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Ref Watch: James Hill knew what he was doing with dangerous tackle on Aberdeen’s Duk, and how to referee a stramash explained

James Hill (72) of Hearts fouls Luis 'Duk' Lopes (11) of Aberdeen on Saturday at Pittodrie. Image: Shutterstock
James Hill (72) of Hearts fouls Luis 'Duk' Lopes (11) of Aberdeen on Saturday at Pittodrie. Image: Shutterstock

Following a weekend where the spotlight is once again on Scottish refereeing, our expert gives his view on the performance of the officials during Aberdeen v Hearts at Pittodrie on Saturday.

The Dons made it seven Granite City wins on the spin against the Jambos – but what did Finlay Elder make of referee David Dickinson, his team and influence of the video assistant referee (VAR) during the 90 minutes.

Pollock goal a reminder VAR can be useful on what was a controversial weekend

The Dons swiftly took a 2-0 lead in the first half, with both goals completely fine from a refereeing stand point, then Watford loanee Mattie Pollock would then all but seal the three points with an excellent diving header by the 28th minute.

Aberdeen defender Mattie Pollock scores to make it 3-0 against Hearts at Pittodrie. Image: Shutterstock

It was clever play Bojan Miovski to draw the foul for the free-kick which led to Pollock’s goal.

However, my initial reaction inside the ground was Pollock may have just been offside when Leighton Clarkson delivered the set-play, given the amount of space he had.

Replays showed just how tight it was, and VAR took a little bit of time to confirm the onfield decision – Pollock was onside.

In a weekend of VAR controversies, this was a reminder of the value of technology when used correctly.

Shankland knew how much force he could get away with

Hearts were obviously frustrated with their first half performance against a resurgent Dons team they are trying to hold off in the race for third place.

Letting his annoyance get the best of him, captain and former Aberdeen player Lawrence Shankland, would haul down goalscorer Pollock from behind near the halfway line.

Lawrence Shankland (9) of Heart of Midlothian FC is shown a yellow card. Image: Shutterstock

Pollock was simply just standing his ground as Shankland chased down a ball, and it was certainly a cynical, frustrated act.

I think Dickinson’s decision to only show a yellow card was the correct call, but a bit more force and you could easily argue for a red card.

I think Shankland knew exactly what he was doing to avoid a straight red – doing just enough to vent his frustration without leaving his team man down.

Not enough contact on Ginnelly for MacDonald to be penalised

In the second period, Hearts forward Josh Ginnelly claimed for a penalty after contact with Aberdeen defender Angus MacDonald, who he appeared to be claiming had pulled him down in the Reds’ penalty area.

The referee was unmoved and, after a VAR check, the game continued.

My first reaction was that Aberdeen defender got away with one, but, on review, there isn’t a lot of contact to justify awarding a foul.

MacDonald certainly does make contact, but is it enough to make the player go down?

Personally I don’t think it is, but I have certainly seen them given.

Remember, VAR shouldn’t intervene unless it is awarding a red card or a penalty which has been missed – I don’t think the challenge was either, so it again functioned correctly by not interfering with a correct on-field call.

Why Hill deserved booking, and how to referee a stramash

The final and major flashpoint of the game came after a very hard tackle on two-goal Aberdeen hero Luis “Duk” Lopes from James Hill.

Yes, the Hearts defender won the ball. However, the way he went into that challenge rightly upset the Aberdeen players.

James Hill challenges Duk. Image: Shutterstock

I think the challenge itself was definitely dangerous – and if he doesn’t win the ball then it’s a red card all day long.

Through my time refereeing, I have seen referees give yellow cards for tackles like that, even when the player takes the ball, which is what Hill received in this situation.

Hill definitely knows what he is doing..

Some of the more old-school football fans would argue a tackle where you win the ball shouldn’t be a foul.

But, in football now, it is about the force and risk to the opponent.

The most important factor with a tackle like that is the interpretation and refereeing style of the officials in charge. Some would give the foul or worse, some won’t.

The stramash which followed the challenge resulted in four cautions being handed out, two to each team, including Hill. An absolute classic refereeing tactic that – pick two players from each team and call it even.

Bojan Miovski (9) of Aberdeen and Graeme Shinnie (6) of Aberdeen remonstrate with James Hill (72). Image: Shutterstock

When it comes to mass confrontations there are always a few things to look out for: Who’s come the furthest distance to get involved, who’s grabbing somebody, who’s squaring up to someone…

Although the tackle was subjective, I think the referee handled the subsequent situation pretty well and got his bookings roughly correct, although I was surprised to see Hearts goalkeeper Zander Clark avoid a booking, given he ran half the pitch to get involved.

The only reason I can see him not getting a caution, is if he was playing a peacekeeper role in the confrontation, something the referee would have been able to see.

  • Finlay Elder has been a registered referee for six years and a category 5 official since 2019, with experience in the Highland League, juniors and Club Academy. 

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