Hull player Mehlem appeared to be obstructed by refereeWilson Isidor’s strike sends Black Cats back to topPA MediaSun 20 Oct 2024 12.50 EDTLast modified on Sun 20 Oct 2024 17.25 EDTShareHull City’s head coach, Tim Walter, revealed that the referee Robert Madley apologised to him for his inadvertent role in Sunderland’s winner that helped the Black Cats to return to the top of the Championship table.
Wilson Isidor’s third goal in four matches, in which the on-loan Zenit St Petersburg striker ran half the length of the field and lifted the ball over Ivor Pandur, sealed a 1-0 win for Sunderland at MKM Stadium.
Jacob Brown caps dominant Luton victory against fragile WatfordRead moreThe decisive moment was laced with controversy as Hull’s Marvin Mehlem appeared to be obstructed by Madley after a short corner, with the midfielder dispossessed by Dan Neil, who freed Isidor to race clear. The defender Alfie Jones and the assistant coach Julian Hubner were booked for protesting against the decision – with the goal standing as Madley did not touch the ball – while Walter was cautioned at full-time.
Walter, though, said Madley struck a more conciliatory tone in the aftermath. “He apologised for the situation but it doesn’t help. Maybe you can interview the referee then it would be better but it’s really frustrating. He was not well prepared, I said. If you know how we play corner and set-pieces, he would know we play them short.
“[Madley] said he was well prepared but unfortunately not because I did it at my former clubs and we do it all the time. If you don’t find the right position then maybe he wasn’t well prepared, that’s what I said to him. One hundred per cent, we could have done better. But sometimes it’s not our mistakes and you have to accept it.”
View image in fullscreenThe referee Robert Madley inadvertently played a role in Sunderland’s goal at Hull City. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PAWalter, who has previously called for the implementation of the video assistant referee in the Championship, had earlier been dismayed by a couple of first-half decisions going against his side. He was especially puzzled at appeals for handball against last man Chris Mepham being ignored, with replays showing the ball struck the Wales defender’s left arm a few metres outside the Sunderland box.
“For me it was a clear hand,” Walter said. “He played the ball with the hand back to the keeper and it’s a red card but [Madley] saw it in a different way. It’s like a never-ending story. Unfortunately it’s always us. But every gaffer has the same opinion about the situations that they’re always more negatively influenced.”
Asked about the events leading up to Isidor’s 63rd-minute winner, the Sunderland manager, Regis Le Bris, said he “didn’t see anything specifically”, adding: “I can’t judge anything about the referee’s decisions, positions or involvement in the game because it’s not my main concern.”
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Sunderland were given a scare before breaking the deadlock when Chris Bedia rattled the bar but after going ahead they did not look back, moving one point ahead of Burnley to go top.
Speaking about Isidor’s goal, Le Bris said: “He has that quality to eat the space. He can run, he can run, he can run and he kept the consistency to deal with the goalkeeper – it was a brilliant goal.”