In Behind the Whistle, former Premier League referee Chris Foy goes through a selection of key match decisions from the weekend's EFL action.
Behind the Whistle aims to provide supporters of EFL clubs with an insight into decision-making considerations, as well as clarification of certain calls to provide an understanding of how the laws of the game are interpreted.
As part of Sky Sports' regular post-match coverage, Foy will be there to take you through some refereeing stuff in the EFL…
Burnley 0-0 Sunderland
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Burnley and Sunderland
incident: Possible penalty and red card (Sunderland/Burnley)
Decision: Penalty awarded, no red card (Sunderland/Burnley)
Foy says: “There are several incidents in one here as the referee has to make a decision as to whether Sunderland should be awarded a penalty and also what disciplinary action should be taken against the Burnley defender.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Sunderland were awarded a penalty against Burnley, but was it the right move as the foul appeared to be outside the penalty area? After that, should the Burnley player have been shown a red card for denying an obvious scoring opportunity?
“First, the referee judges that the incident happened inside the box and awards a penalty. With the help of the replay, we can see that the incident actually happened outside the box and therefore the referee should have awarded a free kick to Sunderland.
“As the foul occurred outside the penalty area and involved the denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, the correct disciplinary sanction in this incident should have been a red card for the Burnley defender.”
Portsmouth 2-1 Middlesbrough
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Portsmouth had a goal awarded against Middlesbrough, but did the assistant referee get a firm offside call?
incident: Goal scored, possible offside (Portsmouth)
Decision: Goal awarded, no offside (Portsmouth)
Foy says: “This is an excellent decision by the assistant referee as he remains alert to the movement of the Middlesbrough back line in an attempt to catch Portsmouth's forward offside, as well as the movement of the forwards.
“When the ball is delivered into the path of Portsmouth's number 30, Middlesbrough's number 30 starts to come back before holding back slightly in an attempt to play the Portsmouth forward offside.
“Despite this defensive manoeuvre, Portsmouth's number 30 remains on the sidelines as the ball is played and the assistant referee rightly holds his flag down.”
Rotherham United 4-2 Charlton Athletic
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Rotherham were awarded a free kick for this foul against Charlton but it should have been a penalty?
incident: Possible penalty, foul (Rotherham United)
Decision: No penalty, free kick awarded (Rotherham United)
Foy says: “The referee did a very good job of identifying the location of the foul that occurred.
“When a Charlton Athletic defender commits a foul, it is difficult to determine in real time whether the trip occurred inside or outside the penalty area.
“The position and focus of the referee here allows him to make an excellent judgement, there are no obstacles and he can recognize that the foul happened outside the penalty area. The free kick is the correct decision.”
Stevenage 1-2 Wigan Athletic
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Wigan saw themselves reduced to 10 men for a serious foul, did the referee make the right decision?
incident: Possible red card, serious foul (Wigan Athletic)
Decision: Red card awarded (Wigan Athletic)
Foy says: “Although we cannot be sure whether the Wigan Athletic player intended to make contact with the Stevenage player where he does, the referee is right to award a red card for a serious offence.
“The Wigan player, to me, probably only intends to stop the counter-attack by cynically tripping the Stevenage player who is advancing with the ball, but in doing so clearly catches the opponent with his boot clips and force, on his opponent's Achilles.
“Whether intended or not, the contact endangers the safety of his opponent and crosses the threshold for a red card, which the referee correctly points out.”
Swindon Town 2-0 Barrow
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
The referee made two big calls as Swindon scored against Barrow for potential offside and a foul by the striker in the build-up to the goal
incident: Goal scored, possible offside (Swindon Town)
Decision: Goal awarded, not offside (Swindon Town)
Foy says: “You could say the match officials have two big calls here, and to me, both are correct.
“Firstly, there is a suspicion of offside as Swindon's 10 is played, but the replay shows he timed his run well. The assistant referee holds the flag correctly.
“Secondly, the referee has to make a decision on whether or not the attacker commits a foul on the goalkeeper, or vice versa. He correctly identifies that the ball is being played fairly and therefore there is no problem while the ball is in the net. .
“In an attack that was developing so quickly, both the referee and his assistant do well to get both decisions right, and the goal was correctly awarded.”