Inside the Referee's Mind: Chris Foy Reveals Insider Secrets of EFL Decisions, Unveiling Controversial Preston, Rotherham, and Bolton Calls
Former Premier League referee Chris Foy dissects the latest EFL decisions, analyzing matches across the Championship, League One, and League Two From Bristol City vs Preston to Stoke vs Preston, Bolton vs Lincoln to Wycombe vs Exeter City, and Crawley vs Bradford to Tranmere vs Barrow, Foy provides expert insight into the key moments and controversial calls
The EFL is back and along with it comes the Behind the Whistle feature. This feature is hosted by former Premier League referee Chris Foy, who analyzes and discusses important match decisions from the first weekend of the Sky Bet Championship, League One, and League Two.
Behind the Whistle offers EFL club supporters a valuable insight into the decision-making process and provides clarification on specific calls, allowing a better understanding of how the game's rules are interpreted.
As part of our regular feature on We following the conclusion of a matchday, Foy will be here to provide you with extensive insights into refereeing matters in the EFL, starting with the following....
Sky Bet Championship
Bristol City 1-1 Preston North End
Incident: Goal scored - potential handball (Preston)
Decision: Goal awarded (Preston)
Regarding Preston North End's equalising goal and a possible handball in the build-up, Foy explains that not all ball-arm contacts are considered handball offenses. In this instance, although the ball unintentionally touches the hand of Preston's No 10, it does not directly affect the goal itself. Preston's No 25 proceeds to flick the ball towards Preston's eventual goalscorer, No 7.
In accordance with the game regulations, the decision to validate the goal was justifiable. It is only in cases where a goal is scored immediately following an unintentional handball by an attacking player that a penalty is imposed.
Stoke City 4-1 Rotherham United
Incident: Potential red card - second yellow card (Rotherham)
Decision: Red card awarded - second yellow card (Rotherham)
Foy believes that overall, this challenge doesn't deserve a yellow card to be issued.
However, the referee interpreted the tackling motion as resembling a scissor-like action, which led him to make the swift decision that it was a reckless move, warranting a yellow card.
However, considering the velocity and the nature of the contact being just a glancing one, I believe it would be more prudent to issue a final warning to the defender.
Sky Bet League One
Bolton Wanderers 3-0 Lincoln City
Incident: Goal scored - Potential goal-kick (Bolton)The corner was given - Resulted in a goal being scored by Bolton.
Foy believes: In my opinion, the right call would have been to award a goal-kick. After reviewing the replay, it is evident that the last touch before the ball went out of play came from the Bolton attacker.
Wycombe Wanderers 0-3 Exeter City
Despite the presence of two defenders obstructing the officials' view, I believe that given their high performance standards, this should have been acknowledged as a goal-kick by the officials collectively.Incident: Potential penalty (Wycombe)
Decision: Penalty not awarded (Wycombe)
Foy argues that although there was contact between the defender and the attacker, there was no significant action that would sufficiently affect the attacker to result in a trip. Referees now have a higher standard for making these decisions and consider the actions of both the defender and the attacker, as well as the consequences of the contact. Not every instance of contact is considered a foul. Based on these factors, I believe that this decision was correct.
Sky Bet League Two
Crawley Town 1-0 Bradford City
Incident: Potential red card - second caution (Bradford City)
Result: Bradford City receives a red card for a second caution. Foy explains that although a foul was committed, the defender took a risk considering they had already been cautioned earlier in the game. However, the challenge was an upper-body one and not necessarily a reckless tackle. Additionally, the presence of a covering defender should be taken into account, making it not a clear promising attack either.
Tranmere Rovers 1-2 Barrow
Incident: Potential penalty (Tranmere)Similar to the Stoke City vs Rotherham incident, in my opinion, a more favorable resolution would have been to engage in a conversation with the player from Bradford City instead of administering a second yellow card.
Decision: Penalty awarded (Tranmere)
Foy says: This is quite a straightforward decision and the referee has got it spot on.
In the end, the defending player has been slightly slower in responding to the ball entering the box compared to the attacking player. As the attacking player reaches the ball first, there is an unavoidable collision resulting in a trip, and therefore, the penalty was rightfully given.
