Stamp out costly red cards (From Worcester News)

Stamp out costly red cards

10:00am Wednesday 17th October 2012 in Sport Photograph of the Author By Steve Carley, @stevecarleyWN

CHARLIE REECE: Starts a three-match ban on Saturday.

QUESTION: What do Matt Breeze, Charlie Reece, Greg Mills, Lee Ayres and Rob Elvins have in common?

Answer: They have all been sent off playing for Worcester City this season.

Red cards have certainly become a feature of Worcester’s matches — there have been three in the last three — and to have clocked up five by mid-October is going some.

Especially when you consider that City only had two players sent off last term and six in the 2010-11 campaign.

‘We’re not a dirty team’ or ‘they’re not that kind of player’ are the stock responses which are often offered when presented with such figures.

I personally think those cliches apply to City this season but, nevertheless, the statistics don’t make happy reading.

Whether the red card is for two yellows, as Elvins’ was last Saturday, or for a late challenge like the one that led to Reece receiving his marching orders at Weston, it will still get you suspended.

City will be without Reece for Saturday’s FA Cup trip to Bromley and he will be joined on the sidelines by both Ayres and Elvins at Boston United on October 27.

With a relatively small squad, and ambitions of success, these are bans City can’t afford.

It is easy to criticise the referee, and I have done so before, but five red cards, and 17 bookings in 14 games, suggests more than just not getting the rub of the green.

It would be unfair to say City have a discipline problem but manager Carl Heeley will know the current trend has to stop.

Comments(5)

CityBlueBoy says...
12:04pm Wed 17 Oct 12

Steve, How many of those do you actually think were in fact red cards in your opinion??

Charlie didnt touch the goalkeeper, Ayres red card was very soft.

Elvins was a 50/50 and it was the other player who went in with both feet.

And Mills was unlucky with a tangle of the feet for his second booking.

The only justified (Going by the commentary of the game as I wasnt there) would have been Matt Breeze.

Blue Square North is a physical league and cards will appear but it all depends what the offical classes as a red card challenge on the day.

Yes its true we will be without 3 players for the trip to Boston but remember last season we had a number of key players out for the trip to Boston and we came away with the points, in Blue Square South we went to Dover midweek with several players missing and couldnt fill the bench, I think we had young Mark Owen up front. We were not given a chance to get anything down there and again took all the points, Matt Birley, Danny Edwards, Stuart Whitehead, Michael Taylor will all be able to fill in so I still think we can get something.