Hackett reacts to ‘reckless’ Kyle Bartley incident as Sunderland fans up in arms
Sunderland secured a big three points away to West Brom on Saturday, though it was the performance of the referee which caught the most attention.
Trai Hume provided the goods for the Black Cats at The Hawthorns in a 1-0 win over West Brom, all but cementing their spot in the playoffs with six games to go.
Sunderland may not have been at their best against the Baggies, but they did enough to seal the win against the 12 men of Albion.
Unlike against Preston, when they quite literally had 12 players on the pitch, West Brom were fortunate on several occasions, with Tom Nield slammed for some of the decisions made in the game.
Bartley lucky to avoid punishment v Sunderland
Sunderland fans are already accustomed to the dreadful standard of officiating in the Championship, and it was no different against the Baggies.
Eliezer Mayenda was booked despite being fouled in the box, while there were several other incidents in the game that left the red and white faithful scratching their head at what they had witnessed.
However, one of those incidents saw Kyle Bartley lunge into a challenge on Wilson Isidor, and despite not getting the ball, it went entirely unpunished, with Keith Hackett sharing his verdict on the challenge.
Speaking exclusively to Mackem News, the former PGMOL official said: “That is a reckless challenge that should have resulted in a yellow card.
“The law clearly states: Reckless is when a player acts with disregard to the danger to, or consequences for, an opponent and must be cautioned.”
Thankfully, the inept officiating standards weren’t enough to prevent Sunderland from picking up all three points and continuing their push for promotion.
Sunderland need to keep building momentum
Unless Leeds keep falling apart, and those around them do the same, Sunderland will be entering the playoffs for the second time since their promotion back to the Championship.
| Championship | W | D | L | P |
| Sunderland | 21 | 12 | 7 | 75 |
Form and momentum remain as important as ever if promotion is to be achieved, and that goes for individuals as well as the team.
Isidor has failed to score in seven games now, and his confidence will need boosting significantly to give the Black Cats the edge in the race for a Premier League return.