‘I remember it like yesterday’ – Dean Holden on FA Cup quarter-final red card in Charlton Athletic tie

Dean Holden can still vividly recall his red card for Bolton Wanderers against Charlton – paying a heavy price for being rattled by winger John Robinson.

Holden takes charge of the Addicks against his old club this weekend at The Valley.

The Mancunian was dismissed by referee Graham Poll in the 48th minute of the FA Cup quarter-final tie at Bolton’s home stadium in February 2000.

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Holden told the South London Press.

“Right at the start of the second half I hit him [Robinson] with a crashing tackle right on the halfway line. He landed on top of me, stuck my head in the mud and said something to me.

“About a minute later I got the red card. For some reason I couldn’t mentally shake it. He got into my head, he was a senior player and I was a young player. It was such a big game.

“I cleared the ball over the line and he said something again. We squared up to each other and put our faces into each other. I didn’t headbutt him. But the ref thought it was all me and Graham Poll sent me off.

“Luckily for me [Eidur] Gudjohnsen scored in second half to win us the game. We got through to the FA Cup semi-final. I got one of the biggest rollickings of all time from Big Sam.

“I got a four-game ban, because it was the second sending off of the season for me. I came back against Sheffield United and broke my leg. You wonder if that would have happened if I hadn’t got sent off. I came to understand that is just my path. At the time it was difficult to take.

“I turned up at Wembley on crutches for the semi-final.”