Bradford keeper commits freak blunder due to rugby pitch marking

Paul Merson reflects on move from Arsenal to Middlesborough

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Bradford City goalkeeper Harry Lewis had a moment to forget on Saturday as he bizarrely caught the ball miles outside his own penalty area during the Bantams’ 1-1 draw with Newport County in League Two. 

The score was still goalless at Rodney Parade when Lewis rushed out of his penalty area to catch the ball several yards beyond the line. Newport share the ground with rugby teams Dragons and Newport RFC, and the 22 line was still clearly visible after a recent match. 

Lewis seemingly thought that the 22 was actually the edge of his own box, catching the ball in a split-second decision. Rather than pay the ultimate price for his unfortunate error, the Bradford stopper was only shown a yellow card. 

“Absolutely unbelievable,” wrote Newport’s official Twitter account. “Bradford keeper Harry Lewis catches a long ball miles out of his goal and only gets a yellow for it.”

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Many supporters were baffled that the deliberate handball was not punished with a straight red card, as it often is. “That’s literally the worst decision I’ve ever seen a ref give in a game live,” wrote @ChrisEddy_7 on Twitter. 

Meanwhile, @kevfonae added: “Ref’s had a mare there. Not a matter of interpretation, it’s a rule.” Others have theorised that Lewis was not given his marching orders because his handball did not deny a goalscoring opportunity. 

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“Did it stop a goalscoring opportunity? No. Move on [and] stop crying,” wrote @clifford_nick. Bradford boss Mark Hughes addressed the incident after the final whistle, saying: “He just thought the line was white.

“I think the referee displayed common sense. He understood that it wasn’t intentional. Harry genuinely thought he was in the penalty area.” Lewis ultimately stayed on the pitch for the full 90 minutes as both teams came away with a point. 

Salt was initially rubbed into Newport’s wounds after what they felt was an unjust decision to only book Lewis, as Andy Cook opened the scoring for the visitors in the first half. 

The hosts bounced back after the interval through a Liam Ridehalgh own-goal, however, to go 18th in the League Two table while Bradford went sixth. Lewis came through the ranks at Southampton, making three senior appearances before joining the Bantams last year. 

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