Championship match erupts into chaos as bottle thrown at ref after red card | Football | Sport
Referee Josh Smith found himself targeted by bottle-throwing supporters during Portsmouth’s clash with Oxford United. The official’s choice to send off right-back Connor Ogilvie in the 17th minute sparked a furious response from the Fratton Park crowd. The incident came when the Pompey right-back caught Mills with a scissor-like challenge. Smith deliberated before issuing a red card.
The dismissal came shortly after the hosts had taken the lead in the relegation six-pointer, with Keshi Anderson putting John Mousinho’s side ahead after nine minutes. Reduced to 10 men, Portsmouth found themselves under enormous pressure and Oxford levelled just after the break when Brodie Spencer tapped home. Nicolas Schmid could only parry as far as the 21-year-old full-back who equalised from close range.
In the wake of the red card, a plastic bottle landed close to the referee’s feet, prompting him to report the incident to the fourth official. A subsequent announcement over the Fratton Park tannoy warned fans that such behaviour was “unacceptable”, which was met with further jeering from the stands.
Sky Sports pundit Tim Sherwood said: “It’s 100 per cent a collective decision. If you’re the referee and making your own decision, why would you say anything?
“You see Keshi Anderson there talking (to the assistant), ‘do not open your mouth. I know you’re closest to it, but that’s not a red card’. That’s what he’s telling him and the referee has decided it’s a red card.
“We saw the statement there and they can dress it up however they like to make it the right decision. For me, it’s not a red card, I think Stanley Mills has had worse tackles from his dad (former Leeds United and Manchester City defender Danny Mills) in the back garden.”
It was a crucial clash at the foot of the Championship with Portsmouth, 21st heading into Monday’s fixtures, welcoming the Us, who occupied 23rd place.
The relegation scrap could shift dramatically on Monday with Blackburn, 19th, and West Brom, 20th, also playing while Sheffield Wednesday, who are already condemned to League One football next season, face Leicester City, who sat beneath Portsmouth in the drop zone.
The dismissal completely changed the complexion of the match with Oxford pressing for the fightback. They succeeded in doing just that with the revival continuing after half-time.
However, nine minutes from time, Oxford’s leading marksman Will Lankshear drifted beyond the Portsmouth defender to nod the visitors ahead.
A victory for Oxford would have seen them climb out of the relegation zone at Portsmouth’s expense.
Then, with just three minutes remaining, Andre Dozzell found himself perfectly placed to guide the ball into the bottom corner from the cutback, hauling Pompey back out of the bottom three with a point.
