ON Boxing Day, Nottingham Forest should have been heading to Middlesbrough in confident mood. They should have been lifted by a comfortable win over Leeds.
Instead they have only a point to reflect on as they journey to the Riverside, along with a stinging sense of injustice. And all that is required is consistency.
At Birmingham City a few weeks ago, a line was drawn in the sand. It was established that it was acceptable – if not actively encouraged – for a fourth official to intervene, if he felt a mistake had been made by the referee or his assistants.
The Blues benefited as fourth official Nigel Smith told referee Geoff Eltringham that he should have awarded a penalty for a Britt Assombalonga handball.
On Saturday, having already seen one Matty Fryatt goal chalked off for an incorrect offside decision, when the same thing happened in the second half, the incident was replayed on the big screens. It shouldn't have been – and Forest may yet face some fall out from it.
But more than 20,000 people got to see that the decision was wrong. Including, you assume, the officials. Yet there was no intervention from fourth official Eddie Ilderton.
Admittedly, play had restarted at the City Ground, when it had not a few weeks ago, at St Andrew's.
But there must be a simple solution. Why not let each team have one 'appeal' per game? One opportunity to call time out on the game and let the officials review video evidence, if it is available or, alternatively, just discuss whether they might have made a mistake among themselves?
