Plymouth and Accrington players are BOTH sent off for a double challenge – but one team ends up winning a free kick from it.
Dan Scarr and Seamus Conneely both saw red by referee Neil Hair after a 50-50 studs up challenge during the League One fixture at Home Park.
The Plymouth Argyle defender and Accrington Stanley captain both flew in as the ball spilled loose near the centre circle.
The referee judged that they both deserved marching orders – before giving the home side a free-kick.
Footage uploaded onto social media shows both players scrambling to win a loose ball that rolled along the ground with Scarr and Conneely badly mistiming the tackle and ended up going into each other while completely missing the ball.
They can both be seen falling into a heap on the ground after the connection with referee Neil Hair left with the unusual decision of sending both men off for the same challenge.
Argyle’s Twitter account tweeted of the incident: “Scarr and Conneely are both sent off, in a decision which presumably satisfies nobody.”
Centre-back Scarr was apologetic to supporters – but joked that the gaffer should take the blame for the dismissal.
He tweeted: “Buzzing for the lads! Another great win at home! Clean sheet for the birthday boy and all the strikers on the score sheet.
“Apologies to you all for the sending off!
“I blame the gaffer for not subbing me off before that for not being able to pass to a green shirt!”
That’s harsh in fairness… pic.twitter.com/7G0IYRoSRC
— Harry (@HarryL97) October 8, 2022
The league leaders Argyle had at the time been 1-0 up after Niall Ennis broke the deadlock before Sam Cosgrove and Ryan Hardie put the game beyond doubt with second half goals as Steven Schumacher’s side made it seven straight home wins.
They remain top of the table ahead of Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday and Portsmouth.
The Pilgrims boss said he was happy with the result – but not the cards.
He said: “It just looks like two lads sliding in from an angle and they have collided. Both got hurt from it and the ball carried on going straight.
“No-one won the ball. To send both players off, I thought it was a bit of a silly decision personally.
“I said to the referee after the game ‘I think you spoiled the game, it didn’t need to happen’. If he had just booked both players then both benches would have been okay with that.
“It wasn’t as though their player went in to do our one, or our one went over the top of theirs. It wasn’t like that. He just said he had to follow the letter of the law. I just wish he had showed some common sense.”
Steven Schumacher reflects on a challenging game against Accrington Stanley.
In partnership with @TheTurmericCo.#pafc
— Plymouth Argyle FC (@Argyle) October 8, 2022
Schumacher said: “There was just a few bodies around, there was no-one pushing and shoving. They were all arguing over whose foul it was.
“I think that was the confusion. No-one knew whose foul it was. We were surprised we got the foul, I thought it was going to be a drop ball.
“Nobody actually touched the ball. They collided with each other. We are disappointed we are going to lose a player potentially, and so will Accrington. It could have been avoided.”
Asked whether Argyle would appeal the red card, Schumacher said: “I don’t know. I would have to see, we will have to look back at the evidence. We will deal with that on Monday.”
Accrington boss John Coleman said: “We have to go there with a belief we can win the game, we are not going to go down there and batten up the hatches,” said the Reds boss.
“We have two good friends there in Schuey and Mark Hughes, we know them well, and it’s great to see them doing well but we will try and put a spanner in the works on Saturday.
“Conor Grant plays for them as well. I have known him since he was six or seven, watched his career progress, and he is getting back to fitness.
“Plymouth are a good team to watch. They have got this belief they are going to score when they need to score which is a promotion-enhancing characteristic. They believe they can get promoted which is also a good sign.
“They have four or five different options striker-wise, good attacking wing backs and they have the belief they will score, they have plenty of opportunities and they take plenty of shots.
“They have got the ground rocking, they are filling the place and it will be a great atmosphere.
“We have had some good results there and generally competed well against them.
“You do need that a bit of luck as well, a bounce of a ball, which we have perhaps had in the last three games.”
🎥 Coley on today’s game. pic.twitter.com/DSQUolCUpI
— Accrington Stanley (@ASFCofficial) October 8, 2022
“We had to start winning, you don’t get carried away with winning three on the spin as you don’t get carried away in a negative aspect when we lost three on the bounce.
