Latest news with #CroudMeadow
BBC News
03-08-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Fourth official hunt 'embarrassing'
Bromley manager Andy Woodman has described the lengthy delay to replace an injured assistant referee in his team's game at Shrewsbury Town as "embarrassing".Woodman also said the 17-minute stoppage in the first half, which ended with a qualified referee being recruited from the crowd, had halted the momentum of his side's good start as they fought out a goalless draw at Croud stoppage came 26 minutes into the first half, when Scott Chalkley sustained an injury which meant he could not fourth official Niall Felton stepped in to replace Chalkley, but Shrewsbury had to make an appeal over the public address system for a qualified referee to take Felton's place on the appeal was successful when Alan Cork, a level-five qualified referee, stepped forward - he can only take charge of matches in the tenth tier and below, but is able to fill a supplementary role at a higher told BBC Radio London: "First of all, let's hope the official [Chalkley] is OK. He seems to be OK, and that's most important."It was an embarrassing situation for the referees' management, to have to ask for someone to come out of the crowd to get the game going. I've never known that in my life."I don't really know what to say about it - it's embarrassing. It stops the momentum of the game, and we had the momentum at that point. I'm sure [Shrewsbury manager] Michael [Appleton] will look at it differently."The second half then becomes a bit of a damp squib because these players have been out on their feet since two o'clock. It's a red-hot day and a long shift for them. It's tough on both teams, and shouldn't happen."
Daily Mail
02-08-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Chaos in League Two as club asks if any FANS can officiate after linesman gets injured on opening weekend
The opening weekend of the new EFL League Two season did not run entirely smoothly, as an injured assistant referee sparked a mad scramble for a replacement during Bromley's goalless draw at Shrewsbury Town. A surreal scene unfolded midway through the first half at the Croud Meadow, where play was halted in the 26th minute after linesman Scott Chaulkley was unable to continue. With no spare officials available, the fourth official stepped in to run the line – leaving nobody to oversee substitutions or manage the technical areas. That prompted a remarkable moment, as the public address system issued an urgent call for help: was there a qualified referee in the crowd? As players returned to the changing rooms and confusion reigned, Bromley's social media team offered a blow-by-blow account of the chaos, posting: 'The PA announcer is now asking for a qualified referee. Football is back, ladies and gentlemen.' A follow-up update read: 'Right, there is nothing to report. We are still waiting for a qualified official. In the meantime, how's everyone doing this afternoon? Good?' After a 17-minute delay, the solution finally arrived – in the form of Alan Cork, a Shrewsbury fan and Level 5-qualified referee, who stepped out of the stands to take over as fourth official. Due to the delay caused by an injured linesman, there were 17 minutes of first-half added time Shrewsbury celebrated Cork's intervention with a picture and message on X (formerly Twitter): 'Shout-out to our new fourth official for the afternoon! Thanks for saving the day, Alan.' Once play resumed, 17 additional minutes were added on to the end of the first half – but neither side could find a breakthrough. John Marquis and George Nurse both went close for the hosts, while Marcus Dinanga saw two first-half efforts for Bromley either ruled out or sent wide. Shrewsbury boss Michael Appleton handed out multiple debuts, including a start for forward Anthony Scully. Attendance at the Croud Meadow was 5,809, including 280 away fans. This wasn't the only League Two fixture to suffer disruption on the opening day. Newport County's 1-1 draw with Notts County was delayed by an hour after a medical emergency in the stands. Two air ambulances landed on the pitch at Rodney Parade before the game eventually kicked off at 4pm. Once it got going, the visitors started brightly but fell behind early in the second half when Gerard Garner nodded in from close range following a long throw. Jodi Jones drew Notts level from the penalty spot just after the hour mark, after Matt Baker was penalised for dragging down Matthew Dennis in the box. Both sides had chances to win it — Michael Reindorf struck the post for Newport — but had to settle for a point apiece.
