Auckland FC fury as Central Coast Mariners defender avoids red card in VAR drama
Sam Cosgrove appeals to the referee following the foul by James Donachie in Auckland FC's 1-0 loss to the Central Coast Mariners. Photo / Photosport
Auckland FC assistant coach Danny Hay has slammed the decision-making process that saw Central Coast defender James Donachie avoid a red card in Sunday’s 1-0 loss to the Australian side.
The frustrating defeat ended any chances of Auckland FC retaining their Premiers Plate, with Newcastle Jets now out of sight on top of the A-League ladder, with one round to play.
Hay was incredulous that Donachie wasn’t dismissed early in the first half, after standing on the back of Sam Cosgrove in the 13th minute. The incident – which merited a lengthy VAR review – was judged not to meet the threshold of violent conduct, with referee Jonathan Barreiro instead opting for a yellow card.
“It’s 100% a red card,” Hay said. “Anywhere in the world that’s a red card. When the ball’s gone and you take two or three steps and you go out of your way, shorten your stride, to stand on somebody’s back, I don’t think there can even be a discussion about it.
“So how that’s not violent conduct is beyond me, but I guess when you’re looking at things with a certain perspective, you see what you want to see.”
Hay – while also bemoaning his team’s lack of quality in the final third – had no doubt that the result would have been different had Donachie received his marching orders, saying the decision “immeasurably” changed the game.
“They go down to 10 men at that point, which they should have, they can’t hold us out. I can’t see that. If he’s not there, who knows what the score would have been, but I can pretty much guarantee that we would have gone on to win it.”
Donachie was a strong presence throughout – with some big tackles and key interceptions – and cleared a Guillermo May header off the line late in the second half.
Central Coast coach Warren Moon had a different take, saying a potential red would have been “harsh”.
“Just because someone’s put their foot on someone’s back doesn’t automatically make it a red card,” Moon said. “If there was intent there and if it was malicious, maybe, but for me it wasn’t.
“If you look at the eyeline of a player, he’s looking at where the ball travels and he’s looking at his next action, and he’s got to put his foot somewhere. Now if it’s in his back, it does happen.”
However, Moon also conceded that during the review process they were anticipating a sending off – “We had started to warm someone up” and they had got a “lucky break”, which they captialised on.
While that was a pivotal call – as even Moon admitted they would have struggled to compete with a personnel defeat – Hay was honest about Auckland’s shortcomings.
With so much to play for, they misfired, continuing a run of poor results at home. They monopolised possession but couldn’t fashion too many clear-cut chances to break down a resolute Mariners defence.
“I couldn’t fault the endeavour,” Hay said. “We needed one or two little moments where we could really unlock them, but couldn’t seem to find that.”
Auckland continue to miss the injured Francis de Vries, having gone winless in four games in his absence, and are on a bad run, with one victory since the beginning of March. In that time, they have also dropped seven points at home, with draws against Perth Glory and Melbourne Victory and the losses to Macarthur FC and the Mariners and are now in danger of dropping out of the top two, ahead of their final regular season match against Sydney FC this Sunday (5pm).
“We’re just collectively having a little bit of a spell where we’re, where we’re not as dangerous as, as we potentially have been,” Hay said. ”We’ve got to find a way of turning it around.”
Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.