Kildare captain Eoin Doyle was dismissed in the Lilywhites Allianz League clash with Donegal on Sunday in the most unusual fashion.
Kildare got off to a great start and were leading by three points in the first four minutes, however, their fortunes would soon change when Doyle was red carded after he picked up two yellow cards in quick succession, one of which, was for not wearing a gumshield.
Doyle lost his gumshield following the first yellow, at which point referee David Gough told him to go the sideline to get a new gumshield.
On his way towards the Kildare bench, goalkeeper Mark Donnellan aimed a kick-out at him, which he subsequently caught and received a second booking for seemingly playing without a gumshield.
Kildare manager Cian O’Neill labeled the decision as ‘shocking’ and said that Gough should have stopped play if he was going to send Doyle to the sideline.
“When you think of the sequence of events and how it happened, it is shocking,” he told RTÉ Radio 1’s Sunday Sport. “To be fair, in the first instance, Eoin’s mouthguard got knocked out when he hit a hard shoulder, so the referee gave him the opportunity to go to the sideline to get one.
“But he didn’t stop the game and let everyone know. No more than a bloodsub or a black card – you don’t restart the game until the player is off the pitch for treatment or gets carded.
“Eoin shouted over to us, ‘lads, I need a mouthguard’. He was coming over to get a mouthguard and the linesman was well aware of that because he was right beside me.
“Our goalkeeper was unaware of it, because why would he know, the linesman said he didn’t even know. The ball was kicked out and, since you were four years of age, if someone kicks a ball at you your natural reaction is to go for it. The ball was kicked to Eoin as he was coming off the pitch and he just caught it.
“The referee gave him a yellow card. I told the linesman to tell the referee he was coming to get his mouthguard but there was zero communication there. Which is not good practice in my mind there.
“To compound things then, the referee did not even realise he had given him a yellow card and allowed play to carry on. I mean, how many mistakes does it take to get things right? I don’t know anymore.
“If you are going to ask a player to leave the pitch for any reason, then stop the play. Let him get off the pitch and then signal to the goalkeeper to restart the play.”
Mouthguards were made compulsory in Gaelic football in 2014 in an effort to reduce dental injuries. Any player that fails to wear one is not covered under the player injury scheme.
