‘The referees have been awful in this league’ is what Dartford boss Alan Dowson had to say on a red card in the 2-1 defeat to Chelmsford.
It all got rather chaotic in the National League South meeting between the two sides in midweek, but it was the standard of refereeing that came into question from the Darts manager.
Harvey Bradbury received marching orders in the 60th minute following a scuffle, with Dartford tweeting: “Absolute chaos here at Princes Park as play finally resumes. Fights breaking about between the two teams as the referee [Nick Dunn] loses complete control of the game. Too many cards to keep count of, one thing sure here is that Bradbury is off.” Ochieng and Coulson also have entered the book.
Chelmsford summed up the incident by saying in their match report: “A manic 10 minutes or so followed Ruff’s eventual winner. A break in play following a nasty clash of heads between two Dartford players sparked a manic confrontation between both sets of players, caused by an elbow on Luke Jenkins from Darts forward Harvey Bradbury prior to the clash of heads. Bradbury was handed a straight red card for this offence, and play eventually resumed.”
“Nobody’s seen it, that’s what it is,” Dartford’s Alan Dowson said post-match, as per KentOnline. “The referee hasn’t seen Harvey do anything tonight, the referee says the linesman did and the linesman says he didn’t and Harvey gets sent off. So why did he get the red card?
“100 per cent it was the reaction of the players. It’s pathetic. Are they going to do anything about one of their supporters running onto the pitch?
“I’m lost for words on it, I think it’s scandalous, I think it’s proper scandalous. I do.”
“I’ve got my lad Joash who has to go to hospital now and he never saw that one, did he?
“His cheek has swelled right up. I’m not saying Harvey hasn’t done it as I haven’t seen the video yet but no one’s seen that one.
“My lad has to come off with concussion and go to hospital but that’s all right?
“If Harvey’s done him then he deserved to get sent off. The video will tell. It’s got to go both ways.”
Dowson ended up getting a yellow card by the referee, to which he adds: “I shouted to the referee to ‘get a grip’, that’s what I shouted. My lad has to go to hospital with a big bump by his eye so the referee has to get a grip of the game. He hasn’t and I think the referee is a disgrace.
“They have this respect campaign but how can you respect that? I’ve no problem with getting beaten in the game, that’s my fault. But how can you respect referees when they go on like that. I don’t know how we do it.
“They’ve come in with power, and I think it’s gone to their heads. I got booked for saying ‘get a grip’, that’s all I said.
“So, I get booked for that when my lad is going to hospital now and I’ve had someone sent off, I’ve got a right to say get a grip. If I can’t do that, then it’s scandalous.
“They’re disgraceful. They put jobs on the line.
“The other day (at Hemel) I got sent off when the linesman swore at Joash. The linesman swears at Joash so I said to him ‘you’ve just told my player to f*** off, so you f*** off’ and I get sent off. I take responsibility for that, I’ll take the punishment for that.
“But what about the linesman, who did it right in front of the assessor by the way, told my player to ‘f*** off’. Does he not get done? And what about the goal that should have stood?
“Everybody gets away with it apart from the managers. We lose our jobs from it, we get suspended, and they don’t get all that.
“If they come to me and say ‘Dowse, did you swear at the referee?’. I’ll say ‘yes, I did, because the linesman swore in front of the assessor to one of my players’. If that’s the case do me, but do the referee as well.”
“I’ll say it on record, I think the referees have been awful in this league.”@dartfordfc boss Alan Dowson talks National League South refereeing standards after their game with Chelmsford last night had one main talking point 👇https://t.co/gtYhpWnqkq
— KentOnline Sport (@KentOnlineSport) November 8, 2023
Dartford sit 13th, with 22 points from 17 games played, 3 points from the playoffs but those above them have games in hand, Chelmsford, sit 7th with 25 points from 16 games played.
DARTFORD: Mitchell Beeney, Jordan Wynter, Tyrell Miller-Rodney, Baris Altintop, Luke Coulson (c), Paul Rooney, Lewis Manor, Maxwell Statham, Joash Nembhard, Harvey Bradbury, Moussa Diarra.
SUBSTITUTES: Luke Allen, Tom Wray, Archie Woods, Brandon Barzey, Jayden Boulton.
CHELMSFORD: Josh Oluwayemi, Cameron James, Samir Carruthers, Finley Barbrook, Luke Jenkins, Jermaine Francis, Charlie Ruff, Freddie Hockey, Josh Castiglione, Zech Obiero, Henry Ochieng.
SUBSTITUTES: Anthony Wordsworth, Callum Jones, Jazzi Barnum-Bobb, Ody Alfa, Kenny Coker.

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