Ref's baffling display leaves Rams puzzled and angry after rousing end to clash
Monday 03 November 2008
Three chaotic minutes stole the thunder from Emanuel Villa at the end of Derby County’s clash with Nottingham Forest yesterday.
The Argentine striker scored at both ends in the 1-1 draw at Pride Park Stadium.
His own goal put Forest ahead 10 minutes after break, before he equalised 11 minutes later.
But Villa was upstaged by three minutes of stoppage-time madness, in which referee Stuart Attwell played the lead role.
Attwell had reduced Forest to 10 men when he showed Lewis McGugan a red card for a reckless tackle on Paul Green 16 minutes from time and the Reds were digging in when the full-house witnessed one of the most bizarre of finishes to a Championship encounter ever seen.
Derby had two goals disallowed, both headers from Miles Addison, and a Nacer Barazite penalty saved by one of their ex-players and life-long fan, Lee Camp, who is currently on loan at Forest from Queens Park Rangers.
Addison’s first header was chalked off because Attwell had spotted an earlier hand ball by Luke Chambers and awarded the Rams their first spot kick of the season.
With Nathan Ellington off the field, Barazite stepped up but put his effort slightly too close to Camp, who still made a good save diving to his right.
From the corner, Camp plunged to his left to keep out Villa’s firm header with an excellent stop. From the resulting corner, Addison set the net billowing with an unstoppable header.
The Stadium erupted. Everybody thought Derby had won it. Everybody that is apart from Attwell.
Attwell, the youngest referee in Premier League history, is no stranger to controvsersy. The 25-year-old was in charge of the fixture between Watford and Reading at Vicarage Road in September which featured the “goal that never was”.
Yesterday, he left players and spectators puzzled by his decisions on the penalty and Addison’s second disallowed goal amid chaotic scenes.
Boos rang out for the Warwickshire official on the final whistle – louder than the predictable flak received by Camp, Robert Earnshaw and Kris Commons during the game – and Derby felt a win had been snatched from them.
But their performance fell well below the standard they reached in beating Norwich City in their previous outing, although they did show character to recover from a goal down and have now lost only once in 11 matches.
They had to overcome a blow going into the game when they lost key defender Martin Albrechtsen to a hamstring injury. Dean Leacock returned from a calf strain to partner Lewin Nyatanga at centre-back and Barazite was fit again after a knee problem but Paul Jewell opted to stick with Gary Teale on the right.
All the pre-match build-up surrounding the occasion, the first League meeting between the clubs in almost four years, appeared to affect the players because the first half was desperate.
There was passion and pace but no composure or quality. The contest moved too quickly for most of the players. Quite what the impartial viewer made of it sat watching on the television in the comfort and warmth of their front room is anybody’s guess.
A swirling wind made conditions tricky, although the players made it more difficult for themselves by punting the ball in the air on too many occasions, rather than trying to keep it on the ground.
Neither goalkeeper made a save in the opening 45 minutes as both defences stood firm.
Ian Breckin was a rock at the back for the visitors and he made a timely interception to turn Commons’ low centre behind as Rob Hulse closed in. Green’s drive was blocked by Paul Anderson and the Rams suffered a setback when Hulse went off with a rib injury.
Addison and Carl Fletcher received yellow cards after squaring up to each other, it was Addison’s fifth of the season and he will now serve a one-match ban.
Anderson sent a shot from the edge of the area flashing over before Nathan Ellington, leaning back, lifted a half-volley high over at the other end.
They were the highlights but, fortunately, a football match broke out in the second half.
Stephen Bywater produced a smart save low down by his left-hand post to deny McGugan and from the corner, Bywater parried Chambers’ close-range shot only to see the ball strike Villa and bounce into his own net.
McGugan, sneaking in at the back post, was inches away from turning in Joel Garner’s cross to make it two as Forest sniffed their first win at Derby since 1994.
But the Rams hit back after 66 minutes through Villa.
Barazite flicked on Commons’ free kick and Villa stuck his leg out to divert the ball wide of Camp.
His celebration was fuelled by the joy of notching only his second goal of the campaign and relief at cancelling out his own goal.
Attwell seemed in control of the game in the first half but things slipped away from him, alarmingly so.
Yellow cards accompanied almost every foul and the red was out for McGugan’s challenge, although that could also have been a yellow. Attwell finished with a total of eight yellows and a red. He will not want to read the papers today.
Once McGugan had walked, Derby sensed the three points and bragging rights could be theirs.
They pressed and Camp clawed away a cross from Barazite, held a low shot from the same player and pushed a Jordan Stewart centre over.
Then came the late fireworks.
Twice Addison thought he had scored his first goal for Derby only for Attwell to decide otherwise.
There were no appeals from the players for a penalty on the first and television replays failed to spot a push on the second, the reason given by Attwell for not allowing the goal.
“He’s seen a push but he’s just guessing, isn’t he?” said an angry Jewell.
“Obvious push,” was the tongue-in-cheek response of Forest boss Colin Calderwood when asked about the incident.
Barazite’s big moment was ruined by the impressive Camp, who walked away with the man-of-the-match award on his first return to Pride Park, where he made his name.
To his credit, Barazite stepped forward and offered to take the pressure penalty and so it would be harsh to criticise the 18-year-old for failing to convert but should a more experienced player not have taken the ball?
A draw means the Brian Clough Trophy remains in Derby’s hands as they already held it.