The Voice - Match preview #21: Bradford City vs Wigan Athletic Friday 26th December 2025 15:00

When Walker spills the ball, to me I'd be seething if a penalty was not given by the challenge by Baldwin on the Wigan player. Cast iron penalty in my book.

 

6 and 2 x 3. Both at it.

 

Both as guilty as each other , in that instance the ref would give both benefit of the doubt and give nothing . Wrestling and shirt pulling in the box and getting away with it started in the Prem and has filtered down the divisions in about 4 seasons . The Prem rely on VAR to make a decision in really bad examples we rarely see anything given.

 

Another view..

 

Too many restricted views upper main stand

 

Match day...

 

Yeah, it looks like he caught his left foot on the way through then followed the heavier impact on his right leg.

 

I don't normally go by stills but there's a case there. Red would've been fair.

 

Their man is trying to get free of Baldwin. As the ball comes in Baldwin wraps hs arms round him. With a bouncing ball in front of an empty net their player has no interest in hugging Baldwin, why would he, he's trying to get free of him and Badwin is doing everything he can to subdue him. I thought the ref was going to give a pen.

 

The attacker is clearly holding the defenders shirt in his left hand and preventing the defender from getting to the ball and the ref saw that as well. He only let go of his shirt when he fell on the ground and appealed for the penalty.

They were both holding each other's shirts

 

I thought Aden Baldwin was excellent yesterday. In fact the defence on the whole was apart from the one time it wasn’t, irritatingly.

humps was great, and not to take away from his game yesterday but would be interested in seeing him as a 10 like where Sarce and Bobby play. With swan up top.

Also wouldn’t mind seeing us start a game like we finished yesterday. Swan and Humps upfront with a 10 behind. The rest as is.

I do feel like we are grinding out results without looking amazing. Be good to get some fun back too (if I’m being picky). Also not to take anything away from the amazing season

 

I'm looking at the new year as the spur to kick us on again, like last season.
A few new faces and increased competition for starts will hopefully see us get back to winning with style.

 

When you look at the highlights and see Humps goal from all of the angles, it shows what a good finish it was (coming in from the left). Mind you, he put a fantastic ball across from the right in the first half.

 

Surprised it’s even being debated especially on a Bradford City forum. You’d have to be the most bias Wigan fan or the refs son to argue otherwise.

 

Interested to see the take on a neutral forum. It's only 7 replies so far but not a single one thinks it's a red.

 

Yes - the full match is on the Bradford City app. The guy won the ball but was very high and caught Pointon on the follow through. The fact he won the ball probably saved him from a red but it was a reckless challenge.

 

I like to think I'm as fair as they come, watching them back there's no difference in the challenge on Pointon to the red card in the second half. I'd be of the exact same mind set of it had been our players making the tackles.

 

Wigan manager says we were using 'the dark arts' by diving for every challenge.. he's got a nerve, managing the dirtiest side we've played this season.

 

Which forum? If our player had done it and our fans were on here moaning you’d defend the ref as always and say it’s a clear red. Had Bobbys foot being planted it would likely have broken his leg with the height and force of the tackle. I think he gave a straight red to him second half knowing he’d made an error first as the second wasn’t as dangerous.

 

Honestly mate I'm just trying to be rational. That's my agenda. I posted on another site purely out of interest but I fully expected neutrals to call it a yellow. I can't help their opinion. Whether you value the opinion of a random set of neutrals is up to you but I don't see why their opinion wouldn't be more reliable than yours. I wouldn't have criticised the ref for giving a red. The red in the second half was far more dangerous and again if i posted that one on a random forum it would be unanimously red.

FYI

https://www.readytogo.net/smb/threads/youre-the-ref.1670360/#post-44038763

On to 14 posts now, still no backing for a red.