Don Goodman loses mind over ‘terrible’ West Brom incident in Championship defeat v Sunderland
Don Goodman was left fuming after West Brom were awarded a penalty during the Baggies’ 2-1 defeat against Sunderland at The Hawthorns on Sunday.
John Swift’s penalty was cancelled out by a second-half header from Dennis Cirkin to leave West Brom’s playoff hopes in the balance. Cirkin later scored the winner for the Black Cats.
Swift was brought down by Luke O’Nien on the stroke of halftime and the decision to award a penalty was slammed by Goodman.
“Well, I think the crowd and John Swift buy this because there’s isn’t any contact,” said Goodman (Sky Sports coverage, 12:46pm, 23 April).
“What I saw with my own eyes. Where is the contact? There isn’t at all. Look at John Swift rolling around. It’s the assistant referee who gives this, not the referee and I think he makes a terrible decision.”
Come on Don
Don, there was clearly contact. It was a poor decision from the Sunderland defender, who gave Swift the chance to go to the ground. It’s part of the modern game and you simply cannot give an attacker the chance to hit the deck. West Brom didn’t deserve the lead, but it’s an opportunity they weren’t going to pass up.
It was an intriguing clash at The Hawthorns. It was clear both teams didn’t want to give an inch. Furthermore, both sides were adopting contrasting styles, which somewhat cancelled each other out. The Baggies were more than happy to sit in and absorb pressure and the Black Cats were happy to be patient on the ball.
Despite the first-half lead, it was an extremely disappointing afternoon for Corberan’s side. Sunderland were good value for their victory and it’s now an uphill task for West Brom to secure a playoff berth.
A trip to Sheffield United awaits and, realistically, Albion need to go to Bramall Lane and pick up all three points. There will be plenty of twists and turns, but this really does feel like a damaging loss.
In other West Brom news, the Baggies have started plans for the summer window as they’ve sent scouts to track an in-demand defender with an exit on the cards.