Untangling the Whistle: Chris Foy Debunks EFL Decisions Implicating Leeds, Birmingham, and Portsmouth

In Behind the Whistle, Chris Foy, a former Premier League referee, analyzes significant match decisions from recent games in the Sky Bet Championship, League One, and League Two.

The purpose of Behind the Whistle is to offer EFL club supporters an understanding of the factors considered in decision-making and provide clarification on specific calls, thereby explaining the interpretation of the laws of the game.

As part of a regular feature on We following the conclusion of a matchday, Foy will be here to run you through some refereeing matters in the EFL.

Sky Bet Championship

Leeds United 2-1 Bristol City

Incident: Goal scored, potential offside (Leeds United)

Decision: Goal disallowed

Foy explains that decision-making in a crowded penalty area is always difficult for officials, especially when the ball is volleyed towards goal by Sam Byram (25) and the eventual goal scorer, Georginio (24), is standing just beyond the second-to-last opponent in an offside position. Although Georginio doesn't touch Byram's initial shot, he visibly tries to play the ball and significantly affects the Bristol City goalkeeper's ability to make a save. The goalkeeper's delay results in him spilling Byram's shot, allowing Georginio to tap the loose ball into the net.

There are two instances of offside here. Firstly, Georginio's initial action has a clear impact on the Bristol City goalkeeper's attempt to make the save. Secondly, after the save, Georginio gains an advantage by being in an offside position and subsequently scoring the tap-in. The officials make a good call in recognizing these offside offenses.

Birmingham City 3-1 West Bromwich Albion

Incident: Penalty awarded (Birmingham City)

Penalty given

Foy states: BIR11and WBA4 both go for the ball, resulting in a penalty being awarded to WBA4. This is an uncommon scenario where BIR11 seems to slip, and WBA4 unintentionally makes contact due to his momentum. In my opinion, the penalty is the wrong decision. The referee misunderstands the situation and would have benefited from obtaining a better vantage point. It is actually a situation where both players lose their balance and collide, and the preferable choice would be to allow the game to proceed.

Sky Bet League One

Portsmouth 2-0 Port Vale

Incident: Possible offside (Portsmouth)

Decision: Goal awarded.

Foy explains that the assistant referee's task is to determine if Portsmouth's No 9 was positioned closer to the goal line than the second-to-last opponent when the ball was last played by a teammate. It is important to acknowledge that the Port Vale goalkeeper, who had advanced from his line in an effort to collect the initial cross, is considered the second rearmost defender.

When the ball comes back across goal, the attacking player is in line with the goalkeeper and therefore is onside and the correct decision made.

Sky Bet League Two

Colchester 1-3 Morecambe

Incident: Red card (Morecambe)

Decision: Red card

Foy states that the teamwork exhibited by the officials in this particular incident is exemplary. Following the initial altercation between James Connolly from Morecambe and Colchester's Samson Tovide, a free-kick is granted to Colchester and the game swiftly resumes. Although the referee shifts their focus to the evolving phase of play at this point, both players involved in the altercation remain on the ground. As Connolly rises to his feet, he deliberately stomps on Tovide, an action that is promptly noticed by the assistant referee. The assistant referee immediately alerts the referee to this violent conduct, resulting in a red card being shown to Connolly.

Mansfield 0-0 AFC Wimbledon

Incident: Goal decision (Mansfield)

Decision: Goal not awarded

Foy commends the officials for making a commendable decision. The penalty is struck with force, causing the goalkeeper to push it onto the crossbar. The ball rebounds downwards, then upwards, striking the bar once more before being successfully retrieved by the goalkeeper. With an abundance of information to consider within a mere fraction of a second, the ball ultimately fails to cross the goal line, leading the match officials to correctly permit play to carry on.