysand65s: Absolute shocking decision. He’s nowhere near up with play. The standard of the officials is deteriorating rapidly

@Wards187: Jesus Christ… Respect campaigns are all well and good but what about referee education campaigns. What’s he even seen here it’s as bad as I’ve seen! And this is semi-professional football it’s not down the park!

@Brownie89: I’m just not even surprised anymore…

@brownhill76: Non league reffing standard is woeful now 🥴, from the stands it frustrating , god knows how you felt playing mate 😂😂🤷‍♂️

@wriggy47: The actual state off officials at all levels is becoming a joke!!

@Andrewjj1964: That’s just ridiculous!

@craigandrewd99: Notice no mention of the constant shirt pulling the ref and linesmen let your team get away with.

@adriangricey: Why are officials in England so bad ? One at s6 yesterday was a disgrace

@JamesPerry90: And people wonder why officials get a hard time from players etc. Piss poor officiating. Worse thing about it all is the standard of officiating in UK is getting worse and worse. I also sometimes think they can’t be genuinely that bad and it has to be down to blatant cheating!

@11owensy: No wonder they get the stick they do 🙈

@Andrew_Clarkson: Jesus wept

@DStokes1986: This isn’t a surprise these days. Some of the stuff I’ve seen in the last year is unbelievable. Can’t say anything though as all you get back is ‘what about your players making mistakes’.

@HarryNeil4: Wow just wow

@nathanl3ach: Oh my, that’s awful 🤣🤣

@rosseywalker: Wow what is he thinking? 🤬

@FunkyAOL: Never offside… He’s had a shocker there

@AndyClarke5: Appreciate it’s a difficult job, but this is an easy one. Behind the man that plays the ball, and also behind the defender…Standard of officiating needs to improve, but how?

@Curso113: OMG that is an horrendous decision

@BarntonFans: Oh my.. #VAR on hand. We had a couple of tight decisions go our way yesterday. But this is a pretty bad call from the liner..

@Inca_IO: Wow!! Not even close. 🤦🏻‍♂️

@Beech365: A decision that costs literally thousands of pounds

@gbasterfield1: Honestly an these twats have the audacity to book you for dissent for questioning their decisions 💤 Clueless morons

@zakatkinson9: Officiating standard is appalling atm like

@JamieLeeHill2: Goal scorer not only behind the last defender, but behind the his own player when he kicked it forward. #robbed

@rybu21: What the fuck was this linesman looking at. Shocking

@north_non: What a poor poor decision to make, not of even a lack of concentration more lack of nor doing your job

@macca_parkinson: Wow. Standard of reffing is horrific

@PhillyyHogg: Worth the £50 birthday money… cheers linooo

@Poults93: What’s he seen there 🥴😂

@CllrMattBoles: 🤐🤐🤐🤐 standards are improving they say 👍

@AidenLerning: Refereeing standards are so poor that they’re effecting the outcome of games. All fine and well having these respect campaigns but the standard must improve

@dtbriggs: Magic of the FA cup

@sportydave82: That’s shocking officiating in such a big game for the club #FACup

Seems like every week we something like this online now 🙄, just want to be involved in the game pic.twitter.com/zNaGSkI5LR

— Aidan Kirby (@aidykirby13) September 17, 2022

They were awful all 3 of the officials like. At one point 3 Bradford players pulled Maguire of Ashington to the ground WWE style and the ref just let Bradford play on when they come away with the ball. Yet they’re crying on that they’re hard done by here.

— Craig D (@craigandrewd99) September 18, 2022