An English Football League official had a medical crutch thrown in his direction as emotions ran high following the final whistle. Oldham Athletic dropped a 1-0 decision on their home turf against Crawley Town, leaving the home supporters deeply frustrated.
Video footage emerged showing an angry supporter hurling a crutch at referee David Rock while the official walked off the field. The sports club has not issued a statement regarding the occurrence yet, though the individual responsible faces potential repercussions if identified.
While officials frequently face backlash from disgruntled fans, this instance followed a contentious first period that saw two Oldham players sent off. Referee Rock issued straight red cards to both men, helping last-placed Crawley secure merely their second victory across 11 fixtures.
Oldham went a man down as early as the 14th minute when Kai Payne received a straight red card for a late tackle on Danilo Orsi. Kane Drummond joined him on the sidelines around the 30-minute mark after lifting his boot to control an aerial ball and striking Kai Jennings in the head.
Oldham manager Micky Mellon expressed disappointment over the outcome but maintained he would not adopt a victim mentality despite the pair of red cards. He stated, "I'm really proud of my players, really proud of the football club, the supporters for an unbelievable response under unbelievably trying circumstances and we will look at the positives that come out of it." Mellon added, "We remained a threat the whole game and we'll be disappointed that a few things don't fall for us there." He further noted, "But only pride, and I mean that, I'm not going to play the victim in how everybody with an Oldham connection - fans, players, staff - responded to a very trying afternoon with real guts and a lot of real good character from everybody concerned, and we will take that forward with us."
