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

Behind the Whistle aims to give supporters of EFL clubs an insight into decision-making considerations but also clarity on certain appeals to understand how the laws of the game are interpreted.

As part of a regular feature on Aerial sports At the end of a match day, Foy will be there to explain some refereeing issues in the EFL…

Sky Bet Championship

Preston North End 1-3 Bristol City

Incident – Goal scored, possible handball (Bristol City)

Decision – Goal awarded, handball missed (Bristol City)

Fox says: It was undoubtedly the decision that attracted the most attention throughout the championship weekend, as Bristol City scored a goal, thanks to a handball in the build-up.

As the ball is returned to the Preston North End keeper by a teammate, it is closed down by Bristol City’s Yu Hirakawa, the attacking player then uses his arm to pass the ball past the keeper before tapping it into the empty net.

Although it is clear from review of replays, there is evidence that the attacker is deliberately using his hand, giving him an unfair advantage. It is extremely difficult for the referee to have a clear view of the incident in real time, given the proximity of the three players involved in the ball challenge.

This presents a real challenge for him to conclusively identify the point of contact with the ball and the attacker’s actions, whilst also being difficult for the assistant referee to see if an arm was used due to his angle and its distance from the far side. of the land.

Although the correct decision would of course have been to overturn the goal and warn Hirakawa for deliberate handball, without the certainty of penalizing a handball foul, the referee allows the game to continue as he cannot guess.

Hull City 1-1 Portsmouth

Incident – Possible sanction, fault (Portsmouth)

Decision – No penalty, no foul (Portsmouth)

Fox says: This is a good clip for all aspiring officials as it shows the importance of reading the game and the referee’s movements.

By creating an angle here and moving to the left, the referee can determine that this contact between Portsmouth midfielder Callum Lang and Hull City’s Xavier Simons was initiated by the attacking player.

The anticipation and movement creates the opportunity for the referee to recognize that Lang is moving his foot into the path of the Hull player, creating contact. Therefore, he correctly signals to continue play and does not award a penalty kick.

Queens Park Rangers 0-0 Sunderland

Incident – Possible red card, serious foul play (Sunderland)

Decision – Red card awarded (Sunderland)

Fox says: This is a good example of a referee being calm, thoughtful and taking positive action.

As Sunderland’s Jobe Bellingham’s late tackle comes in, the referee takes a breath, taking time to process what he saw before showing the Sunderland man the red card.

This decision is also completely correct, because the challenge is met with strength and intensity, in addition to having a high and complete contact point. The player has nothing to complain about and is rightly dismissed for serious misconduct having endangered the safety of his opponent.

Stoke City 2-1 Derby County

Incident – Possible red card, second warning (Derby County)

Decision – No second warning (Derby County)

Fox says: Derby County’s Nat Phillips is lucky to stay on the pitch here as he avoids a second yellow card for a foul entering the penalty box.

Once the pass is released by Stoke City’s Jun-Ho Bae, who is then caught, the referee correctly allows play to continue as Stoke can benefit from a very clear, very promising opportunity.

The challenge was clearly reckless, which is why the referee would then have to come back and warn the Derby County player, which would have ultimately resulted in a red card being issued.

Sheffield Wednesday 2-6 Watford

Incident – ​​Possible penalty, handball (Watford)

Decision – Penalty awarded, handball (Watford)

Fox says: This is some outstanding officiating from the referee here, rightly awarding Watford a penalty for handball.

As the ball passes into the box, Sheffield Wednesday defender Di’Shon Bernard attempts to head the ball away, but misses; however, it expands with the movement of his left arm, which is what the ball actually hits.

It’s still difficult for the referee to identify due to the nature of the header attempt but he takes his time before correctly pointing the point. The replays show what a good decision it was, one that wasn’t easy to spot in real time.