Flag Day

At first glance you would definitely think he was a proper linesman. He had all the gear, he carried the flag, Graham Poll seemed to know him and he spent 91 minutes haring up and down the lines without courting too much controversy. Then in the 92nd minute the real test came. A Charlton player and a Fulham player hurtled towards him and one of them handled the ball. A large number of people saw that it was the Fulham player. So the linesman agitated his flag and gave the free kick. To Fulham. And in a matter of seconds Quedrue had grabbed a last gasp equaliser and ruined the day for new manager Alan Pardew, his players and all the Charlton fans, who until that moment had been under the impression that they had secured three precious points.

Thanks to the little man who had all the gear but sadly not nearly enough ability, Charlton Athletic had to be content with a draw and the loss of two points may yet prove decisive in their fight for Premiership survival. But it should not have been a draw and since referee Graham Poll was unsighted, there is only one man to blame. Alan Pardew’s side were deprived of a hard earned victory by a little man who could not distinguish between a black arm and a white arm at a distance of about two yards.

And in all probability in a day or two he will be running the line in another Premiership game. Because somewhere someone refuses to make the proper distinction between human error and incompetence.