Controversial referee Zac Kennard-Kettle has been assigned to take charge of Gillingham’s League 2 clash at Harrogate Town tomorrow.
Kennard-Kettle was the man in the middle for one of the most chaotic afternoons of Gills’ season earlier this campaign – a defeat at Grimsby Town which saw two players sent off, a penalty conceded and a flood of yellow cards.
That match came while manager Gareth Ainsworth was recovering from heart surgery, leaving assistant Richard Dobson in charge on the touchline.
Gillingham were reduced to 10 men after just 33 minutes, when defender Remeao Hutton was dismissed for what Kennard-Kettle deemed to be denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity, following a tangle with striker Jaze Kabia. Hutton was initially set for a one-match ban, but the suspension was later overturned on appeal.
The visitors’ afternoon worsened in the second half when Sam Gale was penalised for a foul on Kabia, leading to a penalty which Charles Vernam converted – the only goal of the game.
Things unravelled further when Jonny Williams was sent off after picking up two yellow cards, for what were described as innocuous offences inside three minutes, leaving the Gills to play more than half an hour with just nine men.
Kennard-Kettle dished out seven bookings to Gillingham players, with Max Clark, Ethan Coleman, Gale, Armani Little, Glenn Morris and Williams (twice) all cautioned.
Dobson himself was shown a yellow card during the match and was left frustrated by the way events unfolded.
Speaking afterwards, he said: “I think we should really focus on our boys and the effort that they put in rather than the real turning points of the game based on one person’s decision.”
He later expanded on the incident that led to his own caution, adding: “I said to the fourth official, ‘I’ve given him the easiest time he could possibly have wished for, given the circumstances.’
“I don’t abuse fourth officials – I focus purely on the team. For the booking to be passed on to me, I just don’t understand it.”
Dobson added: “It’s got to live on their conscience. He’s got to go to bed feeling he made the right decision – and if he does, wow.
“I thought a good game of football [was] ruined.”
Following that Grimsby match, Kennard-Kettle spent time officiating in the National League and only returned to EFL duty on New Year’s Day, overseeing Notts County’s League 2 game against Accrington – a contest which produced nine yellow cards.
This season, Kennard-Kettle has refereed 19 matches, issuing 87 yellow cards and four red cards.
He will be assisted at Harrogate by Matthew Moss and Aaron Hallam, with Oliver Nolan named as the fourth official.
Gillingham will be hoping for a far calmer afternoon when they head to Yorkshire on Saturday.
Harrogate’s own manager Simon Weaver won’t be on the home bench this Saturday, as he picked up a one-game touchline ban for a sending off last weekend.
He was sent off after the final whistle – having lost 1-0 to relegation rivals Shrewsbury Town – for using abusive language towards an official.
Managers have been keeping the FA busy lately. The Gills were fined £9,000 after Ainsworth and his Colchester United counterpart Danny Cowley were blamed for starting a mass confrontation last month.
Elsewhere, former Gills boss Steve Evans was handed a one-game touchline ban after admitting a charge of misconduct. The Bristol Rovers manager was sent off at the end of their recent EFL Trophy match against Plymouth.
