Middlesbrough manager Neil Warnock has confirmed to The Northern Echo that the club will appeal Matt Crooks’ red card and expect him to be available for their midweek game.
Middlesbrough midfielder Crooks was sent off after colliding with Reading goalkeeper Luke Southwood in Saturday’s early kick-off, much to the dismay of manager Neil Warnock.
Replays seemed to show Crooks made a firm connection with the ball and the Teessiders will lodge an appeal in the hopes of having him available for their game against Sheffield United on Tuesday evening.
The Boro boss confirmed he spoke with referee Peter Bankes after the game, with the official admitting he was wrong to send off the midfielder.
“I expect we’ll hear this afternoon or tomorrow morning at the latest,” said Warnock.
“I don’t understand it really. I’ve already found out that the referee has said he definitely made a mistake, so if that’s the case, I don’t understand why we have to have committees and commissions really.
“If he’s admitted it’s a mistake and it shouldn’t have been a red, I don’t understand why we have to go through the whole process, but we do.”
The 27-year-old had played 90 minutes in every single one of Middlesbrough’s games up until he was given his marching orders at the weekend on 86 minutes. He is the club’s joint-top scorer so far this season with two goals in nine appearances, level with Uche Ikpeazu, who has found the same amount of times whilst playing one game less.
Thoughts
Crooks has been an important player for Middlesbrough this season and both Warnock and supporters alike will hope to have him back in contention tomorrow evening. It is likely the ban will be overturned given the nature of the incident.
The challenge was one Crooks would have been expected to make and he made contact on the ball, but was then dismissed for ‘violent conduct’. With the referee admitting his mistake I can’t see this one not being overturned.
