'One of the worst I’ve ever seen': Middlesbrough and Wigan fans react to controversial refereeing performance

The match officials were a major talking point following Middlesbrough’s 2-2 draw with Wigan at the DW Stadium.
Joe Nicholson
By Joe Nicholson
Published 12th Feb 2020, 06:00 BST
Updated 12th Feb 2020, 10:26 BST
Middlesbrough's Hayden Coulson and Wigan's Nathan Byrne challenge for possession.Middlesbrough's Hayden Coulson and Wigan's Nathan Byrne challenge for possession.
Middlesbrough's Hayden Coulson and Wigan's Nathan Byrne challenge for possession.

Referee Oliver Langford dished out 11 yellow cards, including one red for Latics defender Chey Dunkley, on an eventful night.

After taking a 2-1 lead with a man advantage, Boro fans were understandably frustrated with the result while both sets of supporters were critical of the officials.

Here’s how some Boro fans reacted on social media:

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@DennyAlderson: Referee in this Wigan boro game is one of the worst I’ve ever seen

@DavidKingy1982: Conditions and ref didn’t help / but that was shocking Boro

@cliffordson21: Can't believe how poor our forwards are at retaining the ball. Only Morrison looked comfortable with it at his feet and I'm not sure any forward won a header.

@lynpogue; Apart from Wings 2 goals that was hard to watch, only #Boro could stuff up a lead against 10 men. Time to go back to the wing backs and bring Spence back far more creative with him and Coulson bombing forward

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@Smithy_MFC84: We’ll never have a better opportunity to win a game than that tonight. Having done the hard work by turning the game on it’s head, with a man advantage to boot, allowing them back into the game was absolutely criminal. Should’ve taken them to the cleaners. Poor.

With relegation fears looming, Wigan fans were even more unhappy with the referee:

@ryanwood12: Great fight to get a point but in my time watching Wigan or any football for that matter I have never seen a worse referee never let the game get in to a rhythm blowing for the softest fouls and to think paul cook thinks we was booing the players

@mattlatics: Decent performance from Wigan tonight but was completely ruined by an inept, incompetent buffoon of a referee.The standard of refereeing in the Football league is horrendous

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@TDWigan1992: Never seen a referee lose control of a game so badly

@piekenyon123: One of the cleanest games of football I’ve ever seen and the ref managed to give out 10 yellow cards and 1 red.

@SteFromWigan: Cracking performance by #wafc but that referee.

Related topics:WiganMiddlesbroughChey Dunkley