“You can’t have referees making mistakes like that” – Chesterfield to appeal defender’s ban

“You can’t have referees making mistakes like that” – Chesterfield plan to appeal their defender’s ban after getting sent off at Dorking.

The National League fixture on the opening weekend of the 2022/23 season produced a number of headlines, and the latest to come from it sees Paul Cook not happy with defender Branden Horton getting a second yellow for something he had hardly been involved with.

The 21 year old left-back was given marching orders from the referee on his debut, meaning he can’t be involved with this weekend’s home game against Aldershot Town.

Horton got a second yellow, deep into stoppage time, apparently for time-wasting, yet video replays says different. And while clubs usually can’t appeal yellow cards, it seems this incident could be allowed due to mistaken identity.

“We have got one or two injuries around but that is the same as every other club,” manager Paul Cook said as per Derbyshire Times.

“We have also got the suspensions from last week.

“With Branden’s, we have been trying to make some kind of logic out of a totally illogical situation where a lad has been sent off that has just nothing to do with the lad.

“Whether we can get that overturned or not remains to be seen, there are different sorts of conversations going on.

“You can’t have referees making mistakes like that and it costing the club, that is not correct, it can’t be correct, and it is something that we are still knocking on the door about.”

After being questioned if they was hope that Horton’s second yellow might be overturned, Cook said he was not.

“But you know what I would like more than anything? Maybe an apology from the referee.

“I have had feedback, and the feedback was probably what I expected it to be – that is what a completely wrong decision – and that it should have possibly been, if anyone, Laurence Maguire maybe that should have been booked. But certainly not Branden Horton in any way shape or form.”

Chesterfield are trying to get Branden Horton’s suspension scrapped so he can play against Aldershot this Saturday.

Talks are ongoing:https://t.co/9wRIyG5Kua #Spireites

— Liam Norcliffe (@LiamNorcliffe) August 11, 2022

Meanwhile, Chesterfield are to sign a new goalkeeper, especially as cover or the potential long term replacement of Lucas Covolan who also got a red card for an off-the-ball incident.

With the scoreline at 1-0 to the Spireites thanks to Akwasi Asante’s 18th-minute opener, debutant goalkeeper Covolan, on loan from Port Vale, was handed a straight red after initially rushing off his line.

With no substitute goalkeeper on the bench, midfielder Ollie Banks had to play over 60 minutes in between the sticks.

Cook had strong words for Covolan after the game, then sympathised more with Horton, claiming referee Wayne Cartmel’s decision was a ‘joke.’

🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/npCfbKkcte

— Edward Brunt (@edward_brunt) August 6, 2022

“Discipline, for any team to be successful, is paramount and today we have let ourselves down with our discipline and we will deal with it, it is as simple as that,” Cook said.

“If Lucas has made a decision it is probably a decision which has probably cost us a win.

“It is something that Lucas will learn from quickly, if he doesn’t learn quickly he won’t be at the club, it is that simple.

“We have to come away from home and be able to trust our players, it doesn’t mean that they play well, but we trust them.

“But I have got to go on record and say the Branden’s (Horton) second yellow is one of the biggest jokes I have seen in football.

“The game is over, the time is up, Branden is not involved in the incident, Laurence Maguire has hold of the ball, he rolls it down the line to me, I put my foot on it and he gives Branden a second yellow card and a red.

“A little bit of criticism is that the league has decided to appoint someone who has never refereed at this level before for a game of this magnitude today, which was always going to be a spicy game, so surely we should have had an experienced referee.

“Fair play to the referee, I have had a chat with him after the game. We had a very amicable chat. I just didn’t get Branden’s sending-off, I just don’t get how he can give a decision like that with the game over to a lad who is not involved in an incident. So the referees have got to learn, I am all for them learning, and we lick our wounds and go away.”