Shrewsbury skipper Marquis sees red just seconds into League One clash

Reuters

02-03-2025

March 2 (Reuters) - Shrewsbury Town captain John Marquis was sent off in their League One clash at Peterborough United for an elbow to the face in the first challenge of the game within a few seconds of kickoff, making it one of the quickest ever red cards in football.
The 32-year-old striker was shown red by the referee about seven seconds into Saturday's game after his challenge on Peterborough defender Sam Hughes, and eight minutes later Shrewsbury found themselves 1-0 down as Tayo Edun opened the scoring for the home side.
Shrewsbury went on to lose the game and remain rooted to the bottom of the table with 27 points from 34 matches.
"I don't think it was a red card," Shrewsbury manager Gareth Ainsworth told BBC Radio Shropshire. "John's devastated in the dressing room to be sent off.
"He has tried to put his arm across the centre half, rather than leading with his arm and trying to whack him. That's two different things.
"You've got to use your common sense and say 'it's a bit dangerous mate and it's a yellow card'. Not a straight red. All the fans are baying for it. The bench is up in arms, it's hard for the referee, but come on."
Twenty-five years ago, then Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Kevin Pressman found himself in unwanted spotlight when he was sent off in 13 seconds for handling outside his box in a game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Keith Gillespie, while playing for Sheffield United in 2007, was shown a red card for an elbow after immediately coming on as a substitute during a Premier League match against Reading.