Behind the Whistle: Former Premier League referee Chris Foy explains the latest EFL decisions

In Behind the Whistle, former Premier League referee Chris Foy goes through a selection of key match decisions from the latest Sky Bet Championship, League One and League Two action.

Behind the Whistle aims to give supporters of EFL clubs an insight into the decision-making considerations and also clarification of certain calls to provide an understanding of how the laws of the game are interpreted.

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

Stoke City 0-3 Norwich City

Incident: Possible offside (Norwich City)

Decision: Goal awarded – no offside (Norwich City)

Foy says: “This is an excellent example of the challenge assistant referees can face when making offside judgements in real-time, as we see two decisions correct on-field decisions in quick succession.

“The first phase of play sees the ball played through to the Norwich no. 7, with the Stoke defender attempting to play him offside. The play develops at speed and with the pace of transition – this is a brilliant judgement to keep the flag down.

“Norwich’s no. 7 then plays the ball in front of no. 9 to tap home, but as you can see, the goal scorer is behind the ball when the pass is made, therefore he is onside, and it is the correct decision to keep the flag down and award the goal.”

Plymouth Argyle 0-1 Preston North End

Incident: Possible red card (Plymouth Argyle)

Decision: Yellow card (Plymouth Argyle)

Foy says: “As the Plymouth Argyle no. 14 takes a heavy touch, the refereeing team need to be aware of the potential for two opposing players coming into the challenge. The Plymouth no. 14 commits to a challenge and there are trigger signs for the referee to be aware of.

“The challenge is made from distance and at high speed. In addition, the Plymouth no. 14 is airborne which generates more force when coming into the tackle. With all the factors put together, this is a challenge made with excessive force and endangers the safety of his opponent.

“The correct course of action would have been to show a straight red card for serious foul play.”

Fleetwood Town 1-1 Charlton Athletic

Incident: Possible penalty – foul (Charlton Athletic)

Decision: Penalty awarded (Charlton Athletic)

Foy says: “With this type of incident, it is vital that the referee is certain that there has been contact with consequence before pointing to the spot.

“In real-time, it appears that the Charlton no. 9 has anticipated the contact coming and gone down, however the clip shows that it is absolutely the right decision.

“Fleetwood’s no. 26 swings a boot in an attempt to play the ball; however he makes contact with the Charlton player, and no contact with the ball. As the referee is in a good position to see the contact and consequence, he is correct to award the penalty.”

Lincoln City 5-0 Bristol Rovers

Incident: Possible offside (Lincoln City)

Decision: Goal awarded – no offside (Lincoln City)

Foy says: “The decision to keep the flag down here was one of several in this fixture that the assistant referee got absolutely spot on.

“In this clip, it is all about the timing of the pass and movement of the player, which is very well read by the assistant referee.

“As the Lincoln no. 9 makes a run in behind, the Bristol Rovers no. 2 attempts to step up and play him off, but the assistant referee holds the line perfectly to make the right call.”

Accrington Stanley 2-2 Notts County

Incident: Possible penalty (Accrington Stanley)

Decision: Caution for Simulation (Accrington Stanley)

Foy says: “In the dying embers of a game that is in the balance, the referee shows very good concentration and clarity of thought to correctly conclude that Accrington no. 5 is guilty of an act of simulation.

“Although there is quite clearly no contact on him, it would have been easy to allow play to continue and potentially lead to a chance.

“The referee does extremely well to identify the simulation and issues the yellow card with positive body language, restarting the game with an indirect free-kick to Notts County.”

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