Charlton Athletic appeal Chuks Aneke red card – as Lee Bowyer defends Darren Pratley
Charlton Athletic have appealed Chuks Aneke’s red card – with manager Lee Bowyer maintaining that both his side’s dismissals on Saturday were harsh.
Top-scorer Aneke is set to miss the next four matches if referee Brett Huxtable’s initial view, that it was a deliberate elbow in the 3-0 loss to Blackpool, is allowed to stand.
That would rule the striker out of tomorrow’s trip to Wigan, Oxford United away and home fixtures against Northampton Town and Shrewsbury.
There is no ability for Darren Pratley’s red card to be overturned as the veteran midfielder walked for two bookable offences.
Bowyer is still unhappy that Jayden Stockley’s header was ruled out for offside in the first period.
“I said to the ref at half-time that the goal that was disallowed was onside – the same thing happened to us on the Tuesday [against Burton]. They are big decisions – they change the game. Saturday it would’ve made it 1-1, and there was nothing in the game at that stage. It had been a scrappy game and my players were battling just as hard as the opposition’s players.
“The ref said: ‘Sorry, that’s not my fault.’ Because he didn’t make the decision [on the offside] – the linesman did. How does that help me and my team? That bad decision makes our job more difficult.
“We’re going to appeal Chuks’ red. He was jumping to win the ball – just like their strikers were.
“I’ve seen the Pratley one back and I don’t think he does too much wrong. The fella just wipes him out and he just lands on him. I’ve seen my players booked for those challenges. In my day that is a great tackle – you take the lot. That’s the saying ‘take the lot’. He did that, for sure.
“But Darren landed on him and tried to get up. Every time there are players mingling on the floor that is what happens, because someone wants to get up quicker than the other one. There was a little bit of pushing. Does that mean it is a yellow card? You just tell them to get on with and don’t be stupid.
“Then Chuks is shown a straight red card for jumping for the ball.”
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