Championship rivals Middlesbrough have escaped FA punishment for a horrible Hayden Hackney foul, while Wrexham’s James McClean got a three-game ban for a Swansea City incident.
With over a day left for the PNE game, most Red Dragons are entering our mandatory ‘frame-by-frame autopsy’ period for the Boxing Day win.
Now, an 8-goal encounter that was one for the history books demands several rewatches. While our biased replay helps meet this, it additionally serves a purpose worth noting by FA officials.
Thankfully, Wrexham ended on the winning side, but if that hadn’t happened, the fans knew who to blame for it. Definitely their defence, and a sloppy midfield, but above all, the on-field referee for his questionable calls.
Chances are that you would have forgotten, but Wrexham were denied two penalty calls as detailed in ESPN’s match report. And while the second instance could still be spared, the bizarre incident where ref Andrew Kitchen sidelined Ollie Arblaster’s handball would go down as one of the strangest ones ever.
Notably, Arblaster intended to appeal for a Wrexham offside and ended up contacting the ball clearly enough. Still, that didn’t convince Kitchen, who would signal for the offside before the linesman intervened and all while overlooking the handball committed.
The only reason the case isn’t being discussed enough is that Wrexham headed home with a massive 5-3 win. Still, the win celebration hasn’t cooled out the fans’ anger as they unite in demanding a retrospection for another bizarre moment that happened this matchday.
Hackney escapes a 3-game ban McClean suffers
No Dragons fan would’ve forgotten how FA condemned Captain James McClean for violent conduct against Swansea’s Ronald. Keeping biases aside, everyone would agree that the action deserved punishment and rightly so.
The startling part is that Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney committed a 10x more violent act than McClean and got away with a mere booking.
In Boro’s latest draw against Blackburn, Hackney crashed out after losing possession and launched a lethal kick on Taylor Gardner-Hickman. The Boro star wouldn’t stop here, as he got involved in a heated face-off too, but only to be given a warning by ref James Bell.
Still, what tops the chart is that Bell was literally standing out at an arm’s distance when all this happened. Rightly so, his decision is being called out by almost all Championship followers, with Wrexham fans demanding a fair jurisdiction like the FA did in McClean’s incident.
Recently, The Ref’s View posted a clear clip depicting the scenario, quoting with: “That is as a clear Red Card as you will ever see. Deliberate act of kicking an opponent. Violent Conduct”
FA won’t punish Hackney’s violent crash-out
I know…I know, this hurts, Wrexham fans. But the unfiltered, non-sugar-coated truth is that FA can’t intervene in Hayden Hackney’s incident, even if they get multiple complaints lodged.
That’s because Hackney’s case differs from McClean’s incident fundamentally. When the Irishman kicked Ronald, the on-field referee didn’t issue him any warnings or a booking.
Agreed, McClean was on a yellow and any card would’ve him sent off, but no momentary punishment made his case eligible for FA’s retrospective action. Ultimately, what could’ve been a 1-2 game suspension at max ended up being a 3-game ban for the Wrexham Captain.
Well, here’s where Hayden Hackney and Boro got the edge. Having been issued a yellow by the on-field referee for his conduct, his case isn’t a retrospective one that demands review. Stamping off the on-game ref’s authority, it wouldn’t be a surprise if FA officials turn a deaf ear to any related complaint.
Still, as they say, no one gets away with wrongdoing, and probably that’s what happened. Hackney may have gotten away with a short-term ban, but that didn’t help his side, who were restricted to a 0-0 draw by Rovers.
Wrexham, on the other hand, not only won but might’ve found an excellent wing-back in McClean’s place. Let’s focus on the upcoming Preston game now, please.
