Exeter City boss Matt Taylor is seeking clarification over a decision made by referee Brett Huxtable in the Grecians 3-1 defeat by Grimsby Town last week.
Huxtable will be the man in the middle for Sunderland’s visit to Lincoln on Saturday but his performance at Exeter left Taylor seeking further explanation on the referees interpratation of a rule that saw his team down to ten men while defending the Grimsby corner which led to the Mariners first goal.
The controversial incident arose when Huxtable played a great advantage following a foul on Archie Collins during a City counter-attack. However, after the attack broke down Grimsby countered themselves and won a corner. Huxtable then booked the perpetrator of the foul, Liam Gibson and told Collins, who had received treatment following the tackle, he had to leave the field, which meant the Grecians were a man down to defend the set-piece.
Taylor has written to the authorities seeking clarification on the rule which he believes means if a player is booked for a challenge on an injured player, the injured player does not have to leave the field on the resumption of play.
Huxtable explained his decision was made on the basis that it was a different phase of play, but this didn’t cut any ice with an angry Taylor who said this to Devon Live: ‘That’s a difficult one for me because we have had an attack and then they have had an attack and then got the corner, and then the lad has been booked (for the foul on Collins), and Archie still has to go off the field.’
‘Where do you draw the line? That’s why I have asked for clarification on that from the referees, and it will be interesting to hear what they have to say because that is a huge moment in that game.’
Commenting on how being a man down affected his side’s set-up at the corner, Taylor added: ‘If you take one player out of that setup, it changes it. Don’t take anything away from Grimsby, it was a fantastic strike, but we were a man down at the time, and I have to find out if we were rightly one player down.’
Exeter were further frustrated by Huxtable in the second-half when he turned down what looked like a clear penalty for the Grecians after Jayden Richardson had been brought down inside the box.
The defeat was Exeter’s first in the league this season, but they remain top of League Two and will be looking to make amends in a mouth-watering clash with second-placed Crewe at the weekend.
Meanwhile, Huxtable will take charge of Sunderland’s first league visit to Lincoln City since 1961.
Our View
Huxtable never seems to be far from controversy and having been on the receiving end of many of his sub-standard performances over the years; we are amazed here at The Real EFL he still gets games, never mind such a big League One clash as he’s been given on Saturday.
Taylor is fuming over his performance last week and is right to seek clarification over the rule.
However, whatever the outcome It will not change the result, and Exeter needs to move on.
It will be interesting to see how Huxtable responds on Saturday in a massive League One clash in front of a full house at Sincil Bank.
We will be there and holding our breath every time he reaches for his whistle.
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