Ayr United skipper Mark Roberts slams red card for keeper

Aug 20 2010 by Mike WIlson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

SICKENED Mark Roberts claimed he felt like quitting football after the worstdecision he has ever seen.

The skipper branded a bizzare red card for keeper David Crawford as a disgrace and added: "It has wrecked my head."

Crawford was sent packing with ten minutes to go – with Ayr 2-0 up – when he stood his ground at the edge of the box after sub striker Ryan Donnelly ran into him.

But to everyone's astonishment, ref Steve Nicholls flashed a red card at Crawford and awarded a penalty which Ryan Wallace converted.

An emotional Roberts, who put Ayr ahead with a super double, hit out: "In the 19 years I have played, I have never seen anything like that. It's embarrassing.

"I don't care if I get into trouble – it was a disgrace. How can you send off a goalkeeper for protecting himself?

"He has picked up the ball and the guy runs into him and he gets sent off. It's unbelievable."

Roberts fizzed: "If I had enough money I would have retired today, it was that bad. I can't put up with that every week.

"If he hadn't sent off our goalie we would have won the game comfortably. I then got booked for running up to him - I was only going to ask the question why he had sent him off.

"He turned round and said his linesman had flagged. I then got subbed but I probably would have lost the plot.

"Now we have to look forward to next week because some of the stuff we played was decent.

"I was delighted to get two goals but I had a good chance in the first-half for my hat-trick. But we should have killed the game."

Roberts pounced after only five minutes when he slammed home a perfect cross from Alan Trouten.

Ayr had a scare three minutes later when Tony Watt headed a Fraser Keast cross off the bar with Crawford beaten.

Airdrie faced a mountain after 27 minutes when Jamie Bain, who had been booked three minutes earlier, was shown a straight red for chopping down Trouten after he raced through the middle.

It should have been all over in 73 minutes when Roberts smashed home his second after Stephen Reynolds wriggled along the touchline and cut the ball back.

Then came the moment of madness when Crawford was dismissed when most people expected Donnelly to be booked for running into the keeper. The striker didn’t even claim a foul against him.

Reynolds was sacrificed with Ryan McWilliams taking the gloves only to be beaten as Ryan Wallace fired home the spot-kick.

Airdrie now had the momentum and in 85 minutes they drew level when Donnelly got on the end of a poor clearance to crash the ball home in a crowded penalty box.

Even then the red card drama wasn't over and Wallace was sent off in the final minute for a lunge on Dean Keenan, despite the Ayr man’s appeal for leniency.

The officious Mr Nicholls also found cause to send Ayr assistant Scott MacKenzie and Airdrie physio Michael McLaughlin up the tunnel.

Boss Brian Reid claimed: "Their player ran into our goalie and there wasn't even a punch. We were 2-0 up and then it was a comedy show. Airdrie couldn't believe their luck. Three points were cruelly taken from us."

STAR MEN: ***Mark Roberts; **Alan Trouten; *Scott McLaughlin.

AIRDRIE - Ridgers; Bain, Grant, Stallard, Gibson, Devlin, Keast (McGregor 46), McCord, Watt (Wallace 61), Gemmill, Johnston (Donnelly 74). Unused subs: Burns, Corvi; Booked: Bain, Gemmill, Devlin.

AYR - Crawford; Tiffoney, Keenan, Campbell, Smith; Trouten, McLaughlin, McKeown, Easton (Connolly 77); Reynolds (McWilliams 80), Roberts (Robertson 83). Unused subs: Woodburn, Milligan; Booked: McKeown, Easton, Keenan; Sent off: Crawford.

Referee - Steven Nicholls; Crowd - 1127.