League Two game halted as linesmen 'refuse to work on same side as furious fans'

12 November 2023 , 11:11

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A 96th-minute penalty prompted the long delay (Image: PA)

Notts County's game away to Crewe Alexandra was delayed for 13 minutes after both linesmen allegedly refused to officiate in front of the visiting side's furious supporters.

After Crewe were awarded a 96th-minute penalty at the end of an ill-tempered League Two contest, the travelling Notts fans were livid and vented their fury towards the officials. Magpies forward Jody Jones, a hero of Notts' promotion campaign last season, was deemed to have handled the ball in the box and referee Richard Wigglesworth pointed to the spot with the scoreline still 0-0.

Wigglesworth had started the game as fourth official but replaced original referee Simon Mather after he pulled his hamstring in the third minute of injury time. With the away stand at Crewe's Gresty Road running parallel to the touchline, Notts' angry fans began firing verbal abuse at a linesman, who moved away to avoid facing any further criticism.

The other linesman allegedly wouldn't switch places, causing the match to be paused for 13 minutes as Notts' players attempted to calm their fans down and police sprung into action. The game finally restarted with Crewe's penalty in the 109th minute.

Striker Courtney Baker-Richardson fired home and gave the Railwaymen a precious three points, sending them above the Magpies in the League Two table and up into fourth place after 17 games.

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Just over two hours after the final whistle, Notts released a statement on social media which read: "Following the disruption in play during this afternoon's match, we will be working closely alongside Crewe Alexandra and the relevant authorities to assist with investigations. We are unable to comment further until these investigations have concluded."

Debate continued to swirl over the penalty long into Saturday night, which Magpies manager Luke Williams was asked about post-match. "I was far away from it," Williams admitted. "But it looked like it was bouncing, Jodi was attempting the block and it went under his arm."

Police attempted to cool the tempers of Notts County's fans (PA)

Meanwhile, Crewe boss Lee Bell thinks that the referee got the controversial call spot on, saying: "I thought it was a penalty. I think with the new rule change when you are so close to it but in this day and age it is a penalty. I think he [the referee] got it spot on, it takes a lot of courage to do that after coming on because he took his time."

Nathan Ridley