Soccer player sent off for rugby tackle on streaker
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Dorchester Town player/manager Ashley Vickers was served with a red card for aggressively tackling a streaker in a match at Havant and Waterlooville on Monday night.
With the Blue Square Bet South encounter poised at 1-1 with 20 minutes to go, a 20-something male raced on the pitch wearing a Borat-style wig and mankini - bringing play to a shuddering halt.
But instead of being praised for ending the prankster's run around Havant's Westleigh Park ground, he was sent off by the referee.
Dorchester then crumbled to a 3-1 defeat and ended the match with just eight men after Dorchester defenders Jake Smeeton and Kyle Critchell also received straight reds for fouls.
"I'm dumbfounded and speechless. A guy ran on to the pitch without any of the stewards getting near him and I thought I was doing them a favour," Vickers said after the match.
"My only thought was to get hold him so we could get on with the game. I managed to grab him and bring him to the ground and the funny thing was the stewards actually thanked me for it.
"But the ref decided to send me off and it beggars belief. Their players told the ref not to send me off and their chairman even offered to take a player off to even things up.
"The ref lost the game after that and he knew he had made a great error by the reaction of Havant's players and management.
"In hindsight I perhaps shouldn't have done it but hindsight is a wonderful thing. I'm sure people will crucify me for this but I have broad shoulders."
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With the Blue Square Bet South encounter poised at 1-1 with 20 minutes to go, a 20-something male raced on the pitch wearing a Borat-style wig and mankini - bringing play to a shuddering halt.
After watching the streaker cavort around the pitch untouched, Vickers decided to take matters into his own hands and took the man to the ground with an emphatic neck-high rugby tackle.
But instead of being praised for ending the prankster's run around Havant's Westleigh Park ground, he was sent off by the referee.
Dorchester then crumbled to a 3-1 defeat and ended the match with just eight men after Dorchester defenders Jake Smeeton and Kyle Critchell also received straight reds for fouls.
"I'm dumbfounded and speechless. A guy ran on to the pitch without any of the stewards getting near him and I thought I was doing them a favour," Vickers said after the match.
"My only thought was to get hold him so we could get on with the game. I managed to grab him and bring him to the ground and the funny thing was the stewards actually thanked me for it.
"But the ref decided to send me off and it beggars belief. Their players told the ref not to send me off and their chairman even offered to take a player off to even things up.
"The ref lost the game after that and he knew he had made a great error by the reaction of Havant's players and management.
"In hindsight I perhaps shouldn't have done it but hindsight is a wonderful thing. I'm sure people will crucify me for this but I have broad shoulders."
Also see:
