Referee Darren Drysdale incredibly SQUARES UP to Ipswich Town midfielder Alan Judge – with official moving his head towards the Irishman before being held back by other players in League One clash with Northampton
- Referee Darren Drysdale squared up to Ipswich Town midfielder Alan Judge
- The incident occurred during the final minutes of their clash with Northampton
- The official put his head towards Judge after he reacted to something he said
- Drysdale then sent off Flynn Downes as the League One game ended in chaos
Referee Darren Drysdale squared up to Ipswich Town midfielder Alan Judge during their League One clash with Northampton Town on Tuesday.
The confrontation occurred during the closing stages of the 0-0 draw at Portman Road with Judge appearing to react to something the official had said after awarding Northampton a free-kick.
Drysdale then put his head towards the midfielder before Ipswich’s Flynn Downes and Jack Lankester and Northampton defender Lloyd Jones stepped in and calmed the situation.
Referee Darren Drysdale appeared to square up to Ipswich midfielder Alan Judge on Tuesday
The official put his head towards the midfielder after awarding a free-kick to Northampton
Judge was booked for diving with the Irishman going down in the penalty area.
And Ipswich have since told Sky Sports News that they have not made an official complaint.
A spokesperson said: ‘We will leave it to the authorities to decide if there is to be any action taken.’
After the altercation with Judge, Drysdale then sent off Ipswich’s Downes in the final minutes as the game ended in chaos.
Ipswich’s Flynn Downes and Jack Lankester and Northampton defender Lloyd Jones stepped in and calmed the situation
After the altercation with Judge, Drysdale then sent off off Downes in the final minutes
Downes was booked for a foul in the middle of the pitch and was then shown another card but it was unclear what for, with Ipswich’s Twitter account suggesting it was for dissent or a hand to the face.
Paul Lambert’s side have just one win from six and are 12 points adrift of the automatic promotion places.
Drysdale has been officiating since 1988 and has worked in the Premier League as an assistant referee. He is also a sergeant in the RAF in Waddington and in 2004 he was named Combined Services Sports Official of the Year, due to his work for sport within the RAF.
The 49-year-old attracted media attention in 2006 after Bradford City’s Dean Windass received a five-match ban for swearing at him in the car park after a home game against Brentford on January 2.