“It’s a tough league. You would like to think the three games we won – Cheltenham, Bristol Rovers and Morecambe – those are teams who will be around us come the final reckoning and we want to be above them, on top of the not ridiculously high wage bill bracket. We want to be top of the ones that we think we can compete with.
“We are going into a raft of games, if we start picking up points from those games then you can pat yourself on the back and start saying that’s a good performance.
“That’s no disrespect to the three teams we have beat as they were difficult games all in their own rights and a couple of them could have gone either way.
“But we have also lost a couple of those games this season – Ipswich, Wycombe, Forest Green – so we know we are punching at this level, we are competing and if you can start beating the bigger clubs then you can start looking up rather than fearing looking down.”
With Plymouth and Accrington players are BOTH sent off for the double challenge, fans gave their reaction…
@iAmQuicky7: How has he given a red to anybody for that 🫠🥴
@lewissa97434869: Never a red for both teams
@AshFinney1: Both deserved a red card for somehow missing the ball completely 🤣🤣🤣 Seriously though the standard of officiating in this league is an absolute joke 😩😂
@GeorgeTS22: This ref today was one of the worst refs I’ve witnessed, red card for a 50/50??? A light foul every 2 mins stopping the flow of play, English refs are generally atrocious
@RussRussie1: A nothing tackle.. and yellow each at most #pafc
@js_utba: How have either of these two been sent off for that?! Ref was woeful
@argyleross1985: Appeal that. Neither one of them should’ve been sent off!
@stanleyfan2021: Should of been a drop ball and no yellows for both
@CMpafc: Hahahahaha sack the ref
@CornishBankie: Worst Ref I’ve seen. Made it all about him
@owendykes32: Appeal it, the only way?
@PAFCRyan: Yo @EFL this N.Hair bloke is impersonating a Referee as there is no way in hell he’s been approved by yourselves.
@andypr18: 50+years and right up there with the worst decision I have ever seen. CPD day/week/month needed for the officials. @D_Scarr. @argyle deserve better than this. Overall no team in league one can contain @argyle without fouling and shirt grabbing. Get it overturned.
@taylorjhn1: EFL refs are genuinely hopeless…
@Robpafc: Absolute joke. The ref is SHIT #pafc
@ChiIdishDanbino: unbelievably poor officiating.. praying we can get this overturned 🫠 #pafc
@Ryan_Matt98: Wtf is going on hahaah
@NikPAFC: Do refs actually get picked up by a board for the these horrific decisions? I don’t think he’s ever seen a game of football. #PAFC #COYG #UTBA
@Howey1993: Question is, how do you send both players off for a dangerous tackle from both, then give a free kick to one of the players that was sent off 🤨 #pafc
@lesleyasom: I hope both managers appeal the red cards. Should not have been given #pafc
@RoyalNavySNY: What is this referee doing??? Accidental clash of knees, and 2 red cards??? Shocking decision @ArgyleTV #pafc @Argyle
@callummorris_: surely that red gets over turned? Scarr made more of an effort for the ball then the other guy #pafc @Argyle
@Gemmaaa1603: The quality of officials at this level is honestly disgusting. Thought I’d seen the worst but evidently not #pafc
@drucey_1994: Hair is having a mare #pafc
@TheGreenJanner: Ref doesn’t have a clue!!
@GlynnMoody13: The ref we had against #swfc was terrible but this ref today is even worse. Did the FA get this ref from wish?!?! #pafc
@DanPAFC10: If the EFL don’t overturn those reds the game is fucked 😂 #pafc #asfc
This was worth a red card apiece? Can you even tell which way the free kick went? 🤷🏽♂️ Baffling decision. #pafc pic.twitter.com/1dGl1c2oFa
— Matt D (@M_dubzz) October 9, 2022
@EFL can you explain why the level of referees in the lower leagues is so abysmal?
This is a 50/50 challenge at most! how can both players get a red card, then give a free kick to @Argyle for the foul?
Something needs to change week in week our poor decisions!#pafc #EFL pic.twitter.com/57CEyPOmvJ
— Ryan Graham (@ryangraham123) October 8, 2022
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