Pic: Chris Hyslop
IT was one of the most controversial goals of the season and Braintree Town chairman Lee Harding said Guiseley‘s decision not to allow his side a free response after “does not reflect well on our level of the game”.
Confusion arose in the 73rd minute at Nethermoor after Braintree striker Michael Cheek required treatment and the ball was eventually knocked out.
On the restart, the ball was thrown to Guiseley’s Oliver Norburn to return to Iron keeper Tom King but the attempt flew over the stopper and into the net. Braintree were expecting to be allowed to walk through straight from the kick-off to score themselves but the home side thought different.
The game ended 1-1 and meant Braintree missed out on moving into the National League top five while Guiseley moved six points clear of the relegation places.
Chairman Harding said: “They way they scored may be operating within the laws of the game but within the morals and ethics of the game, there are things more important than scoring and winning.
“Were there a similar situation where we were the beneficiaries, the immediate response from us would have been to let them score from the restart.
“He’s (Norburn) gone to score – if it was a backpass he would have rolled it to the keeper. He’s launched it from 50 or so yards. What’s happened doesn’t reflect well on our level of the game.”
Braintree boss Danny Cowley added: “I can’t believe what has happened, it is the worst thing I have seen on a football pitch.”
Guiseley boss Mark Bower, however, said: “The incident was a grey area and there are no defined rules. This is going to get us a lot of attention and I know it’s going to be a big talking point for everyone involved.
“It was a really tough call to make, but at the time we felt it was the right decision.”
Were Braintree right to feel aggrieved? Should Guiseley have allowed Braintree to score a ‘free’ goal? You can watch the incident below and decide for yourself…
